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	<title>The Professional Graphic Design Portfolio of Stephen Parks</title>
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	<link>http://www.stephenparks.com</link>
	<description>Logo Design, Brand Packaging, Gaming Industry, Website Design, ePress Kits and Email Marketing.</description>
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		<title>The Sum of all my Posts</title>
		<link>http://www.stephenparks.com/hello-world/</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jul 2010 22:38:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Stephen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thecollagecompany.com/sparks2010/?p=1</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[BIG Things on the Horizon. There are a lot of new and exciting things happening in my life this year, so I decided to incorporate this blog as a record of my personal and professional journey and a way for the people in my life to stay well-informed. My Professional Mission. I&#8217;m very passionate about [...]]]></description>
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<p><strong><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-407" title="Sandia Mountains" src="http://www.stephenparks.com/uploads/sandia_mountains1.jpg" alt="" width="638" height="300" /></strong></p>
<p><strong>BIG Things on the Horizon.</strong> There are a lot of new and exciting things happening in my life this year, so I decided to incorporate this blog as a record of my personal and professional journey and a way for the people in my life to stay well-informed.</p>
<p><strong>My Professional Mission.</strong> I&#8217;m very passionate about graphic design, therefor my reason for this blog is actually two-fold. My goal is also to explain away some common misconceptions about <a title="Definition" href="http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/basic/g/graphicdesign.htm" target="_blank">graphic design</a> and answer any questions you may have about the industry.</p>
<p><strong>If you have any specific questions you would like me to answer about Graphic Design, Advertising and Marketing,</strong> please don&#8217;t hesitate to <a title="Ask a Question" href="http://www.stephenparks.com/get-in-touch/" target="_self">contact me</a> and I&#8217;ll do my best to address your questions in a timely manner.</p>
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		<title>Choosing the Right Design Firm</title>
		<link>http://www.stephenparks.com/choosing-the-right-design-firm/</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jul 2010 18:28:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Stephen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stephenparks.com/?p=281</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When a design firm brands themselves using a Niche Marketing Strategy, they position themselves as experts in a particular industry &#8211; which may or may not actually be the case. But more importantly, and in many cases, they may not even be experts in their own industry; graphic design. And if, for example, you want [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>When a design firm brands themselves using a Niche Marketing  Strategy,</strong> they position themselves as experts in a particular  industry &#8211; which may or may not actually be the case. But more  importantly, and in many cases, they may not even be experts in their  own industry; graphic design.<br />
And if, for example, you want an effective  website, don&#8217;t you want an expert in web design?</p>
<p><strong>Niche branding is a powerful strategy and it&#8217;s easy to fall for  the ploy. </strong>For example, let&#8217;s say you&#8217;re a dentist and you&#8217;re looking  online for a web design firm when you come across  dentalwebsolutions.com. Before you know a thing about the design firm&#8217;s  skills or experience, you will probably believe that they must know how  to create a website for a dentist. <em>That&#8217;s just a marketing strategy.</em> It does not mean they&#8217;re capable of creating an effective dental  website, or any other website for that matter. It certainly doesn&#8217;t mean  they know more about the dental profession than you. After all, you&#8217;re  the dentist.</p>
<p><strong>Apples for apples.</strong> Don&#8217;t get me wrong, the hypothetical dentalwebsolutions.com might be a competent design firm. I&#8217;m simply stressing the importance of doing your research. Interview a few firms and learn more about their capabilities and experience. Look beyond the marketing tactic and compare the firms&#8217; competencies, experience and design skills to make sure you&#8217;re making the most of your hard-earned marketing budget.</p>
<p>Please feel free to <a href="http://www.stephenparks.com/get-in-touch" target="_self">get in touch</a> if you&#8217;d like a little insight as to the types of questions you should ask before you hire a design professional.</p>
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