Designing Your Logo—Hiring a Consultant
I know some folks that are starting their own businesses and will be need of design services—identity, Web site, marketing collateral, etc. Having worked in and around design for the last 7 or so years, I can see this process from both sides of the fence. Luckily, I’ve worked with some really talented folks and have also done my fair share of design myself, so when I look to start new projects I know that I have resources at hand.
But what if you don’t? What if you’re starting up your business, need a corporate identity designed, and don’t know how to go about doing it?
I subscribe to a billion different sites via RSS, one of them being LogoBlog.org. Recently they posted this article: 6 Things to look for in a Logo Designer ยป Logo Design Blog, which shares some good insight on how to sniff out potential designers.
One critical thing that I would add: once you find a good designer, don’t smother them with your direction. Everyone now knows that “micromanaging” someone is a surefire way to stifle their motivation and creativity. But I find that clients in design projects frequently don’t realize how their insistence on their vision is another form of micromanagement.
When I get my car worked on, I don’t stand under the chassis and nitpick everything the mechanic is doing. I’ve found a good mechanic, I trust him, so I let him do his work.
The same holds true of graphic design. You’ve evaluated candidates’ work, you’ve chosen the designer you believe can create something good for you, now let them work. Sure, your input is critical for them to understand your business, your market and what your looking to achieve. They rely on you to inform them and get them up to speed as quickly as possible. But once they have their information, let them go! Trust them!
The unfortunate thing about graphic design—as with music—is that everyone has an opinion. However uneducated or ill-informed they are, they have developed an opinion over time and feel entitled to it. Worse, when commissioning a graphic work, some people feel the need to step up their critical input, in order to feel like they are in charge of the design project. This can be disaster—especially when they have no design training and an uncritical eye.
I like food. I eat at restaurants all the time. I even cook for my family. But I am not a chef. When I go into restaurants, I realize that the person that developed the menu and oversees the kitchen is a trained professional—an expert—and I should let them prepare for me the meal as they envisioned it.
Let your designer design. Don’t knee-jerk them into compromising their vision. If they’re good, chances are they will have methods of dealing with your controlling efforts anyway. And if they’re good, they’ll come up with something that is beyond anything you could ever have imagined yourself.
Got something to say? Bring it on!