What's in a Price

I often talk with clients about pricing. Obviously, it's one of the most important things there is to do before starting a project. Yeah I have the clients that I've worked with for so long they know I'm fair in the way I charge and have no worries about my pricing. Lately though, I've been running across a lot of potential clients that want comprehensive pricing - I applaud that. I don't know if I would want to work with a client that doesn't want to at least know what a project would cost up front. But in the end I want to say don't just make a decision on pricing. I've got more then one client that went with the cheaper firm and after they paid them they hired me to do the job right.

Here's the thing - all prices aren't created equal. This applies to almost everything in life. Yeah you could go with the lowest price, but you have to ask yourself are you confident with that firms work, are you confident that they are going to turn your project around in a fair time frame and most importantly are they going to make those 7 rounds of changes expediently? I've heard of clients that end up waiting 4-5 days to get simple text revisions made.

I'm not the cheapest place to get design done, but I'm also not nearly as expensive as an ad agency. My overhead is low and my quality of work is stellar. I pride myself on responding to my clients and making sure the are getting the best product for their business. Maybe that's why I have many client relationships that are well over a decade old.
I love what I do, but I hate to see people pay a lot of money for really bad work. Next time you are looking to hire a design firm take a good look at their work, talk with the actual people you'll be dealing with and most importantly make sure they really want to build a relationship with you. Believe it or not there are a lot of firms that are just trying to pay this months bills and aren't thinking at all about the future.

The Education of a Logo

Recently I've been doing a lot of logo work and I wanted to talk about how the whole process should work. Most people think a logo is a simple thing to produce. That it could be done in a few hours and really shouldn't cost that much money.

First the client really needs to define who/what they are. What is the logo for? How is it going to be used? What are your competitors logos like? Are your competitors logos really viable? What makes you unique? These are all questions that I ask when starting the process of developing a logo. Sometimes I have clients that come to me and say "I don't know what I want, but I want it to be red". Really? Why Red? "No real reason, just because it's my wife favorite color." This is not a good reason. Honestly most people don't care what your wife thinks.

Most people see the start of their identity as their logo and for the most part this is correct. The logo is what most people see first before they ever step foot in your business so it's one of the most important items in defining who you are. I've had clients come to me and say do what ever you want (of course this is always a bad sign - it's a sign of a client that has no idea who they really are or they just don't care). You can't really expect a designer to define you if you can't define yourself. Do the homework and get knee deep in it.

Once I have all the information I need from the client I start sketching and brainstorming and building ideas. The one thing I'm really trying to do is to define several different directions this logo could go. I prefer the elements of a logo to have meaning and I have to know that the finished piece is going to have appeal to the appropriate audience. All this back and fourth, beating ideas up and then bringing them back to life happens in the studio (luckily because some of the stuff belongs in the pasture with the cows). This is the part the clients don't get to see. They don't get to see the bad ideas that helps get us to the great ideas.

From here I pick the top few ideas and present them to the client. We have conversations about the font (serif or sans serif). We talk about colors and the overall impression that a logo will give. Hopefully after that is all said and done I'm on the way back to the computer to refine a couple of strong ideas. After the ideas are flushed out and the client is happy this is really where we start perfecting color. Too many people get hung up on color from the beginning and personally a lot of times I will only show a logo idea in black and white to star. I can't tell you how many times I've had clients not like a logo because of the color - they weren't even seeing the concept.

Once a logo is chosen and the colors are refined I create final art in several different formats. Depending on the client we will also produce usage guidelines that shows anyone that would be using this logo what's appropriate. So next time you think doing a logo is as simple as hiring your next door neighbor for $100 you might want to really consider if that's what's best for you and the future of your company. You might want to think of what the real value of your logo is.

How Design Has Changed Me

This morning I was thinking about what I was like when I first started my own design studio. This was 15 years ago so it's been awhile. The main thing that I grabbed onto in my trip down memory lane was what I used to think being a graphic designer truly meant.

Back then I thought being a graphic designer meant making stuff look cool. That's it, if I couldn't make it look cool (at least to my standards) it was some lame client that just didn't know what was good for them. Over time I slowly matured, I slowly begin to realize that my job was to really figure out what my clients goal was, what they wanted to accomplish with this piece I was producing. Believe it or not for the first few years I was doing stuff that just looked cool. I know it's hard to imagine, but so much of my work was for night clubs and the music industry and the main goal reall was to just get someone's attention. I was doing my job, but it had truly little design merit.

In the past decade I've been truly looking at concept and function and for the most part everything I have done is cool in its own way. I learned that I really have to live in my clients industries and learn to define my client as a leader. It's their business, they know what they need, but it's my job to make sure it has a concept and that it is graphically pleasing and functional. I love what I do and I can't imagine having any other background then I have. The preconceptions and mistakes in my past have made me who I am today. I think my clients would agree that not every design studio is created equal.

Looking for Inspiration

We all specialize. Whatever your job is you are constantly looking at other peoples work (most likely your competitors) that are in the same industry as your are. I know as a designer I use to saturate myself in work other design firms had produced. Lately though I've found great inspiration by looking completely outside what I do. Instead of looking at graphic design I find myself looking at fashion, interior design or even nature for inspiration. I look at furniture and examine the textures and qualities that make a piece amazing. Believe it or not I've found it very helpful in spurring me in a new direction for a project I'm working on.

