Honestly, I am overwhelmed…..not by the fact that I found a job in horrible economy, but by all the love and support I have received from everyone. Here is a quick list….sorry if I forgot you.

1. My wife Erica. Thanks babe for everything you have done this past year & for carrying the extra weight while I was unemployed. You are an amazing and strong woman, and you keep me going through thick and thin. I love you.

2. My Family. My family is everything to me and I can’t explain how much your unconditional love means. Mom, Dad, Mom G, & Dad G, Bryan, Rachel & Bobby, & Isaac….Giardinelli, Beukelman, & Jouwstra Fam…..you guys are my all. Love you guys.

3. My Temecula (greater So Cal…and some of texas ) Design Crew (a.k.a. Durdes). I can’t say how much you guys keep me going and keep me inspired. I wouldn’t have been able to run my freelance and stay motivated to push forward without you. You guys are awesome.

4. Lastly….Fat Tire, Coke, In-N-Out, Chipotle, Miramonte Wine, & Papa Johns….you are priceless.

Hey Guys,

Its been a while since I have last posted, but had just a quick thought I wanted to share with everyone this morning.

Joel

Tip #1  ::  Tweet Deck

TweetDeck has been the source of all my social networking and interaction. With platforms like twitter, facebook, and skype at our fingertips we have the opportunity to take on almost any project. The luxury of being able to take on other designers/developers for projects has never been as accessible as now.

Tip #2  ::  ProtoShare

ProtoShare has been the lifeblood of my freelance business. The ability to layout quick and dynamic wireframes with the ease that ProtoShare provides allows me to make my development process extremely more efficient. I encourage anyone in web development to check out this service and try out the 30 Day Trial.

Tip #3  ::  Turn it off

The ability to turn off and unplug is essential in our industry. Setting healthy boundaries and client expectations has been progressively harder the more accessible we get with mobile technology. I know that the more I have let my work consume me, the more I have had design block and stress about projects. Getting away from the screen is essential in approaching our work with a fresh and creative perspective.

Hey Guys,

Here are just some quick thoughts and updates on what I have been up to and experiencing the past month. Thanks for coming by. Dont forget to check out @BeingGringo bellow.

Twitter  ::  @BeingGringo

Blog (soon to be)  ::  beinggringo.com

To see the video from @aaroni268 I am responding to go here.

Hello Everybody,

First I want to thank everyone who commented on last weeks post about Branding and Big Whigs. Nicho, Jason, and Jason Lerke all had really good input & perspective on the issue. I had realized that my posed question could really take two directions.

1. One would be from the perspective of branding being a perspective of the consumer and/or demographic. I this arena, no matter whether you are a huge corporation or a mom & pop shop, you have a brand. You exists therefore people have a perspective about you whether it is positive or negative. Obviously graphics & branding can help influence this perspective but it exists for all companies.

2. The second direction would focus more on the aesthetics and strategy behind a branding campaign, not so much on the consumers perspective. In this arena, I think we are talking about the plans and strategy behind swaying and influencing their perspective. This is more where my mind when this question was posed. I have come to 3 conclusions on how this unravels in my mind

1. You have a brand whether you like it or not. Big or small. People can chose to tend to it or can ignore it and let it manage itself.
2. Materials can be made in a small business area, even if the client doesn’t fully understand the strategy. However, this to me can be some what lost in application due to loss of direction and vision
3. To achieve a legitimate STRATEGY and plan towards a brand and how it will be interpreted, it must be executed in a big whig arena. I dont think the small business world understands it and/or is willing to pay for it. A real branding strategy takes much research and really gets into marking and out of the design spectrum. I think there are ideas and concepts that we can incorporate on a small scale with the small businesses, but when its all said ands done . . . I do think that Branding (Strategy that is) is for Big Whigs!

Tell me if I’m wrong.

