Crystal Unleashed

shaletadenise:

Sometimes when I do projects for clients, I’m not overly thrilled with the end product. I’ve taken countless hours in college learning the Do’s & Don’ts of Design. For example which fonts should be used to represent masculine.

I set out to build a business focused around my passion so that I can wake up every morning excited to go to work, and forcing myself to punch out. I love design. Whether it’s developing websites, drawing a vector, making a sweet 16 video. I love it. It allows me to express myself to the world visually.

I learned quickly that when you’re working for a client, you’re working for the client. (extremely important - your customer needs to come first, their satisfaction is what counts) That means making sure the client is completely happy with the end product, even if every designer’s bone in my body screams that it’s completely wrong. That it breaks all the rules I ever learned. I had to look at works with both a Designer’s Eye, my own two eyes, and the customer’s eyes simultaneously. First I ask myself, “Does this look good to me?”, then, “What elements of Design are missing here?”, lastly (and most importantly) I listened and get my client’s point of view and see it through their eyes.

Logos are the most common when it comes to ‘Customer Satisfaction vs. The Designer’s Eye’. From a designer’s perspective logos need to be simple, readable at various font sizes (12pt, 40pt, 6pt). Generally text logos are considered good  sign. For example, FedEx, JC Penny, Coca-Cola, HP are all examples of what makes a great logo. People see these logos and recognize them right away, and know exactly what the company is and what they do. Often times a customer comes to me to have a logo designed and want something fancy with a lot of colors, and graphical elements such as spirals, or a spartan riding a black stallion, holding a spear high in the air. It sounds cool, looks amazing in their head, and I think keep it simple, kick it down a notch.

When this happens I discuss with the client why using only one to three colors are best. Economically it saves on cost associated with printing the logo on all of the letterheads, invoices, pens, hats, business cards flyers… The more colors, the more it costs to print. Also, you need to be able to recognize what the logo is from different distances and sizes.

So I make sure to understand and learn what the customer wants, while making sure the design is effective and has a great design. I learned that a satisfied customer is one who takes part in the development process, and one who works with a designer that is willing and knowledgeable to explain what will make the design effective and eye catching.