Graphic Designing 101

Entrepreneurial leaders do not have a mindset that adapts to failure. Things go wrong, of course, but entrepreneurs don´t call them "failures" they call them "glitches, mistakes, bungles, setbacks" – but not failing.

When one such entrepreneur was asked about the hardest decision he ever had to make, he answered that he didn´t know what a hard decision was. An entrepreneur will approach decision-making with the idea that there´s a strong likelihood that he/she will be wrong. This doesn´t dissuade them – to the contrary they just do the best they can and worry about handling obstacles as they arise.

Here's a few entrepreneurs:

Barbara Zaccone is a Web strategy and online marketing expert. She is President and founder of multi-media design firm BZA LLC . She developed her management, marketing and sales talents at Hewlett-Packard. BZA LLC helps companies and nonprofit organizations to maximize and sustain their return on investment in their Internet presence. Clients include Vira Manufacturing, Accurate Box Company, Paradigm Packaging, The Big Green Egg, NJ Council for the Humanities, Paterson Public Schools, Paterson Education Fund, American Conference on Diversity as well as many small and medium-sized businesses and nonprofits.

Her innovative thinking has led to key improvements in the online enterprises of BZA's clients, who report significantly increased levels and quality of leads, sales and customer relationships.

Barbara Zaccone www.bza.com

I am a freelance graphic designer and website arts curator, and administer the arts portal www.zeroland.co.nz, which I founded, designed and administer. Zeroland has been running for ten years now, and receives up to 280,000 visitors a month. I am especially interested in the internet as a communicator of world arts and cultures.

I also have a background as a researcher in art history and history for several libraries and a major museum in New Zealand. I have a bachelor degree in art history, English literature and the Italian language (Auckland University). I love travelling, and my favorite destination is Venice, Italy.

Adrian Hart www.zeroland.co.nz

My name is Christian Castanares also know as xtianares around my online buddies. I'm a freelance graphic and web designer coming from a small city in the Philippines called Legazpi City. I love anything that could be associated with design and likes trying out new things design-wise. As opposed to the usual way designers get their way around, I did not go to art school but instead I got a degree on computer engineering but because of the love and fascination for art and design i ended up diving into graphic and web design. I guess I could say that im a self-taught graphic and web designer with various influences ranging from urban art to corporate designs. I like interacting and learning from other designers that I get in touch with and take pride on what I do. I remember starting out with just designing my notebook covers back when I was in school, I will go and buy notebooks with blank covers and just go doodle on them with colored markers until I get satisfied with what I have.

I got started freelancing way back when I was working as an IT specialist for my aunt's company. I used to make printed design for the company and then eventually move on designing anything that comes my way. Then a friend ask me why not try freelancing and since then I got hooked on doing freelance projects. After a few months of freelancing I decided that I really like the flexibility that it gives and like interacting with different kinds of people (clients) and could make a new career out of it so that's the time I decided that I would go freelance and quit my dayjob. And from there the rest is history although I always say that everyday is a learning experience so make the best of everything...

Christian Castanares www.xtianares.com

Electric Escape is a New Zealand based design studio run by Shaun Ross. We specialize in design for small to mid-sized businesses in New Zealand and around the world. While we're located in a small country, we have an international reach, having catered to clients from China, Japan, United Kingdom, Australia and America. At Electric Escape we are very passionate about design. We approach each new project as an opportunity to create something special.

I started Electric Escape out of a passion and love for what I do - web and graphic design. Being employed by existing design companies for several years, I was finding there was far too much emphasis on quantity over quality. With big overheads, design studios were rushing work out the door to collect their cheque. I wasn't able to dedicate 100% for each and every client. Eventually I decided it was time to give clients what they truly deserve and create each new design to the best of my ability. I delight in creating beautiful, modern graphic design, websites, logos/branding and other print marketing. There are a large amount of designers out there that don't have the artistic backbone or the perfectionists touch. This is where I truly excel in this field, and in doing so continue to push my business and portfolio as a boutique but world class studio.

Shaun Ross www.electricscape.com