Logos and Graphic Design
As a writer, I tend to become involved with the graphic design procedure just peripherally, but I manage to learn useful lessons from it. One of the very insightful design lessons came from somebody who knew absolutely nothing about typography and colour theory.
I'm fascinated with the process of logo design - maybe not the amateurish effort of slapping clip art collectively, but the thinking and implementation a professional brings to capturing the vision of a business in a delightfully straightforward artwork element. I've observed the process many times and noticed designers get many interesting requests from their customers.
The most memorable came from the manager of a business that manufactured tow trucks. Then he talked.
Folksy? Professional Logos . Crude? Definitely. But noise? Absolutely. He knew that it was critical that other tow-truck operators knew that they made that truck that was handsome. It is an industry where appearance is every bit as important as function, and also his opponents would add any touch that may give them an advantage. (Like me, you probably don't swoon over tow trucksbut I can remember standing at"tow shows" and hearing,"Now, that is a real pretty truck." Fashion models would have been overlooked one of the polished chrome.)
It's all too easy for those of us who operate in the services industry to eliminate sight of the fact that our job exists primarily to make business for our clients. After all, we take great pride in combining our abilities and what we've discovered to think of work that makes us proud and our peers. Most advertising and graphic design award shows promote that attention by rewarding style, instead of substance.
We sometimes forget that logos, headlines, along with other components of marketing communications need to be viewed to be effective. It is great if we could accomplish this and make them visually appealing at precisely the same moment. However, the most intrinsically beautiful design will fall flat if folks can not tell exactly what it is or who it's supposed to spot, and also the most award-winning advertising concept is going to be a humiliating failure in case it fails to induce earnings or match the client's other expectations.
The best customers for whom I've worked have given me a great deal of liberty and trusted that my recommendations were sound and sensible. However, with this freedom and trust came an understanding that I would be held liable for results, too.
I'm fascinated with the process of logo design - maybe not the amateurish effort of slapping clip art collectively, but the thinking and implementation a professional brings to capturing the vision of a business in a delightfully straightforward artwork element. I've observed the process many times and noticed designers get many interesting requests from their customers.
The most memorable came from the manager of a business that manufactured tow trucks. Then he talked.
Folksy? Professional Logos . Crude? Definitely. But noise? Absolutely. He knew that it was critical that other tow-truck operators knew that they made that truck that was handsome. It is an industry where appearance is every bit as important as function, and also his opponents would add any touch that may give them an advantage. (Like me, you probably don't swoon over tow trucksbut I can remember standing at"tow shows" and hearing,"Now, that is a real pretty truck." Fashion models would have been overlooked one of the polished chrome.)
It's all too easy for those of us who operate in the services industry to eliminate sight of the fact that our job exists primarily to make business for our clients. After all, we take great pride in combining our abilities and what we've discovered to think of work that makes us proud and our peers. Most advertising and graphic design award shows promote that attention by rewarding style, instead of substance.
We sometimes forget that logos, headlines, along with other components of marketing communications need to be viewed to be effective. It is great if we could accomplish this and make them visually appealing at precisely the same moment. However, the most intrinsically beautiful design will fall flat if folks can not tell exactly what it is or who it's supposed to spot, and also the most award-winning advertising concept is going to be a humiliating failure in case it fails to induce earnings or match the client's other expectations.
The best customers for whom I've worked have given me a great deal of liberty and trusted that my recommendations were sound and sensible. However, with this freedom and trust came an understanding that I would be held liable for results, too.
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