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.

If you follow my twitter, you probably know my friend, office assistant, and son . . . diesel. I was listening to this song and made me think of my dog (bigger, faster, stronger). He is pretty awesome!

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