Processed Identity: Sharing How You Got There / The Creative Process of Identity and Logo Design » Discussion

What constitutes an original idea, based on a similar concept? What is your stance on borrowing ideas from what others have done? When does it get too close to stealing?

Steve Zelle — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 03:29:47 +0000

Originality is something people like to talk about a lot. And we all have our own hopes centered around it. It’s an artist / designer preoccupation, one that makes you feel very proud or very ashamed as the case may be. Because of this preoccupation, it’s important to remember in the context of this discussion that whatever we’re doing, it most likely came from somewhere else. This is not a cop-out. The evidence is in every freshman art history class if you’re paying attention. We can’t avoid ‘borrowing’ ideas from others. It happens naturally with both visual and non-visual input. So, in the sense that we all stand on someone’s shoulders, there’s a certain amount of inevitability.

Knowing this, it seems that as far as design integrity goes, what matters is what we actively do with the visual input, how we process it to create something of our own. It seems reasonable to talk about this in terms of levels, let’s call them inspiration, mimicry, and stealing.

Inspiration : Looking at other work and admiring typographic style or other aesthetic execution.

This is the way we learn, visually. When we see something we like it gets logged in the database of visual information and processed. It might be a movie title, a photograph, an old sign. It may be completed design work. But If you’re truly working a project and completely engaged, there’s no way to steal, there just isn’t one solution that can really work for two distinct projects (and all projects are distinct). Something made for a particular person or occasion can very rarely be ‘plugged in’ with any sort of legitimacy and so is rarely a temptation.

If you aren’t familiar with Bruce Mau, you need to be (www.brucemaudesign.com). We’re big fans. Though I have never met him, I would like to think he is a bit of a mentor… all right, that may be a stretch, but he has definitely been a major influence on me. In Mr. Mau’s incomplete manifesto he states:

35. Imitate.
Don’t be shy about it. Try to get as close as you can. You’ll never get all the way, and the separation might be truly remarkable. We have only to look to Richard Hamilton and his version of Marcel Duchamp’s large glass to see how rich, discredited, and underused imitation is as a technique.

Mimicry : Looking at work with a particular sensibility and recreating the style in your own project.

This is a part of the design learning curve. Designers, just as painters, often begin by looking at the work of the masters and recreating aspects of the work in order to understand. It’s a process of identifying those who have a similar tendencies, but more experience, and learning from them by doing. This isn’t a carbon copy of the ‘masters’ work, but it’s often clearly reminiscent. One could be told, it reminds me of Rand or Sagmeister but wouldn’t be told it looks just like a particular logo or piece of design from either. While work that stays extremely close to a ‘masters’ may be considered immature (in a formal sense) to us, it doesn’t fit the bill of stealing.

Stealing : A completed piece (logo/brand/poster whatever) created by someone else, is reproduced to be used by another person or agency without permission.

We’re talking flat out lifting here. This isn’t something that inspired process or informed style. It’s literally taken as is. Tweaks may have been made, some colors changed, the different business name made appropriate but it’s essentially the same.

We all like to get judgy about this (the phrase ‘the guilty dog barks loudest’ comes to mind) but more often than not, stealing or lifting seems to spring from insecurity rather than laziness or a desire to be malicious. However, no matter what, it won’t win you any friends, or respect.

In regards to true creative process, it takes us all a while to find our way, and our own personal style and voice as designers. In truth, it’s what we’re all working hard at all the time. The more confident we become, the smaller the temptation to mimic or lift. The more we encourage each other to find our own way, the less reproduction we’ll see.

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Should a Logo Seen On It’s Own Have Clear Meaning? Why?

Steve Zelle — Tue, 25 May 2010 02:05:53 +0000

Yes, a logo should be able to stand alone anywhere and people should know what and who it represents. A logo should be a harmonious combination of design elements that will be used to determine the rest of an identity. The shapes, colors, typography and composition of a logo should be the foundation for every design element throughout a company. Whether it be the die cut of a business card, the name plate on the corner office or the color of the company golf shirt. When people interact with those elements, they should be reminded of that logo and subsequently who and what it represents. If a logo can’t stand alone, then all of the accompanying elements will seem like a grab bag of random thoughts and your entire message will be overcome by user confusion.

