Technical Schools Vs. College

I was listening to a conversation between two sets of parents not too long ago and they were talking about higher education for their children. They were debating Vocational Technical Schools and 2 or 4 year colleges.

One parent was saying that college was not as necessary anymore and that the wold needs more welders, construction, mechanics and manual labor workers than it needs business majors.

The other argued that in order for the construction worker to have a business they needed a business degree to be successful. They would also need accountants and financial planners to save for the long term. These jobs require college education.

I thought both sides had a point, but I also though both might be a little short sighted.

When I was in high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I was already a farmer/rancher and could have continued to do that and been able to make a living. That’s not really what I wanted to do. My mom and dad wanted me to be a veterinarian and I went to a year at OSU didn't want to be a Vet, and didn’t like college so I left college and didn’t have any direction.

I decided at that point, I would enroll in a Vo Tech school. I took classes in residential wiring and construction. Then got a job as a journeyman electrician. I was proud of my accomplishments and had a great job that paid a pretty good salary. Then the bottom dropped out of the Oil industry and it affected everyone. Work was still there, but new construction dropped to nothing and I decided I needed options.

Close by my home town was a Junior College. I went to check it out and ended up enrolling. I still didn’t know what I wanted to do. but I thought by the time I got the general education out of the way, I’d figure it out. I did, and went on to get a degree in Fine Art and then Visual and Graphic Design at a 4 year college.

I’ve worked for almost 30 years in the Advertising and Graphic Design industry and have had my own business for over 16 years. I have been lucky that I’ve been able to do what I love and make a living. However I also am comforted by the fact that I have always had manual skills that I can fall back on if I needed (it also helps around the house).

My advice is, think about letting your kids do both. Put some time into Vocational Technical schools to learn a trade, then go to college and continue education. Both are worthwhile, both can provide you with skills and employment for the rest of your life.

Both give your kids options, they don't have to pick one or the other, they can do both! You can’t prepare them for life any better than that!

© 2020 Michael Burke

The importance of planning and setting daily goals!

Good day! I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy.

Most of us are having to stay home and work right now, so it's more important than ever to have a clear set of goals to help plan your day.

Some, have had a home office for years and have a routine to make their day productive. However, with our families at home with us, we are having to switch things up a bit.

If you don't already, I would suggest setting a long term set of goals and a daily set of goals.

Most successful people already know and understand the importance of setting goals, but I've found in the last few weeks my goals have had to change a little.

Some people call them lists, some call them daily goals but the end result is the same. The following examples are how I set up my daily tasks. While at home with my son right now, I'm teaching him to do this as well.

A.    I have a journal that I work in and at the first of the year I write down my long term goals for the year. I can go back to the front of the journal at any time and make sure my daily goals are getting me closer to my long term goals.

B.    Every night I try right down the date and my goals for the next day. I could say list, but goals mentally tells me its a challenge and not a chore. By doing it at night, it means I don't have to take time out of my morning, I can sit down and get started first thing.

C.    I try to right down at least 10 goals for my day. Don't worry if you can only think of 8, that's fine. If you have 12 that's fine. I've found for me, 10 is a manageable number. The following is a sample of a normal set of daily goals. Except the coffee, they can be done in any order.

1. Get up and have coffee. ( No goal is too small. I try to make my daily goals manageable)
2. Check and respond to e-mail
3. Network
4. Finish any work I didn't get done the day before (this is a goal that will vary from day to day)
5. Get any billable projects that need to be done today (this also will vary from day to day)
6. Get 30 min of exercise ( can be as simple as going for a walk, just something that gives you a mental break)
7. Invoicing
8. Clean office space
9. Write goals for tomorrow
10. Tell my family I love them!

These are a simple sample of daily goals I use almost every day. They change up from time to time, but they are totally customizable and when I check them off, I feel a sense of accomplishment which helps with stress.

Now, with the current situation in place I have my family at home and that creates a whole new set of challenges.

My son now has to do virtual classroom, so I have become teacher, lunch monitor and recess monitor (making sure he doesn't recess all day!). My wife is also working from home and needs the dining room as an office to do calls and virtual meetings. All of this changes my work dynamic.

My daily goals have had to adapt to the new situation. Here is how my day goes now.

1. Get up and have coffee (that will never change!)
2. Make sure my son gets to work on school and be available to answer questions or give any instruction as needed. This could take an hour and a half to two hours out of my day.
3. e-mail
4. Network
5. finish work that is undone and do any new work that needs to happen (many times individual projects will become separate goals)
6. Take at least 30 min to do something active with my son
7. Read a book
8. Update my LinkedIn page
9. Write my blog.
10. Tell my family I love them! (this will always be on my goals list)

My goals list has always been moveable and the difference now is it has to be very flexible and I need to remind myself that some of the goals just wont happen. I have to take into account the kid needing snacks and drinks (he's still figuring out he can do that on his own) and every so often I hear "MICHAEL" which always seems to require me to get up and go where ever my wife is to find out what she needs!

