Based in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, Right Brain Communications, LLC, is a small company providing web and instructional design services to small businesses and organizations. How small a company is it? Most of the functions are performed by me--Javier Garriz--with help from a handful of trusted colleagues whenever I need a fresh set of eyes, constructive criticism, or technical assistance.

With a background in aerospace engineering, I never thought I'd be starting a web design company. And yet, throughout my working life--the time spent in research organizations, small startups and large corporations alike--it was clear that the roles I most enjoyed (and, consequently, was most effective at) always involved the organization and dissemination of information. Whether it was presenting scientific research results, developing and conducting technical training, or crafting and delivering sales presentations, I loved communicating with diverse audiences, and saw how critical (and valuable) effective communication is, at all levels of any organization.

Right Brain was born from the simple realization that, as the most revolutionary communications platform yet developed, the Internet is an obvious and natural venue in which to further develop my communications skills--allowing me to combine my interest in multimedia (print/audio/video) with my passion for effective communication--while providing a basic, but essential service for small businesses and organizations: developing their web presence via full-featured websites.

Whether it's a full website, a custom graphic or a video, Right Brain's objective is simple--elegant, engaging, effective communication; clear messages presented in ways that are intuitive, novel and easy-to-follow, and that ultimately connect businesses with the clientele they want most.

Of course, there's more to Right Brain than the technical side of developing graphics, videos and websites; in fact, perhaps the most rewarding aspect of this work is helping small businesses take their first steps into the web world. I'm enough of a geek that I enjoy discussing technical details, but even more than that, I relish translating tech-speak into plain language, with the aim of demystifying it and helping people make informed decisions about using the amazing array of available technologies in their businesses and organizations. It's natural for a small company to feel a little daunted by the perceived challenges of having a web presence, and it is always a thrill to watch as they develop confidence in the "digital" side of their businesses, and come to realize its potential!

Much has been written about the role each of our brain's hemispheres plays in cognition, perception and behavior (check out Daniel Pink's A Whole New Mind for a particularly informative, enjoyable read, and also Dr. Jill Bolte-Taylor's amazing account and book). As Daniel Pink writes early on in A Whole New Mind:

"Both sides work together--but they have different specialties. The left hemisphere handles logic, sequence, literalness and analysis. The right takes care of synthesis, emotional expression, context and the big picture."

In this context, it has always struck me that effective communication distinguishes itself by the way in which it engages both sides of the brain. Whether it's spoken words, print, audio, video, or websites, the most effectively communicated messages make the best use of all the elements of the medium used to deliver the message, and do so in a very natural, unforced manner.

Creating websites draws on skills from both "sides"--the detail-orientedness required to deal with the HTML, CSS, javascript, PHP, and all the other technical aspects of web development, as well as the more context-aware, big-picture thinking that convey seemingly subtler--but equally important--messages. Given our goal of creating elegant, engaging and effective websites, it seemed fitting to invoke the image of the brain's right hemisphere as a symbol of our commitment to that objective.