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How do you formulate your pricing structure? Does it vary depending on the client or do you have a fixed policy? Also, how often do you resort to investing in additional work and/or design amendments that isn’t within the budget on a typical job?

Steve Zelle — Wed, 12 May 2010 12:50:35 +0000

We usually formulate pricing by balancing both the amount of time it takes for us to finish a project, and the value of the final deliverable to the client. Pricing is based on the specific project scope, and the cost of additional work beyond that scope that is requested by the client is quoted before amendments are performed. We will invest in additional work if we think that the project really needs additional time in order for the design to really make a difference.

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Do you think constant visual consumption of other designers work can lose its inspirational quality and stop being constructive?

Steve Zelle — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 15:40:42 +0000

Keeping an eye on what your peers are up to should never regarded as a negative thing in any respect, but it’s easy to get lost trying to follow trends or replicate others and that isn’t constructive. I think it’s important to allow yourself time away to think on your own. The rest is just the current environment.

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How do you screen a client?

Steve Zelle — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 17:26:39 +0000

For me to take on freelance projects, it usually has to either allow for creative freedom that may be missing from my day job, or be for a worthwhile cause/organization/business (such as a non-profit, a record label, an art gallery,etc.). I prefer to take on clients who trust my design sensibilities and experience, and won’t try to dictate how the process will go.

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How do you prevent scope creep when a client can not make up their minds or articulate what they really want?

Steve Zelle — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 10:04:19 +0000

Most corporate identity or branding initiatives have a great deal to do with change, both personal and professional. If this is a new brand, has the client forsaken a steady paycheck to launch their dream business? If this is a rebrand, is the new CMO on the hot-seat to revive the business and get results? Whether embarking on a rebrand, or developing a new brand altogether, chances are you have caught the client at a time when they are under a great deal of pressure stemming from change. Part of your job as a designer is to serve as their steadfast guide through the entire process. Being sympathetic to the client’s position can really go along way here.

Jointly defining the scope of the project from the outset is critical. I like to discuss a client’s needs and concerns at the first meeting. I then follow up with another meeting and walk them through a previous project I worked on that was similar in scope. I find that most of my clients have had very limited, if any, interaction with a designer before. Simply showing and explaining the process to them can be a real eye opener, for both parties. This shows them what to expect.

Fill out a creative brief with the client. And not just some generic one you nicked off a web site. Make your own and tailor it to each project’s needs. Do this with the client. Design can be subjective and personal. The goal of the creative brief is to make sure that the project is meeting the objectives you both agreed upon, and not the needs and wants of the individuals who happen to be involved in the process. Use the brief as a measuring stick throughout the process.

Before you begin any designing, write a contract. In that contract, make it clear—whether you are charging per hour, or as a project—what the final deliverable(s) will be. Also note if and how you will handle any client revision requests, how many, and how they will be billed. If the client pushes for more options, or begins to get off scope, gently remind them of the parameters of the project as outlined, and agreed to upon, in your contract. Many clients will begin to get ahead of themselves as they realize all the other needs they are going to have once a new brand is rolled out. It can be overwhelming. Again, be understanding.

Look for ways to involve a client in the design process. I’m not advocating having them stand over your shoulder while designing, but keyword generation exercises, mood boarding, even collaborative brainstorming help keep the client engaged in the process. When the client feels good about, and involved in, the process (and they should be!), They will be less apt to reject concepts that you developed in a vacuum. To paraphrase Bruce Mau, design the process in such a way so that it drives the outcome, and not so the outcome drives the process.

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What techniques or processes do you use to open a client’s mind to broader, more innovative, or unconventional ways of seeing or thinking about their business, products, messages, or identity?

