G/Jems: A Few Of Our Favourite Things

Call it kismet, call it destiny, call it just having vaguely popular names; creative team The G/Jems (aka Jemma Burgess and Gemina Gil Flores) have taken personal branding to the next level.

Sharing not only monikers but a unique sense of humour and a passion for crafting unconventional work (though in opposition when it comes to fashion and music taste), the McCann London creative pair bring wit and invention to projects.

Here, they showcase their mutual application for "little things that get our creative juices flowing", including ever-rotating artwork and some handy hats.

The Branding

First things first, a good team needs good branding. 

Sharing the same name, ours came naturally: The G/Jems. 

Old folk tales say that we paired up just for that branding (a rumour that we enjoy spreading). 

We always introduce ourselves as such - and we even have merch - so it quickly became how people address and remember us. 

If you want to be good at selling things, you have to be able to sell yourself first, right? 

The Meme

Sharing the same name also comes with a bit of confusion. 

One of the first things we did when we paired up was our version of the famous Spider-Man meme. 

It's raised a lot of smiles and has been stuck on our office walls ever since. 

The Books

Approaching 30, we are in our ‘self-growth era’ (icky thing to say, we know), and working in advertising, we’re naturally fascinated by how people think. 

So, if you look at our shelves, you’ll find a lot of self-development stuff. 

Our all-time faves are, respectively, The Law of Human Nature by Robert Greene, and Girls That Invest by Simran Kaur. 

A couple we’ve recently loved are 50 Psychology Classics by Tom Butler Bowdon and Atomic Habits by James Clear. 

Finally, what we’re reading now: The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel and The Pivot Year by Brianna Wiest. 

And if you need to just escape it all, Jem recommends A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. 

Not a nonfiction but one she promises you won’t be able to put down. 

The Yoga

"We must constantly look at things in a different way" - Dead Poets Society (for all your movie buffs). 

That’s what yoga does. 

It gets us up, out of our seat and into downward dog. 

And trust us, the world looks completely different from downward dog. 

Looking at things differently is a key part of our creative process, helping us produce the type of work that defines us: non-traditional campaigns that come to life through unexpected media. 

Plus, it never hurts to have a good stretch after a long day at work. 

The Caps

Initially a gift from Gem to Jem that we both proudly wear. 

Sure, we’re more than our job titles, but it is true that we are both very passionate about what we do. 

So it is definitely a part of our identity. 

Plus, they look cool, right?

If you want one, Gem’s even selling them on Etsy. 

She promises wearing them automatically turns you into a dyslexic copywriter or an art director. 

The Angels

Apparently, Sonny Angels are going viral on French TikTok. 

It was love at first sight for Gem and a slow-burn love for Jem. 

So when she found some in a shop in South Korea, Gem had to bring one to Jem. 

These little sleepy cuties have been lying on our laptops since, always reminding us to relax and enjoy the ride. 

No matter how stressful it gets, at the end of the day, advertising’s not that deep.