The following recaps were penned by Fairchild Wheeler School students Paul Trujillo and Mike Smith who recently spent the day at Peralta Design as part of Junior Achievement of Western Connecticut. These writings are unedited and candid. Enjoy!
“Hello, you must be Paul, can I take your jacket?.” That was the first thing Laura (the Creative Coordinator) said to me when I entered into the Peralta Design space. It immediately set the tone, I was treated like someone she had known for years. I was taken into the meeting room where Michael (also at the job shadow with me) and Melanie (the Junior Achievement representative) were sitting patiently. Mr.Peralta came in, we shook his hand and began talking. I’m glad I was able to break the ice with some jokes (if I didn’t, I feel it could have been a very different meeting). Michael and I shared our experiences and then Mr.Peralta left and we began talking with Laura and Melanie.
Melanie left and now we were in uncharted waters. Thank God Kevin (Senior Back-end Web Developer) was a cool and open guy. He was the 3rd person of the Peralta Design team that we met. Kevin showed us the things he had been working on with WordPress and his database interests – not gonna lie, I missed a couple of the words he said. Kevin also told us about himself and where he comes from and why Peralta was a good fit for him and even spoke about his childhood past with Jorge, who serves as the Director of Web Development.
Jorge was in the back a bit quiet at first and I didn’t know how he’d be when we got to him but he was actually really cool. Jorge seemed like the guy who knew everything, from the time we entered, until we left he was on his computer working. We talked with him and Kevin about some TV shows and common interests. They both gave off a familiar, friendly vibe, they weren’t shy with us and that made it all the more pleasant. I think that we all hit if off, talking to them was like talking to older friends, the ones who are a couple grades above you and were cool with chatting to the kids.
Throughout the whole time so far we kept hearing about Amanda, PD’s Senior Art Director, aka creative design one. I knew she would be the one I’d resonate with on a creative level. She was working on a PowerPoint and the layout of the background and then showed us the different designs of logos she did. I was immediately able to pick up on what the Palmer Counseling company was about from her initial designs, a North Carolina company with Christian roots. It was a smart design that showed what they were about, all that from a logo with a bird, a leaf and a tree. That’s what a logo should do, explain what the company is about from an image. We also talked with her about art she had done and her personal background, we related a lot and I believe that saying that applies to everyone we met there.
Mr. Peralta gave me a feel that he wasn’t above anyone, he was the boss but he felt like an employee, it really added to Perata Design’s family-feel. Entering the building I was unsure as to how he would present himself and how he would treat Michael and I, but his humble nature must be an appeal to people who have done business with his company. He even ate with us and paid for the food, that $9 food was looking really good at that point. All in all it was fun experience and I hope I could spend more time with all of them.
But there was one huge drawback, we couldn’t meet the dog. 😉
-Paul Trujillo
My name is Michael Smith, and I am a student at the Information Technology school at the Fairchild Wheeler campus, located in Bridgeport. Today, I had the privilege of visiting Peralta Design for a job shadow, which allowed me to learn about the company as a whole as well as each team member’s interests and motivation that allows them to be such a vital part of the company.
Before I had both feet in the door, Laura stood up from behind her desk and greeted me, asking if she could take my jacket or if I wanted any tea or coffee. I was already impressed. In most places you are lucky if the receptionist looks up from behind her desk, let alone says hello. Here, Laura went out of her way to make sure that I was comfortable. In fact, she already knew my name!
After a brief introduction made by Mr. Peralta, the owner of the company, we, Paul and I, set off to examine and learn about the different tasks that each member of the team focused on. I really enjoyed listening to Kevin as he explained how he was going about adjusting the settings on a menu bar for one of the company’s clients. In school, I have spent a decent amount of time on web design, so I loved seeing what I learned in application. We also had a discussion about Java programming and databases, and their role at Peralta Design. Being that one of my favorite aspects of technology is the software and programming, I loved being able to talk with Kevin about real-world applications for everything I have learned up to this point in school.
We then got to spend some time with Amanda, who takes care of the art aspect of Peralta Design’s projects. The other members of the team give her a lot of credit for her artistic ability, and they’re not wrong in doing so! It was not long before I was amazed, she can really do a lot of impressive stuff. While I’m not very good at art, I really enjoyed seeing how Amanda works and how she makes such exceptional final products.
Julian, the motion designer, was out of the office and George, the other web developer on the team had to leave early for a Doctor’s appointment, but we got the sense that everyone on the team would be just as friendly.
After spending a day here, it is clear to me that Mr. Peralta has created a company that is not just in it for the money, but rather in it for the good of his clients. He has created a company that cares and will ensure the needs of its client are met. The are smart, knowledgeable, and kind. I’m glad I was able to spend the day here and look forward to being able to visit again.
-Michael Smith
Ramon has over 20 years of experience in award-winning, market-proven, print collateral, marketing material, iphone/ipad app and website design specializing in corporate identity and branding. Ramon’s passion for entrepreneurial design was borne out of 10 years as Creative Director for Jay Walker at Walker Digital, the Stamford based idea laboratory and business incubator holding over 400 US Patents. Ramon served as Senior Art Director on the start-up launch team behind Priceline.com, a Walker company and invention.
Peralta Design is an award winning, think tank and digital creative house (with offices in Shelton, CT and Palm Coast, FL). We not only help monetize ideas and determine what the MVP, the Minimal Viable Product is for you, but we also handle everything from logo design and branding, to recommending technology, to building custom web applications and websites. We also develop mobile apps and create promotional videos. As I also mentioned, we work with entrepreneurs, startups and companies (large and small) like yours. We Launch Brands!®
Need help with your brand identity or want to overhaul your existing brand? Need a responsive cutting edge web development project completed? Contact: ramon@peraltadesign.com
Tell us about your next project at: https://www.peraltadesign.com/launchmybrand
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