What do I do?
waffleboy (64 pencils) | Tue, 2011-06-21 19:04Ok so here is the situation.
I have this client that needs a logo for his small construction company. Fine, no big deal. I go ahead and work on it for a bit and send him a decent, simple wordmark. He replies back, "too simple. can you spice it up a bit. maybe make it look a little more industrial?" Fine whatever, so I go ahead tweaking it and its starts to look really good. I'm super impressed with it, yadda yadda yadda. Send it to him....he doesn't like it. He replies back, "No, the last one definitely won't work for me. It is just too basic. However, I sat down and found some ideas that I would like you to tie together....."
Now I'm thinking to myself, "Oh f**k." He sends me a pic of some god awful logo that has a gradient to look like shiny metal with that stupid steel plate texture on it, and a link to this font: http://www.urbanfonts.com/fonts/7th_Service.htm along with instructions on how to put together the logo he wants. So I did it.... and it looks really bad and hokey. The problem is i just can't bring myself to send it to him.
This might come off as a bit of a rant, but I do have a question. Should I waste anymore time on this by trying to convince him otherwise, or should I just give him what he wants and be done with it? How do you go about educating these people?! I'm very picky on what work I put out, but to tell you the truth I need the job!
Thx guys.
CE
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Educate them on the cost, benefit and ease of reproduction in regards to properly designed identities. Send it to him, he's paying for it and unfortunately no matter how bad it looks, it's what he wants. I've always felt however it's our duty to try our best to explain our decisions in a simple, logical fashion to do right for both our clients and their customers.
On a side note, how is that font Industrial? That's more futuristic :p
For starters, posting the logo you like vs. the one he laid out in the critique section will help us a little.
But one of the things you have to learn and live with as a designer is that people won't like your first choice on a regular basis. Trying to argue over personal taste will never work. You might get somewhere by explaining your logic: "You want to present an image of reliability and expertise, so I laid it out as X Y Z. Here's a few successful construction companies that use the same concept."
If they don't agree, do what they want and take the money. It's not like your signature's on the logo for life.
Don't be afraid to earn a living - you'll have plenty of opportunities to fill your portfolio. Give it one more college try with the logo you like and if he insists on the silvery blob of steel thing - give it to him. Then charge him a little extra.
1. Do EXACTLY what he wants.
2. Get paid.
3. Put the one YOU like in your portfolio.
Done.
Terrell Thornhill
e-zign Design Group
+1
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www.huemordesigns.com
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the problem isnt your portfolio. the problem is when he tells his tasteful friend who has a bigger company and needs a full branding package that YOU designed his logo.
explain to him, why his idea is bad. then give him an alternative. if he insists on crap. then you have to decide whats best for you to do.
the thing we have to realize as designers is that sometimes "great design" isnt whats needed. ive done a number of what id consider cheesy or tacky pieces that ended up working great for the client. we should be aware that often our clients know their target audience better than we do