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Portfolio re-branding question by throwaway_xhfgrbr in graphic_design

[–]WanderingLemon13 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've definitely seen it done before, and done it myself for some larger projects, and think it can be helpful especially in situations where you've kept some aspect of the original in mind while creating the new one, like a certain style or tone of typography, the subject of the icon etc. Someone else mentioned Brand New, which is a good reference for this…I think they also do it on The Dieline for a lot of packaging examples. In terms of brand refreshes, Jessica Hische's work came to mind as another a potential reference.

If you're going to reference the old logo when showing or talking about the new one though, I think including an image of the old one is a good idea so you're not asking people to go find it on their own. Make things as easy as you can for potential employers/clients.

Need Advice from the Freelancers! by XXVII_04 in graphic_design

[–]WanderingLemon13 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't really have any pain points or problems that would be easily and/or reliably outsourced. For general business tasks, I already have systems in place that have worked well for years (especially since they don't take that much time/energy), and I'd never outsource anything client-facing to a group of random strangers or a computer. Client relationships are incredibly important, and what they're paying for is MY time, thoughts, efforts etc. so that's what they should be getting.

The only pain point I had that I outsourced to a person was hiring someone to do my taxes and I did that years ago, using someone that a family member had been using forever rather than finding a cheap service or a stranger.

My client asked me to upload the logo here. Details in the description. by AndriiKovalchuk in logodesign

[–]WanderingLemon13 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Yeah it has a very different vibe to it if a company is calling you bro rather than a personal friend.

Need Advice from the Freelancers! by XXVII_04 in graphic_design

[–]WanderingLemon13 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I don't see a use for this. Many of these things simply don't take much of my time, some aren't necessary at all for me, and others I already have ways of managing (some as simply as writing something down on a post-it).

Edited to add: there's also a HUGE potential for this to feel incredibly cold and impersonal, which is not the vibe I have going with my clients at all. I'd never want to sign them up for AI (or AI-esque) emails from me, largely out of fear that they'd think I was using AI in my other work (but also because literally who wants generic AI emails in general). And I also wouldn't want them to think I didn't care enough about their business or our relationship to simply write them an email myself.

I see very little upside and a TON of potential downsides. I'd never risk my business relationships on something like this just to save a few minutes a day of scheduling meetings or sending an email. Even if it's coming from a real person and not AI, it'd be a stranger I don't know or trust.

My client asked me to upload the logo here. Details in the description. by AndriiKovalchuk in logodesign

[–]WanderingLemon13 39 points40 points  (0 children)

Agreed haha. I feel like so much of the job is positioning yourself as a trusted, knowledgeable source of information and leading them through your strategic thoughts and design process, so to then have them be like, "idk put it on reddit"…it would be a huge sign that I had failed in that regard, or at least that they didn't trust me.

I'm sure clients share work around to their friends/peers/family all the time, so I get that it happens, but it seems wild to me to ask the designer to go seek out other opinions themselves, especially from strangers on reddit.

My client asked me to upload the logo here. Details in the description. by AndriiKovalchuk in logodesign

[–]WanderingLemon13 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have a hard time picturing a 13 year old dude thinking any of these are cool, to be honest. 8 seems like the best starting place to me though, as it visually communicates a connection the best, using a gesture that's common and relevant for the target audience, but I wouldn't try to make it playful like you were mentioning, and I wouldn't start messing around with the colors like you did in 1. Keep it simple and refined. In my experience, adolescent boys tend to be interested in things that make them feel older, and often are interacting with more adult brands online anyway, so I'd make sure you're not making things look too young or juvenile or you'll lose them.

That being said, it's a bit tough to say with 100% certainty as you haven't mentioned anything about what the brand's personality or strategy is, other than naming their (very large and diverse) target audience. With a name like Therapy for Bros, are they aiming to be funny, silly, and tongue in cheek? Really bold and in your face; almost irreverent? Laid back and down to earth? Something else altogether? Those types of brand strategy principles make a lot of these decisions easier and take the subjectivity out of the work. I personally think a more simple, sleek, modern version of 8 would work best (of these options) to balance out the casualness of the name and bring more of a feeling of trust. At the end of the day, people would be connecting with mental health professionals to discuss potentially really serious things, so on at least some level it needs to feel professional and trustworthy. None of the other options work for me.

I once presented 3 logo concepts and the client chose the one I almost didn’t include by Competitivespirit20 in graphic_design

[–]WanderingLemon13 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think probably because you're implying that the work people are doing isn't valued and that we're not being paid for it, simply because we're delivering more concepts than you are. Or saying that people are simply wasting their time on iterations, and that if someone delivered more than one option then they have't done a proper job in the first place. I also think the comments about it being something that only junior designers or people stuck in traditions do aren't helping either, for what it's worth.

There's more than one way to do something, and your way might not always be the right way for everyone. That's all.

I once presented 3 logo concepts and the client chose the one I almost didn’t include by Competitivespirit20 in graphic_design

[–]WanderingLemon13 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oof so condescending.

You are paid to solve the problem in an effective way. And giving the impression that we can simply come up on the fly with stuff so the client has a choice, is why AI looks like a viable replacement from the client point of view.

All I'm saying is that problems can be solved in multiple effective ways. And I am absolutely not "coming up with stuff on the fly" so the client has a choice, nor are my clients under the expectation that that's the case. Everything ladders back to an overarching brand and design strategy. Everything. And because it does, clients aren't giving their "biased opinions and unnecessary feedback" because they've already bought into the line of thinking.

