When it comes to design, choosing the right design firm is essential. To a large extent, your design company will be responsible for your corporate image. They will help you develop everything from a logo and website, to stationery, brochures and business cards. Because of the responsibility and involvement in your company’s image development, it is essential that you choose your design firm wisely.

Be sure to choose a company that communicates extremely well, and listens to your ideas. Constant communication and feedback from both ends can help make sure that you achieve the results you want. Some design firms will offer you designs that don’t really send the message you want to send and don’t really reflect your company’s image. Choosing the wrong design firm can leave you feeling frustrated about paying for designs you aren’t happy with. Take time to research design companies to find the one that is right for your business.

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Of all the design options available, the most important are probably your company’s logo and website. Of course it does depend on the type of business, but for most businesses, your logo and website are the first things a potential customer will see. Your logo will appear everywhere from your store front, to your website, to any outdoor or print advertising. It will be the focal point of your promotional products and will be incorporated into almost every marketing effort. Your logo can even appear on other people’s blogs, websites, newsletters and online reviews of your business. Your website is also a huge consideration since, in most cases, your website is the primary form of interaction with a customer or client. As you can see, choosing the right design team is one of the most important decisions your company will make.

Office holiday parties put you in an odd place where the normal rules governing socialization and appropriateness are skewed, if not thrown out altogether. Behavior is expected to be looser than your everyday office behavior. However, you are also expected to not go buck wild and behave like you are at some frat party. Even though you are out of the office, people are watching, status and reputation are on the line, and fit for upcoming promotions is being evaluated.

You may ask, "What do my table manners have to do with my ability to manage projects?" Hey, I never said the practice was fair; I only said it happens. Just be grateful you know and pass the word on to your friends. If you have any office rivals that you would like to see bite the dust, conveniently neglect to pass on this advice to them.

Given the myriad of pitfalls to which one can fall prey at these shindigs, I am providing a few common blunders for you to avoid. Write these down and put them in your pocket. Review them every ten minutes. Without further ado, five office party blunders to avoid like the Ebola virus:

1. Getting drunk. I know. Your first reaction is, I’m ruining all your fun, how can you show your fun side without everybody’s favorite social lubricant, blah blah blah. It’s not uncommon for people to have a sip here, a sip there. I’m talking about getting hammered. I’m talking about you laughing for no reason and imagining the fondue fountain is Vanna White. I’m talking about you, in a drunken lapse of judgment, making a lewd comment about the boss’ wife during a horribly off-key karaoke performance of La Bamba. I’m talking about you losing your lunch all over the buffet. Simply put, I’m talking about you getting out of control.

Nothing makes you more vulnerable to embarrassing faux pas than being out of control of what you say and do. Moreover, people who get drunk are viewed as having some deeper emotional or mental issues. Even more dangerous than the ill physical effects of inebriation in a professional environment are the things you might do.

All of those things that you would never do in your right mind have the potential to come forth when you are plastered. For example, one long-time employee, who was married with three kids, was known for being good pals with her male co-workers, but with no real questionable activities. At one office party, she had one drink too many and laid a big wet kiss on one of her co-workers. He was embarrassed. The next day, she was mortified. The news spread like wildfire. Soon, everyone in the office knew and was too embarrassed to talk to her about it. The boss had to bring her in and talk to her about appropriate behavior. Her credibility and faithfulness as a wife were soon in question.

It’s just better to stay in control of yourself. And if everyone else is getting hammered except you, you’re in a perfect position to get a whole lot of blackmail fodder. Sit back, relax, and get your camera phone ready. And, of course, be a designated driver.

2. Eating with your hands, chewing with your mouth open, etc. Remember all those things Momma told you not to do at the table? Well, be especially careful not to do them at the office party. Momma told you not to do them because they’re gross and make you look like a Cro Magnon man hovering over a fresh kill. Not a good image to convey to the people who will work with you or above you and may be deciding your next promotion.

Just in case you’ve forgotten, the rules include: don’t start eating until everyone at your table has been served; don’t eat with your hands; chew with your mouth closed; don’t talk with food in your mouth; keep your elbows off the table; don’t slurp or smack; cut meat with your right hand while holding your fork with your left; and, of course, don’t let any gaseous explosions escape audibly.