Even in the unusual circumstances we find ourselves in, I still manage to write down a list of goals that help make my day manageable and as profitable as it can be.

Making goals you can check, helps keep you mentally fit and helps keep better track of your day. Making your goals flexible is important  if you want to accomplish anything especially with your family at home and if you want to keep your sanity!

Stay safe and be well.
Michael Burke




© Copyright 2020 Michael Burke

That will do!

That will do, or that's good enough. I dislike both of those phrases and I hear them far too often these days.

Perhaps I have a little OCD when it comes to design, but I feel its my job to give you the absolute best designed piece that I possibly can!

That means when I design something for you I take the best photography, illustrations, and content and put it all together into a design that best communicates whatever product or service you are trying to sell.

Sometimes it's expensive and sometimes less expensive, it depends on many different factors.

Far too often I get photography or illustrations that someone took on their smart phone or pulled off the internet (which is copyright violation, it you didn't take it or create it) and asks me to use it on the cover of their brochure or on their website. I usually have to tell them its poor light, quality or resolution, and the comment I get back is; "that's good enough" or "that will do".

Good enough, should never be good enough for your business! Imagine having the contractor only put three walls on your house and saying, that's good enough or trying to do your job with both your hands and feet tied. You might be able to do it, but it will be incredibly difficult to get it done and take double or even triple the time.

It is our job to give you a product that communicates the best way possible. We have an expertise, I assume that is why you hired us. As the saying goes; you wouldn't hire a mechanic to do your brain surgery!

When you tell us, "that will do", you do your business a disservice. What we want to hear is, "That's the best designed piece our company has ever had!" and then of course hire us to do it again!

I want to say thank you to all of my clients! I appreciate your business and all the time you've stuck with me!

Michael Burke




© 2020 Michael Burke/Gotham Advertising and Design

When to recognize opportunity and take action

When do you know when it’s time to take a chance and take action on an opportunity? It doesn’t matter what the decision, whether it’s time to get a new car or to buy a house, or taking a new job, making a decision to take action can be tough and scary.

By nature, I’m a huge procrastinator. I always accomplish a task but its usually on my terms. I meet all my deadlines, but somehow I convince myself it was always my idea to get them done on time. So taking action isn't always my strongest area.

However the major decisions I’m my life have usually been when something has been put in my path and I decided to take advantage and take the path offered. Sometimes this can be scary, and recognizing an opportunity is tricky.

For example.

I used to be a plumber. It was a good job with a decent income and I did okay. I went to work at 7:30 am and came home at 5:00 pm. Anyone who has every been a plumber can tell you, new construction is great, service work stinks…figuratively and literally.

I had been working as a plumber for about five years when we had a really cold winter. I had to drive about 30 miles in the country to fix a water leak in the freezing cold, under a house. When I finished I was wet, cold and miserable, thinking there has to be something better. I was driving down the interstate and there was a sign for a Junior college. To this day, I don’t know what made me do it, but I took the exit and went to the college to check it out. Two weeks later I was enrolled for the next semester.

I finished college there then went on to get my 4 year degree and never had to work in the plumbing business again.

I don’t know why I pulled off the highway, but something in my brain recognized that sign as an opportunity and I took it. That decision to take action changed my life forever.

When I started Jr. college, I majored in criminal justice. I was going to be a Highway Patrolman and I thought it would be a great career for me. A friend of mine had seen me on campus sketching one day and convinced me to take an art class with her. I needed an elective so I thought wow, I should really do this! The class was commercial art and I loved it so much, I switched my major to design and found my passion in life. I’ve been a designer for over 20 years and love it as much today as the day I created my first logo.

The important thing is to learn not only to recognize an opportunity, but having the courage to take action on it.

Around 13 years ago, opportunity was, again placed into my path. The advertising agency I had worked for about 10 years was closing it’s doors. I was one of the first 7 people hired (at one time the agency has 30 employees in our office) and I was one of the last 4 people to walk out the door.

The company offered to let me purchase much of my equipment, computers, scanners, etc. for a reasonable price and I took them up on the opportunity. This small investment allowed my to go into business for myself and I’ve had my own small Advertising and Design business for over 12 years. Again, I recognized an opportunity and took action.

Now I’m not trying to impress anyone with anything I have accomplished. My business is successful but not making me rich, and I have passed on a few opportunities that could have made me money and I’ve kicked myself for not taking the right action. No one can be right every time.