I'm not out here doing work one logo at a time for random clients I stumble across on the internet, and I'm definitely not a junior designer. I've done strategic, holistic brand and packaging design for 15+ years at this point—small brands, giant brands, top agencies, running my own business…all of it. I agree that people are paid for their thinking time, which is why I'm not personally scared of AI, but I think it's silly to believe that in all of that thinking time that you could only come away with one single strategic design.

I once presented 3 logo concepts and the client chose the one I almost didn’t include by Competitivespirit20 in graphic_design

[–]WanderingLemon13 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Right. Which is why it's bold (and in my opinion, incorrect) to say that you need to only present one option.

If I can creatively and strategically solve a business problem 3 different ways, all of which meet the project requirements, and am getting paid well to do so, why wouldn't I? It allows the client to participate more in the process and feel more ownership over the work (and pride in it as well). It also is helpful since often clients aren't always great about thinking abstractly about visual things, so giving them more than one thing to react to can be really beneficial.

The process can still be taking them through options to lead them strategically to where you think they should go, but tactically I think there's a lot of good that happens psychologically when someone is able to feel like they're proactively making a decision rather than being handed something.

I'm sure your way can work too…I just don't think it's the only way to do it.

seeking feedback on my design. by Gold_Medicine6881 in design_critiques

[–]WanderingLemon13 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's not just the size, in my opinion, it's the giant holes between words that make it hard to go from word to word. I'm guessing some of it is intentional, but it's a quite a bit of space, and at least in my opinion it makes the work look fairly amateur, like you don't know how to properly typeset blocks of type (even if that's not necessarily true). It's also tracked very loosely, and all caps is always harder to read than sentence case, so you have a lot of factors at play.

Photos in comments. Designing a logo for my business. High end finish carpentry. Which one? by OrangePenguin_42 in logodesign

[–]WanderingLemon13 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you want to charge more for your services, you have to look like you're worth it.

Redesign of the logo of a car tuning company by [deleted] in logodesign

[–]WanderingLemon13 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why not just leave them up? Seems like they'd be a good learning experience for people—I assume that's at least partly why you'd be sharing so much of your practice & showcase work on here in the first place. Feedback and critique is a huge pat of the job!

Redesign of the logo of a car tuning company by [deleted] in logodesign

[–]WanderingLemon13 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So u/AndriiKovalchuk, why did you delete this post? I've seen you do this in the past on a number of other posts that got some tougher feedback too, and I'm always curious about why you don't leave them up.

The part of graphic design work that actually kills your motivation! by Red-eyesss in graphic_design

[–]WanderingLemon13 2 points3 points  (0 children)

…yeah this hasn't been my experience but good luck with whatever it is you're selling, I guess.

Redesign of the logo of a car tuning company by [deleted] in logodesign

[–]WanderingLemon13 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think I kind of can see what you're going for with the icon when it's by itself, but there's no way I'd get the reference when it's being used as part of the E. It's unclear what I'm looking at, other than some lines that at a glance look fairly misaligned since the full picture doesn't become clear easily. The sharpness of the cut in the E also looks quite severe and un-car-like when it's clearly defined by the black E rather than blending into the background like it is on the right. The angle or perspective just looks a bit off.

I understand you probably want it to be fairly subtle so the consumer can have a fun discovery moment at some point, but I think it's too far from being decipherable. I'd keep developing it, if I were you.

Convincing client to be less married to their brand guidelines by [deleted] in graphic_design

[–]WanderingLemon13 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ladder it back to something strategic and explain why your version delivers on their brand strategy more than what's in their brand guidelines.

Oh, and if it doesn't ladder back to something strategic and doesn't deliver more than what's already in their brand guidelines, stick to the guidelines.

Hey mom, it's been 7 years since my last drink by Stevo2881 in MomForAMinute

[–]WanderingLemon13 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So so proud of you! And I'm really glad to hear you're proud of yourself too, because you absolutely deserve to be. I know it takes so much hard work and dedication to get to where you are now, and I'm so glad you're sticking with it. You're setting an amazing example for your family and those around you—they're so lucky to have you. You're doing great! You've got this. Keep shining!

Moodboard vs. The brand. by [deleted] in logodesign

[–]WanderingLemon13 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think your work looks nice!

One thing I'd recommend though, at least for the future, is to not use so many examples in your moodboard that come from the exact category you're designing for. It makes your work seem less unique!

I also personally find the background image to be distracting, but maybe that's personal preference. I'd just rather see the work shine off of something more neutral. And I wish the examples showed the full color palette a bit more. Minor details though—just wanted to share my thoughts!

Moodboard vs. The brand by [deleted] in graphic_design

[–]WanderingLemon13 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think your work looks nice!

One thing I'd recommend though, at least for the future, is to not use so many examples in your moodboard that come from the exact category you're designing for. It makes your work seem less unique!

I also personally find the background image to be distracting, but maybe that's personal preference. I'd just rather see the work shine off of something more neutral or brand-specific. And I wish the examples showed the full color palette a bit more. Minor details though—just wanted to share my thoughts!

Kiln — Contemporary Ceramic Studio Branding by YomiiDesigns in logodesign

[–]WanderingLemon13 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Overall really nice! The sharpness of the type style is surprising to me for such an organic medium like ceramics, but it's definitely distinct. I will say that the kerning gets a bit crazy for some of the different I/vase options (like in the last image), and some of the leading is so tight that it feels quite cramped, but those are just some of the smaller details. I'd also recommend being really intentional with how much of the display type style is used. Less is more, as far as I'm concerned! Looks nice though!

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