Help support me in the Petsmart Charity walk this Sunday!

As many of you know I lost my german shepher Modena last year. After that loss I began volunteering for the SW German Shepherd rescue - the white german shepherd division. I pick them up on weekends and take them for playdates in the park - it is something that I aboslutely love!

I am working to raise money for the walk - help sponsor me!

Click me for link

Or go to www.mypetwalk.org and find my name as a walker under Angelina Gonzales. Email me with any questions also: info@n3qmedia.com

I will be there on Sunday with a fur kid in tow walking the walk and raising money for a great cause! Any support is tremendously appreciated! I will post pics after the event - and thanks for the love!

To Success,
Angelina
NThreeQ Media, LLC
Phoenix Graphic Design

Random Post Generator

I have thought about a new blog topic over and over again. I'm tired of thinking about this magazine fiasco and dealing with newbie designers going rogue via social media. I wrote a whole blog yesterday about things that you should never do to others in your industry - but honestly if you don't already know how to be professional and ethical one more freelancer out of the biz. I will say one thing though, there are things that you shouldn't do in business and in design. Never turn on your fellow designers, never judge others when you know only half the story and never air your clients operational issues via twitter or anything else via the internet for that matter.

Okay, enough on that topic, although I don't think I have many words of wisdom for this Friday morning. Oh! I took up Bikram Yoga, that is awesome, I escape the workforce early on Fridays and go spend 90 minutes in not sure how hot of a room. I will say that you feel so good and so relaxed afterwards its better than a massage and I think you burn about 900 calories - go me!

I'm excited to be doing something other than work this weekend. Going to the bodies exhibit, have Sunday afternoon Sangria and will probably call the BFF for a night out of girls fun. Get back in the swing of things and have a fun weekend. I also need to finish the wall mural in the kitchen and the seating area in the office - how did I get so behind?!

I've won some pretty great websites lately and we are T-minus a few weeks to launching 2 huge websites. A 3rd one will be sitting on a cloud server with an estimate million hits a month to be predicted - doesn't get much larger than that. A few more are in the works and I have finally found the balance between getting project and not having to sacrifice price. I guess you go into your 11th year of design and 4th year of business you know your quality of work and what you can put out.

Well, I promise I will have a better blog topic over the weekend or perhaps Monday! it's back to work!

Angelina
NThreeQ Media, LLC
Phoenix Graphic Design

Things you never do to other designers

I blog a lot about clients - client relations and just the crazy stuff that I do in my life. But what about the people in my industry? I have had many conversations with fellow web gurus and designers a like and we have always noticed a trend.

I remember when I was a newer designer I looked at other designers as the enemy. That I was better at design than them, I could create files better or do better for my clients. I didn't want to talk to them because I just knew more - ah to be young again right?! But then you realize that we are all on the same side. That working together creates better designs - get 2 designers on one project and see what happens, absolutely beautiful things. I think that the old saying is true, 2 heads are better than one. And that really goes for all industries.

Now, I don't have to state to treat others as you want to be treated, however it might be appropriate for this particular blog. I will say that in all my adolescence of freelance work I still never talked bad about another designer, put down their work or how they did it and never turned on them. I felt that they always had good reasoning - my line to my clients is that it's not bad design just not what I would do. I put my clients to ease to, it's never a good feeling when they feel they were taken advantage or and most time they really work it was just a design marriage that didn't last.

But here are a few things to never do to your fellow designers (or anyone in your particular industry)

• Never put down their work and say that it's bad - you know it's really not, but as a designer we have a competitive, tortured artist nature that we want to always just be better.
  
• Never slam other designers. Its all about being a professional no matter how hard you want to - bite your tongue. If you are telling others how bad someone else's work is - you are the one that looks bad and catty.
  
• Never say they built the files wrong or incorrect. I have to do clean up jobs - but was it really a clean up job or just getting the files to my liking and my style, most likely option 2.
  
• Never make judgments when you hear only one side. Your client is going to be in your ear complaining, take the high road, be understanding but don't say anything. There are 2 sides to every story and the truth lies in between. Unless you have talked to both sides and can think for yourself, just move on from that conversation and get the job done.
  

Truth be told - never be disloyal to the people in your industry. I will always back designers, not speak ill about their work and never steal work from someone else. I will never name names, use social media as my own playground to put others down and I will always be a professional. Karma comes back to bite you and you will be forever known as that designer that when the going gets tough you will turn on them, steal their work and put their craft down - now how long do you think you'll last in my industry?

The thing is, is we are all on the same side and we all working towards the same goal in just different ways. As humans we aren't always nice and we don't always watch what we say - we are human. But in the world of design, it's all about professionalism and ethics. I design so much better when I'm not carrying the emotions of others or judgments on others.

To success,

Angelina
NThreeQ Media, LLC
Phoenix Graphic Design

The juice not worth the squeeze

After pulling off the "job of 2011" by putting together a 36 page magazine in 2.5 days I was greeted by a fabulous lecture on being a business owner, unappreciative attitudes and that some how not living up to expectations.

You know, in that instance there was a wealth of emotions that ran through me but I did not react. I had to decide if the juice was worth the squeeze. And after looking at the juice, adding some sugar, adding some other stuff - it still just tasted bad. Leaving me to only do one thing - toss it and go find some fresh juice.

Everything happens for a reason, everything has a purpose and a place in the world and everything is meant to teach you something - the problem is that most of us turn a deaf ear and go about our business.

Ever meet someone that wakes up every day wondering what the world should do for them?

You win some and you lose some. And you lose some that you never really had (nor wanted) and realize that life is too short and there's a lot of juice out there and maybe you should just go pick some fruit and squeeze it yourself.

I have taken over other designers jobs many times over, pleasing the client or understanding why their designer jumped ship in the first place - usually it's the latter. But we all have to learn our lesson and what I have learned is to never, ever, ever sacrifice my professionalism or reputation at the regards of someone else.

Could this incident damage my reputation? Probably not. I pulled off the job of 2011 with speed and panache and saved a business - hello, Rockstar!? And what has this taught me? I can do this, like really freakin' do this. I have gone from the freelance graphic artist to the company that will not go silently in the night, that will without a doubt, whole-heartedly deliver their best 100% of the time and give nothing less. In the time of anger and frustration and disgust lays a professional that will walk with their head up high - cause seriously - I rocked that project and it's just another milestone step in the world of NThreeQ and all it can offer.

I don't know why I feel so empowered - I think it's because no matter what, I will always keep to my standards, to keep to my professionalism and ethics and not let it get me down. It was a wicked weekend filled with a lot of Why's. And after a great conversation today - the answer is truly Who Cares? I do what I do and I do it well and no one can make me feel insignificant without my permission.

To success

Angelina

NThreeQ Media, LLC
Phoenix Graphic Artist