Reinforce Media, LLC

I like to think that I know where my weaknesses lay.  When I start working with someone one of the first things I try to make perfectly clear is that I am not a designer.  I like to be straight forward and let people know before that assumption is made and I have to explain that my client needs to find someone else halfway through a project.

What is the difference between a designer and a developer?  A designer makes the site pretty and does User Interaction modifications.  A developer is someone who builds the functional parts of the site.  This is like the difference between a painter and the guys who frame, plumb and wire up your house.

I have met a few people so far who are truly capable of doing both design and development, but most are WAY better at one than the other.  I say, stick with the thing you are best at and bring someone else in who is best at the part you fall short on.  I would much rather make sure that the product I am working on comes out as best as it can instead of falling short because I try to take on something that I am not that good at.

I know some high quality designers who, when I need them, I can bring them into a project to provide a top quality product for you.  I want to guarantee that our business interaction is the best you have had among the developers you have worked with.  There are just too many people out there claiming they do the same work as  I do.  I will not only tell you about the quality you will get, I show you throughout the entire business interaction we have.

I am aware that what happens to me would not affect most people. However, I have been thinking about brand management quite a bit recently and this struck a chord with me.

Tonight I walked into Chipotle near my house to get dinner.  As I walked up to the counter the employees were all in the kitchen area talking and joking around.  When they finally saw me they said “One minute” or something similar that told me I had been put on hold live and in person.  The only thing worse is when you walk up and someone is talking on the phone and gives you the “just a minute” finger at the same time as they completely ignore you.

I brushed this interaction off because I was hungry and wanted a ‘dang quesa-dill-a’ with chicken.  After they made my food, I asked for the corn and pico to go with it, and asked for everything to go.  As I reached the register, the manager came out of no where to take my payment.  She told me the total, I handed my debit card over, and I started to get that paranoid feeling like I was paying too much.  The manager did not hand me my receipt, she set it on the counter next to the register. That little guy in charge of my paranoia started kicking my brain saying “PAY ATTENTION”. » Read the rest of this entry «