By going outside your industry and examining well produced work and well crafted products you can become inspired. Let's face it, you most likely are doing something that someone else has already done in your industry anyway. Your goal should be to lead not to follow. Be original and exceed boundaries that have been set. In this new era of anything goes don't be afraid to push the envelope. If you have a great concept and you are communicating effectively it will be successful. Look beyond all that junk that you've collected on your desk.

I can honestly tell you that sitting in front of a computer screen is that last place you are going to come up with new and original ideas. Find that place where you are able to think creatively. For some people it's driving or sitting under a tree while eating lunch. I know for me it's in the shower (don't tell the environmentalists). I can stand there for hours and just zone out while the ideas pour out of me. Now if I can only work on that whole waterproof paper thing.

Why Handmade

Photo snaked from Knack Studios

I was doing a little thinking last night and a conversation came up between my wife and I about why "handmade" or the "DIY" look has become such a big thing. You may not realize it, but everything from clothing and jewelry designs at Anthropologie to the new lines of furniture at Pottery Barn has the feel of reclaimed or "I did it myself" to it. Personally I think it's awesome because this comes from a real movement that has finally hit the main stream. It is the "DIY" movement that has created websites like Etsy and ArtFire with artists and craftsmen selling their own handmade and crafted wares.

In the graphic design industry it has prompted a complete revival of letterpress artists across the US. 5 years ago you would've been hard pressed (no pun intended) to find more then 5-6 decent letterpress operators across the states. Now almost every town has one. I dig it.

So here is the question. Why has this movement become so big? Especially when you think about all the people that love to be in constant contact by keeping their Iphone in front of them 24/7 and making sure they have all the lastest apps. Especially when you think how everyone sits in front of a computer all day. Hasn't technology just made our lives so wonderful? Isn't it great that you don't have to (if you don't want to) ever devote your attention to anything that is perceived as "real".

I think we can all learn something from the Buddhist's ability to "live in the moment". To appreciate our time with our loved ones and to devote our full attention to something other then these little bits of technology that control our lives. Maybe that's why this "DIY" movement is so important. Maybe everyone getting out there and using their hands to create something is the escape from this control of technology. Maybe we all need that time to think and meditate about our goals and aspirations in life. Who knew "handmade" could be so profound. The irony is once we make all this stuff what do we do with it? We sell it online.

Don't Ts Me

So the other day I ran across this website for a random tshirt design generator. The name of the company is called Nonsek. They've created an online application that takes artwork provided by various designers and once you "enter the machine" you are able to randomly remix yourself a new tshirt design in a matter of seconds. It basically takes 3 images from a specific artist and randomly layers them on top of each other. They've broken it down by artists. Each artist has their own "channel" so you get to pick which artist you want. It's pretty cool.

The funny thing about this is the fact that it is completely random. This idea has almost become a formula for many graphic designers these days. 3-4 random images - some text and viola a pretty design. Don't get me wrong I love it for tshirts, but this also in a way proves what's wrong with a good portion of designers these days. What's wrong with America really. There is no effort to even try and create a concept. It's all just "me make things look pretty". Which is awesome - I think that's my next tshirt design (for myself anyway). But maybe all of us (you know who you are) could just try a little harder to make people think a little more. Or maybe I should ask all of my clients to keep their text to 140 characters so we can all become just a little less caring everyday.

Hey There! I am not using Twitter.

If any of you know me you know that I don't "tweet" and I don't have a Facebook page, heck I barely take my cell phone out of my pocket. Don't get me wrong I love technology and what it has done for the design industry. I just don't get inspired by these things. What inspires me is people that create using their hands and good old elbow grease. Sometimes I just wonder:

Really photos of the birth? We didn't want to see them before Facebook why would I change my mind now?

Oh yeah, who wants to see all 70 photos of your kid? I think 2-3 would suffice. Try making a decision.

Actually putting pictures of your children online is just a little strange to me.

Why do I need to get poked? Can you imagine if you went around poking your friends all day?

Do blind dates really exist anymore?

Do I really want people that I haven't talked to for 20 years finding me? You know there is probably a reason I haven't talked to them in 20 years.

140 words? How was that decision made? I have friends that couldn't tell you what they had for breakfast in that short of time.

POKE

Why would I tell everyone? Uh excuse me can I read all you communications between you and your friends and your wife and your mother and your accountant?

Do you really want to know what I just did?

How many people do you know are really so interesting that you want to hear their every thought?

POKE

What's up with texting? It makes my thumbs tired and personally if I really want to talk to you I'll call.

Can teenagers communicate face to face anymore?

POKE Man that's annoying.

$100+ a month? and you are complaining about the price of gas?

Is "third wheel" now defined as a date without a cell phone?

Why IM over email? Just curious. Personally I love the smell of thermal fax paper...

Really, in the movies? (That statement would of had a whole different meaning 20 years ago). You paid $9 to see a computer animated film and you spent half your time texting your "friends".

Hw wil Ppl sp n the fture?

Seriously though, I do wonder how people set their priorities. My big concern is down the road how will individuals be able to cope? I'm fine being alone. I don't need someone I really barely know validating my feelings or who I am. How will people communicate? Kids that are raised texting will have very little ability to socialize in a person to person environment. Heck maybe they won't need to. They will at the very least have a hard time structuring a written sentence. Progress and change - continue I say and sooner or later I might turn my cell phone on (if I remember to take it with me) and call you about how I have 712,000 followers. Notice I said call. I guess at this point I'm just not that into it.