When Danielle Vevea and Ashley Raynor founded Variant Collaborative, they faced a common industry challenge: managing complex specifications across multiple software platforms. Their work on projects ranging from restaurants and retail spaces to large scale luxury student housing and hotel projects demanded a solution that could handle detailed specifications while remaining user-friendly.

"We relied on a mix of InDesign, spreadsheets, and Word docs, constantly updating in all three," Danielle explains. "Locating a spec in a 400-page InDesign document was an endless, frustrating task."

Their previous workflow was particularly time-consuming: pinning inspiration, downloading photos, creating InDesign presentations, and, once approved, transferring everything into Excel spreadsheets for specifications. This fragmented process wasn't sustainable for a growing firm.

Finding Their Solution

That's when they discovered Gather. After extensive research into available solutions, they were immediately drawn to the platform's comprehensive capabilities and user-friendly interface.

What started as a solution for their team of two proved transformative as they grew to a team of ten.

"When we started the company, getting our processes and software right was a top priority," Ashley shares. "We conducted a deep dive on Google to find options different from what we'd used at past firms."

Gather stood out for its user-friendly, aesthetically driven design. "The capabilities other software offered were complicated—none of it felt easy," Danielle explains. "Gather's spec sheets automatically maintained the high level of design we insist on for all our documentation. Not having to think about formatting saved us significant time and money."

Project: Sweetwater Student Housing, Gainsville, FL
Photographer: Seamus Payne

Efficiency Gains and Team Growth

With Gather, Variant transformed its spec writing process, enabling the team to focus more on creative problem-solving and client engagement. The platform’s collaborative features also helped streamline teamwork, allowing multiple team members to work on a project simultaneously.

“We used to have to wait until everything was nearly finalized before starting specs because the process was so time-consuming,” Ashley said.

“Now, we can add information as we go, making it much easier to track changes and keep projects moving forward.”

"The ability to work in the cloud was a huge benefit," Danielle explains. "At previous firms, we used InDesign, where only one person could be in a file at a time, and everything had to be recreated from scratch on every page. It was incredibly time-consuming. Working in the cloud with Gather means our entire team can contribute simultaneously, saving us significant time."

As Variant grew from two people to a ten-person team, Gather scaled with them. The platform’s efficiency allowed the firm to take on larger, more complex projects without sacrificing their hallmark attention to detail.

Project: Feld Restaurant, Chicago, IL
Photographer: Sean Hendersen

Transforming the Spec Writing Experience

Gather has changed the team's perspective on specification writing itself.

"I never thought I'd enjoy spec writing, but Gather has changed my perspective," Danielle admits. "I now love being thorough, thinking through the categories, and anticipating potential issues."

The ability to create custom spec templates has been particularly valuable for training new team members. “The software essentially teaches someone how to write a spec,” Danielle said. “The templates act like a guide,” Ashley explains. “If someone is uneasy about writing specs or afraid of making mistakes, it's perfect—like having a carefully curated checklist that prompts you for all the essential information.”

This guidance extends to technical requirements that might be unfamiliar to newer team members. Danielle notes how they've customized templates to include critical reminders: "For instance, with fabric specifications, we've added prompts for important classifications like fire ratings. If a designer who's one year out of school doesn't know what NFPA701 is, they at least know they need to find that information."

Project: Whistler Student Housing, Atlanta, GA
Photographer: Chase Daniels

Streamlining with the Gather Web Clipper

The Gather Web Clipper has been instrumental in streamlining their spec writing process. "We were thrilled to discover it," says Ashley. With the clipper, they can instantly capture product images, specifications, attachments, and more with just a few clicks. "As we find a light fixture for a given space, we can document it directly from the website into Gather," Danielle explains. "It immediately helps us begin to generate the living archive of a project."

A True Partnership

Variant and Gather's relationship goes beyond that of a typical software vendor.

"The Gather team consistently turns our feedback into features that make our daily work more efficient," says Danielle.

This collaborative approach has led to a tool that feels uniquely tailored to their needs. As Ashley puts it, "It truly feels like a custom solution. Gather doesn't just promise updates—they deliver them."

With Gather's support, Variant confidently added procurement to their offerings, opening up new opportunities for growth and client service. Looking ahead, Variant is excited to continue innovating and expanding, confident in their ability to deliver exceptional service to clients with Gather as their partner.