Forgetting the rules makes you look slothful, uncouth, and lacking in self-discipline and refinement. You want to come across less like Homer Simpson and more like James Bond. See the difference? Homer. 007. Homer. 007.

3. Singing badly. Many company holiday parties will include an open karaoke stage. Some people can actually achieve new office celebrity status by bringing down the house. These people are good singers or, at the very least, have some strong stage presence. On the other hand, some people can expose themselves to unnecessary embarrassment and humiliation by getting up and slaughtering some Elvis classic. These people are bad singers and should only perform publicly when everyone within earshot is drunk.

If you are a bad singer, you can’t hit the correct note to save your life, and lyrics do not make it from your eyes to your brain to your mouth, please do yourself a favor and stay far away from the karaoke machine. You think it would be really funny if you got up and totally bombed. Unfortunately, it just makes it look like you have no idea how bad you sound. Nobody laughs. Your audience just lowers their heads in shame.

I recommend you show your humor in some other way- parlor tricks, perhaps, or bird calls. Just please stay away from the stage.

4. Putting down the food, setting, decorations, etc. Chances are the boss or his assistant picked the place, food, decorations, and entertainment. These people are very influential and important to your future progress in the company. They may be sitting at your table or behind you. They’re probably within earshot, at least. So, if the abalone eggrolls make you nauseous, keep it to yourself. If the mauve napkins don’t meet your standards, hold it in. If parking was a pain in the neck, exercise restraint. By holding your tongue, you will keep from making yourself look ungracious and unpolished and offending people you want on your side.

5. Staying home. People do take note of who comes and who is missed. Not being there tells your colleagues you do not want to socialize with them. It tells them you are not personally invested in the company. It tells them you think you’re too good for their party. None of these are good traits for an employee. More importantly, as illogical as this sounds, your boss may not consider you for promotions based on your lack of attendance.

They want someone who loves spending time with co-workers, someone who wants to celebrate the successes. They don’t want someone who comes to work just to put in time and couldn’t care less about the company or the people who work there. Show that you care about your company and co-workers and show up to the party. You might just have a good time.

About the author Marcus Varner earned his BA in English from Brigham Young University with a Creative Writing emphasis. He is currently in his second year at BYU’s lauded MBA program studying Marketing. He blogs, writes fiction and screenplays, loves movies, and can’t resist playing superheroes with his kids.

Americans work more hours annually on average than any of their counterparts in other countries. It’s no wonder that, even when we’re given a holiday or a vacation to relax, we still manage to pack it with so many activities and errands that it hardly feels like a vacation at all. We’ve got to get a tree. We take the kids to see Santa. We send out scores of greeting cards. We throw elaborate parties. We have to cook elaborate meals for those parties. We shop for every sibling, parent, cousin, aunt, uncle, insurance agent, and former classmate we can think of. We have to do work around the house, of course. And it never fails that one of your kids or the neighbors’ kids will get hurt playing in the snow, taking you to the emergency room at least once. We do meals-on-wheels because it’s the time of year for giving and so on. As employees straggle back into the office, the saying circulates: "I feel like I need another vacation to recover from my vacation." The insanely diligent workers of America just don’t know how to relax and enjoy the true meaning of vacation.

Dictionary.com defines a vacation as "a period of suspension of work, study, or other activity, usually used for rest, recreation, or travel; recess or holiday." While employees look forward to their vacations with great anticipation, we often fail to "suspend" our work activities. As a bunch of hard-working go-getters, rest and relaxation do not come so naturally to us, no matter how much we anxiously await these breaks. As it happens, there is also a perfectly sound business reason for employees to take vacations. Like a saw that is constantly sawing away at dense logs, so our skills, abilities, and minds become dulled over time if we continue toiling without any substantial period of rejuvenation. Research has found that truly effective, restorative vacations must be more than two weeks long and must remove most elements of the daily grind.

