I got into graphic design and website development pretty much as a hobby just over 10 years ago designing t-shirts, flyers and small websites for bands, clubs and promoters throughout the U.S. as a lot of them I met while on the road with the band I was a member of. There was no myspace. There was no Purevolume. We did it all the old fashioned way by getting a “gig”, designing a flyer and plastering them allover cities and towns that we were playing.

During this time of sitting behind a computer, whether a laptop traveling in a van or a desktop in my home office, I have noticed one major thing. A strong sense of community and help from one designer to the next. In a time of major financial downfall with huge corporations, it seems, in my opinion, that within the design and web development community, there is a strong sense of “Let’s stand together”. I often wonder if those in charge at “bigger” companies that launch ads attacking one another such as these, sit back at the end of the day and send a quick note through email, twitter, facebook, etc simply mentioning, “Great job on that project” or “Thanks for your help with my (insert project here)!”. I agree, business is competition but getting through the day together provides a better sense of community for all.. Thoughts?