Steve Zelle — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 05:29:22 +0000

In a word “samples” (a.k.a. SWIPE) a picture is worth 1000 words. I like to inform my clients thinking by showing design work and solutions that are outside the box of the conventional. Whether it’s my own design or examples of clever promotion done by other designers — in annuals etc, I get the client to start thinking about solutions to promote their brand that exceed the average norm. I love brain-storming with them about various solutions and even have a “client punch list” that I offer to get them thinking about their identity and voice in the marketplace. It is helpful to define the brand and target audience. It lists 10 questions to steer conversation and creative efforts. You would be surprised how many clients don’t consider these basic premises before they hire a designer to help brand them.

My Client Punch List:

What is my product?
Who are my customers?
What is the overall tone of my brand? hip, modern, classic, fresh, tailored, traditional, urban, casual, upscale, trendy, edgy, sophisticated, approachable, exclusive, luxury, non-luxury?
What is my core message?
What are the essential marketing tools I will be using to insure my brand has the right voice and audience?
Who are my direct competitors, and do I want my brand to reflect a similar aesthetic or be positioned apart.
What is my budget for branding/marketing/PR?
What is my timeline?
What materials am I collecting to assist my design team to be inspired, and design my unique marketing vision?
Who are the other professionals I have enlisted to realise my brands full potential? web developers, interior designers, PR specialists, business coaches, and how can I get them all working together for more cohesiveness?

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How do you handle smaller organisations who approach you for identity development but cannot afford a proper discovery process?

Steve Zelle — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:21:54 +0000

A great question, and a challenge I face continually working with small or new businesses, nonprofits, and visual or performing artists with tight budgets. Because these organizations are typically small, their mission, culture, particular challenges, and near- and long-term objectives likely all exist in the hearts and minds of a small number of people. By talking openly with those involved, asking the relevant questions, and getting at the essence of who they are or who they’d like to be, you can pretty quickly gather a sense of direction. These conversations cost nothing but do require time and preparation. However, the more clearly you can outline the objectives and parameters at the outset of the project, the closer in you can start on exploration, thereby recouping some of the resources (time) allotted to discovery. Additionally, I believe that qualified designers bring a certain “x” factor to their work, which is a kind of informed intuition making it possible to connect the dots and bring all the disparate elements together into something meaningful and valuable. This comes from experience, cultural awareness, and an open, collaborative relationship with the client, which nets mutually beneficial results.

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How do you bring color selection out of the realm of subjective client preferences and into the concrete, strategic arena?

Steve Zelle — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:43:36 +0000

Colour is often a tricky element in identity development and there are many ways of managing it. In my experience choosing the right approach depends on your client, the number of people involved in the process, the nature of the project and your relationship with your client. When embarking on a new project I explain our process and broach the topic of approvals and feedback. If any phase of development is measured based on specific goals then gauging colour appropriateness should be no different.

One way we have found which helps pave the way for colour choices is the use of a moodboard before any creative work is done. If the moodboard feels right to the client, as a combination of colours, visual and typographic elements, then we know we’re headed in the right direction and once the concept (presented in black and white) is approved, subsequent colour explorations are much easier to handle.

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How do you persuade your client to use research in the most effective fashion?

Steve Zelle — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 17:10:59 +0000

Clients are often the best sources of information about their own organizations—they know their products, mission, and offerings inside and out. But with that familiarity often comes a kind of tunnel vision that limits their perspective. We try to combine the best of our clients’ expertise with our own fresh, “informed outsider” viewpoints. To help build a foundation for good concepts, we can provide clients with customer profiles and schema, trend forecasts, and basic field observations. These are a far cry from the traditional focus group methods, and aren’t used to support already-existing design directions, but to provide a transparent framework clients can see—why we want to focus their communication in certain areas. Usually the biggest barrier to good basic design research isn’t budgets—many of these methods can be done inexpensively. Short, rigid timelines and a “have it done yesterday” mentality are more likely to keep clients from seeing the value in this sort of analysis.

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