What does this mean for all those about to start the holiday vacation? If you’re going to take a vacation from work, take a vacation from work. Vacate the daily grind completely. When you return to the job, you will feel rested, relaxed, and ready to charge into the fray. Check out the following suggestions to help you make your holiday vacation a true vacation:

1. Leave the company cell and laptop at the office. I know, it’s like cutting off one of your appendages. Actually, it’s like cutting off your leash, leaving you free to inhale, exhale, and feel human again. One former co-worker of mine decided to take a week-long vacation down to the beautiful Outer Banks of North Carolina. With the trees and the seashore this can be one of the prettiest drives you can take. It would be him, his wife, and their kids on that long, relaxing drive and then in a beach house just enjoying each other’s company. Unfortunately, my friend made the mistake of bringing his cell phone with him and telling us to call him if we had any problems.

Sure enough, we had problems arise the next day. So we called my friend as he was on that beautiful stretch of highway. For two hours, instead of relaxing or having some one-on-one time with his wife, he was on the phone with us explaining the definition of a sump and the importance it held for the construction of gas station fueling systems. He was called several more times during the week for various "emergencies." Needless to say, he wasn’t on vacation. When he returned from vacation, as you could guess, he was just as crabby, stressed out, and irate as usual.

When you leave the office, unplug and leave the laptop, PDA, Blackberry, and/or cell at the door. Don’t worry- they gave you the vacation and they can survive without you.

2. Leave home. Many folks find it hard to relax when they stay at home for their vacation. Why? Because the normal chores and errands are constantly around you. And those projects you’ve been postponing are beckoning for your attention. Your dishes are calling to be washed. Your hedges are calling to be trimmed. The kitchen cabinets are crying to be cleaned and rearranged. That new deck is waiting to be built. And your garage… well, I won’t even start on that one. The point is, if you stay around them long enough, you will give in to the temptation to work, and then the whole resting thing is blown.

Eventually, of course, these things need to be done. However, if you really need some serious rejuvenation, you might consider leaving town. Although travel can be costly and hectic at this time of year, there are many desirable benefits to traveling. For example, the chores and errands magically disappear. You can’t work on the garage because it’s hundreds of miles away. You can tell the dishes to take a hike because you’re on a tropical beach in the South Pacific soaking up some rays, or in a cozy cabin in Vermont breathing some crisp, clean air. With someone else providing meals and housekeeping, you are free to put in some serious relaxation and quality time with your loved ones.

3. Get your shopping done early. When I say early, I mean earlier than Black Friday. Attempting any kind of shopping after that date will most certainly increase your blood pressure and chase away any holiday cheer. Crazy parents elbow their competitors fiercely to get at that last Optimus Prime. Stressed check-out counter operators look like they’re hanging on to sanity by a thread. Creepy inflatable Santas sway slowly back and forth and emit annoying Christmas jingles. Kids are screaming and acting way too naughty to actually deserve that pile of presents in the shopping cart.

You are not relaxing. You are getting ready to reach over and give that kid the lump of coal he deserves. Now, I know what you’re thinking: "Black Friday is long gone. What good does this advice do me now?" For this holiday season, none. But next year, you’ll be glad you read this.

4. Schedule in some R&R. It’s so tempting to use your free time to the fullest, scheduling as many activities in as possible. Activities are good, however, too many activities equal a decrease in relaxation and an increase in stress. Repeat after me: you are on vacation to relax, not to do a lot of activities.

So, let’s skip that white elephant gift exchange at your third cousin once removed Jack’s house and just have a night in with the kids watching the classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer special. Now we’re talking some genuine chill time. And who doesn’t shed a tear when that crazy Yukon Cornelius tumbles down that chasm with the Abominable Snowman?

5. Sit, drink some hot cocoa, and smell the pines. Amidst the flurry of activities, take the time to meditate and enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells around you. Watch the snow fall. Listen to some carolers. Savor a nice warm mug of cider or cocoa. Have a snowball fight with some kids.

The holiday season can be a magical time. For many, it is a time of gratitude, hope, and renewed devotion. Don’t let this vacation go by without appreciating the things that matter most. Having successfully chilled during your holiday vacation, you will come back a more alert and able employee. What do you do to relax for the holidays?

About the author Marcus Varner earned his BA in English from Brigham Young University with a Creative Writing emphasis. He is currently in his second year at BYU’s lauded MBA program studying Marketing. He blogs, writes fiction and screenplays, loves movies, and can’t resist playing superheroes with his kids.