Here’s the start of an anecdote with an apt lesson in  bilingualism from Joe Ray, the founder and president of Estudio Ray in Phoenix, AZ: “A few years ago, my friend Flaco, who has been a Court Interpreter for many years, told a group of us the following story. “He (Flaco) had some time to kill (no pun intended here) in between his cases in court, so he decided to sit in and observe the initial hearing in a particular murder trial. The accused was a Mexican national who spoke little or no English. His attorney was a man known for a little flamboyance and a little more ego to top it off with. The defendant entered his plea of not guilty, to which the judge reminded him that if convicted, he could receive the death penalty. The judge then asked if he understood this.” For the rest, see Joe’s blog. He started Estudio Ray, a visual branding agency, 24 years ago. Today the firm creates packaging and other brand identity materials for the pharmaceutical, food and beverage, and hospitality industries, with an emphasis on the Hispanic market. Last year, Estudio Ray won Package Design Magazine’s “Makeover Challenge,” a competition in which design firms are tasked with reinventing the brand identities of existing products. Readers of Package Design Magazine vote for the winner. They hailed Estudio Ray’s redesign of labels, jar shapes, and other features of the packaging for the Casa Visco line of Italian sauces and condiments. “Estudio Ray found the right combination of proprietary form, taste appeal, and authentic Italian ingredients to move the Casa Visco brand in a new direction," said an editorial in the November issue of the magazine.