We recently had the pleasure of working with Raphael at Just Married with Graphics and our experience couldn’t have been better. Raphael understood what we were going for to create our brand new media site. Not only is he a talented designer, but he is also really nice! He responds to emails promptly and is always upbeat and we never felt like we were bugging him. I would trust him 100% with my own personal site and if I do decide to change my look, he will be the first person I contact.

Coupon Code

We also have a very special coupon code exclusive to Simply Sassy bloggers from Just Married with Graphics! Save $50 on any Acceleration Blog Design Package with the coupon code: SimplySassyMedia

We asked Raphael if we could interview him on our new site and share his business with all of you.

How did you get started in design?

I started designing after my wife and I decided to start a blog called Just Married with Coupons. I began helping her with trying to customize the site using my experience with HTML codes that I had learned from using MySpace. Yep, MySpace =) After spending some time on it, I really started to learn how to do some cool tricks with HTML coding. I knew then it was time to really start applying my art skills and learning how to turn my drawings into graphics. I knew that would allow me to create some cool unique designs for anyone. As a blogger myself, I began to realize just how cool that would be. Once I decided to create my own design blog, it was easy to come up with the name “Just Married with Graphics” =)

What inspires you?

I’m not going to lie, what inspires me is that I truly love designing and blogging, just as much as I love making money and having my wife as a full time business partner at home.. it’s just a dream come true! Having art talent has always been a great feeling, but as I got older it was really hard to find reason in picking up a pencil and drawing. So now that I have great purpose for it, my inspiration with designing has become a big part of my life. Even in my free time at anytime I have the chance to design for my son or wife whether it’s for her blog, birthday invitations, school projects etc.. it’s just been a true joy!

What are your favourite types of blogs to work on?

I love working on any type of blog, I honestly don’t have a preference. I love seeing client’s creative ideas and working with people who really have a vision. Bringing their ideas to reality, makes my day. I feel that people who focus on perfecting their custom logos first before we shift focus to the rest of the layout makes the end result truly unique. Designing logos has just been a lot of fun. Whether they want a character for their blog or some type of symbol or shape, it really sets the tone for the entire site. I know in the end there is going to be this new design that never existed before and now has this great purpose. The best part is that I helped create it. It’s definitely a rewarding feeling.

Which platform do you prefer: Blogger or WordPress? Why?

I actually don’t mind working on either platform. I started off using Blogger and if it wasn’t for Blogger I wouldn’t have learned all those things that gave me a huge headache. I’ve had some weeks where I grew big beards and my hair would be out of control because I was so focused on learning how to just get a freakin search bar on the header. Yep, I was newbie. My wife used to walk by me and hand me my coffee and tell me I look like a fiend. I think my response was “I could eat”. Anyway, the point is that I really like to perfect things so learning both platforms makes me enjoy them both for different reasons. However, I do always have to tell bloggers, especially serious bloggers that WordPress is just the way to go. There are so many easy ways to customize your site, but most of all, you’ll have a lot more control over your site on many important levels.

What are some of your favourite designs you have done?

Hmmm, that is a hard question because I have so many favorites. I always put my 100% effort and I won’t send a draft until I finally feel satisfied. By the time all the work is done I need to feel like I deserve a glass wine.. actually two full glasses would be great. Ha! I do find that my most recent designs are my favorite because I am constantly striving to learn more technique and love seeing the outcome each time.

What is the most challenging aspect of your job? The most rewarding?

Holy Moly, do I even go down this route. Biggest challenge is trying to get others to stop claiming my design work as their own. Since I create all of my designs from scratch, it hurts when I see my own creation in someone’s portfolio. Yep, I said it. And, I’ve also run into a few situations where my design credits have been removed simply because someone edited one of my client’s font. As far as challenge with the design goes is just making sure I read my clients emails carefully and making sure that they truly like what I’ve done. Some people have a hard time explaining what they want for a design and will just accept the draft without requesting any changes. That’s a challenge to catch, but I think I’m pretty good at recognizing it when I’m not feeling any excitement from them. Sometimes I have to remind them it’s just a draft.. that’s your chance to pick it apart. The most rewarding feeling is when the last email a client sends to me says “I LOVE IT’!!!