Many people have obscure last names (sometimes first names too), which makes it easier to snag a yourname.com domain. Do yourself a favor, and go check if it is available and BUY it.

Why buy a domain with my name on it?
It is simple really. It is an inexpensive investment (usually $10/year) just in case you may ever need it in the future. Think of it like a warranty. When you purchase a television, they encourage you to buy the warranty in case something ever happens to the TV. The last thing you want to happen is to say no to the warranty or discontinue paying the warranty, and then the TV breaks. 

The whole world is on the internet, especially with these crazy social networks. Everything is about delivering information quickly and easily through the internet. Who knows, maybe down the line, you will be required to have a website profile about yourself included with your résumé. 

If you are already a creative person, then by all means, you need a yourname.com domain NOW. If someone searches for your name on Google, guess which domain is most likely to pop up at the top? A .com version of the name. I would have loved to have an antoniodiaz.com domain to put up any personal portfolio pieces. Now I have to create [yet] another name for the website which may be confused as another company name.

There are a ton of places to go purchase domains and to check if they are even available. Check out GoDaddy or Enom Central (personal favorite) and grab that domain, or you may regret it later (like I did).

However, one post in particular caught my eye, which spoke truth about the technology scene exploding in today’s society. To break it down to you, he relates the tech world of 2008 to the hip hop world of 1985. Basically, every teenager and young adult is highly connected to the internet, social networks, and anything technology-related (i.e. texting, iphone, instant messaging, twittering, facebook, etc.) and the future pioneers will be that generation. Much like the old school rappers and hip hop artists back in the 80’s in the “ghettos” and urban areas. Gary made an interesting point that record labels are now trying to capitalize all the Lil Johns, and the Kanye Wests because the young generation of the mid to late 80’s started that trend. Back in the 80’s, that was not the case. It takes time and patience for society to catch up to us, and the ones that embraced the infancy of the trend and took advantage of it are the ones that become the most successful in the future.

This philosophy can also be extended to the design world. Some of the best work out there is created by very young creatives (just look at Deviantart for starters). Unfortunately many of them are unknown. But with a little patience, society will eventually recognize the potential and the power of awesomeness from the young crowd. No disrespect to the older generation, but the young kids of today will have a much bigger impact in the world in the near future and their likes/dislikes will be directly related to like individuals (hence, why young designers are starting to play a major role). Not corporate dogs or elitist suits with MBA’s that boast about their VAST years of experience and thinking they are better than the rest of us.

The reason why I bring all of this up is because I am part of said generation. As a young, freelance designer, it can be quite difficult for a 21 year old to be starting a business. Intimidating, and a lot of lessons to be learned, but in the long run, it will be one of the most valuable experiences that I would had undertaken. Not because you are running a business at such a young age, but because you are contributing to a phase that challenges old school rules and will eventually become the next big thing.

I am proud to announce the launch of the newly redesigned website for Community & Continuing Education (department of College of the Canyons).

This was an exciting project to experiment with the latest trends and styles of the web. The overall goal was to remain fresh, modern, and visually appealing for all audiences. In lieu of using a stock photo for the front page, I preferred to snap a photo of a buddy of mine with my trustworthy Canon Rebel.

The overall feel of the website had to remain consistent to the rest of the college’s webpages. The colors, header, and footer remained in the same style as the college’s homepage, but with a slight tuneup to make every detail count. This greatly benefited the rest of the website by establishing a much cleaner and higher quality design for better fluidity.

The end result was very well received and demonstrates that schools can also have modern and beautiful websites.

View Website

The phrase “think outside the box” is a cliché catchphrase to emphasize the importance of new ideas and revolutionary methods to overcome lateral thinking. Truth be told, this sort of creative thinking is widely used to pit our potential to the test.

Unfortunately, not every situation requires a “think outside the box” mentality. In fact, in many circumstances, this will hinder you if you proceed with this thought.

My point is that many problems are best to be solved if you take all corners of this “box” into consideration. Do not even leave the box, stay inside of it and dissect every possible detail until you notice a crack on the wall to fill in with the right piece. Most situations only require refinement of an existing idea or current method than radically changing the foundation of it all. Taking advantage of lateral thinking forces you to only use one road and to use what you have at the most basic level.

When cavemen realized they could build a fire with only sticks and stones… that was clearly thinking inside the box. The box was the environment itself. The cavemen investigated the land for possible methods to create the spark needed for the fire and the base to withhold the flames. They found sticks and stones to be the perfect candidate for a campfire. It was lateral thinking the same way algebra is lateral thinking: you solve a problem with what you have (initial numbers/variables) with only one possible answer.

If the cavemen thought outside the box, they could have just gotten a flame thrower and started all the fires they wanted instead of wasting their time using sticks and stones. And as for the math problem, just copy the answer from that geeky kid that sits in front of you and you’ll have your answer. Now that’s thinking outside the box.