Logos and Graphic Design
As a writer, I have a tendency to become involved in the graphic design process only peripherally, but I still manage to find out useful lessons from it.
I am fascinated by the process of logo design - not the amateurish attempt of slapping clip art collectively, but the thinking and implementation a professional brings to shooting the vision of a company in a superbly simple art component. I've observed the procedure many times and heard designers get many fascinating requests from their customers.
The most memorable came from the director of a company that manufactured tow trucks. As the programmer began to describe the logo creation process and develop a sense of the organization's expectations, the rough-edged boss waved his hand to stop him in mid-sentence. Then he spoke.
"I really don't give a (bleep) what the (bleeping) emblem looks like," he said. "All I care is that someone going the other way on the (bleeping) Interstate at 70 miles an hour is able to see the (bleeping) item and know it is my (bleeping) truck"
Folksy? Perhaps. Crude? Definitely. But noise? Absolutely. He knew it was crucial that other tow-truck operators understood who made that good-looking truck. It is a business where appearance is every bit as important as function, and his competitors would add any touch that may give them an advantage. (Like me, you probably don't swoon over tow trucksbut I can remember standing in"tow shows" and hearing,"Now, that's a real truck" Fashion models would have been overlooked among the chrome.)
It's all too easy for those of us who work in the services business to lose sight of the fact that our job is different primarily to make business for our clients. All things considered, we take great pride in blending our talents and what we've discovered to come up with work which makes us joyful and our coworkers. Most advertisements and graphic design award shows encourage that attention by rewarding fashion, rather than substance.
We sometimes forget that logos, headlines, along with other components of marketing communications need to be seen to be effective. Graphic Designers is great if we could accomplish that and also make them visually appealing at precisely the exact same time. However, the most intrinsically beautiful design will fall flat if people can not tell what it is or who it is supposed to spot, and also the most award-winning ad concept will be a humiliating failure in case it fails to drive sales or match the client's other expectations.
The best clients for whom I've worked have given me a great deal of liberty and trusted my recommendations were sound and sensible. But with this freedom and trust arrived an understanding that I would be held liable for results, also.
I am fascinated by the process of logo design - not the amateurish attempt of slapping clip art collectively, but the thinking and implementation a professional brings to shooting the vision of a company in a superbly simple art component. I've observed the procedure many times and heard designers get many fascinating requests from their customers.
The most memorable came from the director of a company that manufactured tow trucks. As the programmer began to describe the logo creation process and develop a sense of the organization's expectations, the rough-edged boss waved his hand to stop him in mid-sentence. Then he spoke.
"I really don't give a (bleep) what the (bleeping) emblem looks like," he said. "All I care is that someone going the other way on the (bleeping) Interstate at 70 miles an hour is able to see the (bleeping) item and know it is my (bleeping) truck"
Folksy? Perhaps. Crude? Definitely. But noise? Absolutely. He knew it was crucial that other tow-truck operators understood who made that good-looking truck. It is a business where appearance is every bit as important as function, and his competitors would add any touch that may give them an advantage. (Like me, you probably don't swoon over tow trucksbut I can remember standing in"tow shows" and hearing,"Now, that's a real truck" Fashion models would have been overlooked among the chrome.)
It's all too easy for those of us who work in the services business to lose sight of the fact that our job is different primarily to make business for our clients. All things considered, we take great pride in blending our talents and what we've discovered to come up with work which makes us joyful and our coworkers. Most advertisements and graphic design award shows encourage that attention by rewarding fashion, rather than substance.
We sometimes forget that logos, headlines, along with other components of marketing communications need to be seen to be effective. Graphic Designers is great if we could accomplish that and also make them visually appealing at precisely the exact same time. However, the most intrinsically beautiful design will fall flat if people can not tell what it is or who it is supposed to spot, and also the most award-winning ad concept will be a humiliating failure in case it fails to drive sales or match the client's other expectations.
The best clients for whom I've worked have given me a great deal of liberty and trusted my recommendations were sound and sensible. But with this freedom and trust arrived an understanding that I would be held liable for results, also.
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