You have to learn to recognize opportunities when they greet you and not be frightened to take action on them! What happens if you fail? Most time you’re no worse for wear. If I hadn’t taken the exit for the college, I would have still been a plumber, it was a good job and I would have continued to be good at it. However because I took action on many of the opportunities life placed in my path, I found my ultimate passion in life.

Don’t be afraid to take action. The decision is often hard and terrifying, but I think, if asked, most people would hate to look back and say, “If only”!

A Re-visitation to Good Logo Design

Hi everyone!

I have been asked quite a few times in recent months, how do I hire a good logo designer? My standard answer is...you hire me! But there is more to it than just taking someone's word that they will do a good job for you. They may have a plethora of experience or their portfolio may look outstanding, but if they don't have the total package, can they really do your company justice? Read below and judge for yourself.

The following is my very first blog post and it's just as relevant today as it was in 2009 when I first posted it.

Thanks,
Michael
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Good Logo Design


In the years I have been in the advertising and design business, I have seen hundreds of logos. Some of them very good and some very bad; there’s an obvious difference between the two. The good ones define the company and support the brand. The bad ones don’t.

It sounds simple, doesn’t it? It’s not.

Good logo design is more than having your company name in a cool type font, or maybe a nifty little graphic illustration. A good logo designer starts off with research.

If you hire someone to design your logo and they don’t ask any questions about your company, run for your life.

When designing a logo, a designer should find out as much about your business as he or she can. It is not unusual for the designer to ask in depth about your business plan, marketing plan, and your product or service. Sometimes, this seems like the designer is digging into your privacy, but it is important to have as much information as possible so the design can work best for your company. After all, the designer is creating the visual identity that defines it.

Think about it, THE VISUAL IDENTITY THAT DEFINES YOUR COMPANY. That’s pretty strong stuff. The logo is the first thing most people see before they even meet you. It’s on your stationery, business cards, note pads, envelopes, products (if you sell a product), store fronts, and the list goes on and on.

Your logo often introduces your company to your customers. Now ask yourself, do you want someone who doesn’t want to know information about your business goals and aspirations to design the image that represents your company to your customers and potential customers? Or do you want a designer who cares enough to ask the right questions and provides you with a well researched and thought out design?

Along with a business plan and marketing plan, logo design should be one of the top three things you do when you start a business.

Steps that should be taken when designing your company logo.


• Initial meeting – An introduction and chance to meet the personality behind the business. It is important to meet the principals in the business because their personalities can help to define the parameters of the design.


• Research - Research is one of the most important, and most often ignored, parts of the logo design process. The designer needs to find out as much information about your business as he or she can. There is no such thing as too much information. The design firm should know almost as much about your business as you do. Research also includes doing copyright and trademark searches. This search should be done by a copyright and trademark attorney. If you don’t have an attorney, the designer should be able to provide you with a name (if the designer can’t give you a name you should worry, they should have someone that they use regularly). This trademark search is for the safety of your business. The search makes sure that no one else is using your name or mark. Finding out this information is extremely important because you don’t want to spend your hard-earned money on a logo design, thousands of dollars on corporate identity packages and signage, only to find out that some other business has the same business name and similar logo design and that they had it first, forcing you to spend more time and money re-designing and re-implementing your logo. Some companies spend over a million dollars a year just defending their trademark, so research is important.


• Design - The designers will sit down and go over all the information they have accumulated from the meetings and research, and start to come up with ideas. Designers don’t just start picking typefaces and drawing illustrations with no direction or purpose. A good designer will have a good reason for every part of a logo design. Designers are problem solvers and should provide several different designs for you to look at.


• Client input - After providing you with several designs, the designer will ask for your input. He or she will find out what you like and don’t like about the logo designs presented. This is a process that will help fine-tune the design and provide you with the logo that fits your business best.


• Final artwork - After all the research and meetings, it all comes down to the implementation of the final logo design. It is uniquely yours and will be tailored to your business.

Once you have a good logo design in place, it will make the branding and marketing of your business much more effective.

Logo designs are not inexpensive. A good logo design takes time. With the proper research and input from the client, the logo design will be some of the best money you spend. If you want to know how good logo design instantly identifies your business, think of these business names and see what pops into your head when you read them. McDonald’s™, Dodge™, HR Block™, Starbucks™, Best Buy™. These are the types of identifiable logo designs that are well thought out, researched, implemented, and effective, and none of these companies cut costs on their corporate identity design, and spend a lot of money pursuing people who infringe on their identity.

Finally, a good, extensively researched and designed logo supports your brand and makes your company immediately identifiable to your customers and potential customers. It also makes more effective implementation of all marketing materials. A well designed, professional logo is the public face of your business. It represents your company in all aspects of your daily business; the design should be solid, researched, immediately identifiable and knock their socks off!


© copyright 2014 Michael Burke