The Question

Dear Joel,

In my fabled free time I volunteer my services for a local, small town non-profit. They have a handful of corporate sponsors but are definitely feeling the economic crunch. They are deploying an integrated PR, marketing and advertising campaign on a nil budget. Kudos to them to have the guts (and guys) to do it in-house. Branding is a recurring theme in our discussions. I feel that they have not reached critical mass to effectively deploy a branding strategy. They have an incredibly niche demographic and have a lot of refining to do before tackling those larger issues. So, my question to you is this—Is branding only for the big whigs?

Respectfully, Branding for the ‘burbs

The Mentions

Specialty Etching

Kyle Steed

Garth Humbert

Being Less of a Designer

Drum roll please . . . it’s the last week of my series “5 things I would do differently” and I’m super excited about this weeks post. This week I wanted to talk about being less of a designer. When I say “Less of a Designer,” Im mainly talking about two things.

1. Waiting for the question before answering.

I have found that in the last year, I started to solve client problems before they had presented the problem. I find that with the title of designer, we tend to let our confidence go to our head and get a little cocky. I think there is a great value to listening before speaking, and I think we can be much more productive in solving out clients problems when we do listen.

2. Humility.

I have also found that being a full time designer has had the tendency to envelope every facet of my life. This also strikes on the topic of being a little over confident/cocky. I have found that separating my career mentality (creatively solving problems) from my personal life has helped me maintained sanity. Realizing that I don’t have an answer for everyones issue is something I constantly find myself realizing. Even as I’m writing this, I realize how lame this sounds, but I think that this is a common issue for people in professions where they are in a position of authority. Not sure if all of this is making complete sense, but if you think I’m completely off…please leave a comment.

Side Work = Fresh Work

For this week I really wanted to talk about the value of having side work, whether you are self employed or in-house. I started doing more side work this year and realized how many opportunities are out there. Aside from some extra cash, I think it is important for two main reasons:

1. Having side projects will keep you fresh and give you another outlet that isn’t so connected to money and your income. I found that especially with charity/family/friend projects, there is huge payout in satisfaction and helping people with their projects.

2. It keeps doors open and gives opportunities for growth and expansion as a designer. I found that side work has a tendency to push your comfort zone and grow you. Embrace the growing pains!!!!

Shout out to the Community

I always talk about these guys, but they keep being awesome….so big ups to Josh Cagwin and Kyle Steed for posting the blog “Joel Beukelman fpr Hire” and helping me in my job search. Once again, thanks everyone for all the prayers and support. Much Love!

Being on top of your game

Hello everybody! This week has been a crazy one. I found out last Wednesday that I am no longer going to have my job at my current employer. We are still servicing our current clients and I will be working by contract for the remaining work, but I am back on the market. I am excited for new opportunities and am seeking out new direction for my career.

That being said, the third thing I would have done differently is stayed on top of my game. Staying on top of your game can be a vague concept, but for designers I think it applies in many ways. Having your updated portfolio up online (and in print), having an updated and designed resume, and being active in the community as much as possible is so important guys. I had to scramble once I had caught wind that things were slowing down, but even in a secure job, it’s still important to have all your ducks in a row. You never know what opporuntity is in the future. We need to be constantly refining our skills, our work, and our personal brand. If we aren’t moving forward we are definitely moving backwards… especially with the rate of progress & change in our industry.

With all of this going through my head, I got a message Sunday from @KKswebsTemecula, about an opening on a online radio show. The show is called Two Unemployed Guys Radio and they have a real progressive concept. They are featuring people who are unemployed and giving them a platform to share their resumes and gifts to seeking employers. Check them out… but just going to their website and browsing doesn’t do them justice. Listen to some of their podcasts… the production quality is on point. I thought I would record the session considering I was going in there on Monday and was going to be talking about some of the topics of “being on top of your game.” Its a longer video this week, but there is some good stuff in there. Let me know what you think. Much Love!

Two Unemployed Guys Radio

@2GUYSRADIOMIKE &  @MRRADIO

HELP!!!

Lastly, if any of you know of any openings or contract work, I love to hear about them. My portfolio and resume are lnked below.

Joel Beukelman’s Resume & Portfolio