Happy Holidays!

Christmas Parade Poster

This is a poster I did for an upcoming parade in Enumclaw. The Executive Director for the Enumclaw Chamber of Commerce wanted an old fashioned looking photograph of the city with "Enumclaw Since 1913" to commemorate Enumclaw's centennial. A clip art of Santa riding a reindeer and logo's for sponsoring businesses were provided. Two businesses were sponsoring events in conjunction with the parade and that information needed to be highlighted in some way.

All of it was done in Photoshop. I took a photo of Cole St this last August and added some snow. The photo was aged by using a combination of adjusting the levels, contrast, a sepia filter, and applying grain. A vignette was applied and a snow flake brush set used for a winter look. I also removed the name of a couple of businesses. One no longer exists and I didn't want to show apparent favoritism to any one business. The clip art was added near the top of the poster and also to one of the buildings. Christmas ornaments were used to highlight "Battle of the School bands" and the caroling competition.

Multiply was used on the logos and clip art so there wouldn't be a white background. The clip art on the building was flipped and multiply used so it would like it was part of the wall.

Wine Walk in Enumclaw

Here's a poster I did for the Winter Wine Walk in Enumclaw. All of it was done in Illustrator. The bottle was created using the 3D tool. The wall paper is a set pattern in Illustrator and I set the layer to multiply. A couple of color layers and a gradient were used on the pattern.

The Story of a Logo and the Design Process

Changes and revisions are normal and part of the design process. I would caution designers and artists not to get married to the design because, no matter how much you like what you’ve created and no matter how good a design is, ultimately, it’s the client who makes the final decision.

As an example, I recently completed a logo for a local music store that went through several iterations before the final approval. This experience is a good illustration of working with clients and the design process.

Client Meeting

First I met with the music store owners who informed me they wanted a logo to be used on their store window, t-shirts, in-store signs, outdoor sandwich board, receipts, business cards, flyers, and awning. They wanted natural colors in green, blue, black or brown. They wanted a design that was non-gender specific, classy, contemporary and fun. They also wanted an Art Deco look.

Their business sells new and used instruments, sheet music, and accessories such as picks, tuning forks, etc. Their clientele includes musicians, students and teachers who use their space for lessons.

Because of budget concerns, we narrowed the scope down to just the logo with the idea of expanding its use later.

Also, to keep the cost low, they wanted two options.

Proposal/Estimate/Contract

Usually I do a proposal that includes an estimate and an explanation of the design process. To expedite the process for these clients, I did the contract that included the estimate, a description of the project, two options based on the client’s sketch, and two files.

I did explain that they might need the native file or tiff or eps for a commercial printer when it comes to the awning and t-shirt. It’s not uncommon to have the commercial printer request a file that includes layers.

We signed the contract and the work began.

Sketches/Roughs/Comps

Usually it’s the designer that comes up with the sketches after assessing what the client wants. But in this case the clients had a sketch they wanted me to use. They also gave me a drawing from one of their children as an example of what they wanted. Figure 1 is their children’s drawing and figure 2 are their sketches with their chosen sketch circled in red.

Figure 1

Figure 2

We agreed when the comps would be due.

I went in search for fonts, first looking through what I had and then browsing Dafont.com. There was an intriguing font that gave me an idea for their logo. I felt compelled to create what popped into my mind. So I ended up doing two roughs based on their sketch and one created from my idea. Logos 1 and 2 are based on the client’s sketch. Blue, black, and brown were used along with an Art Deco font. The idea was to have a treble clef morph into a musical instrument like a base. I also added the base clef to the design. Logo 3 is the idea that came to mind while looking through fonts. Striving for elegance and an Art Deco look, I used a retro font and kept the text in lower case. The treble clef is merged into the “l” of Enumclaw Music. Art Deco used a certain type of shading which I mimicked in the treble clef and the swirl in the treble clef is darker than the background circle. Change in value provides contrast; something to keep in mind for those who are color blind. I threw the third one in for free.

These designs were presented to the clients on the appointed day and they selected logo 3. They wanted the base clef merged with the treble clef and a lighter or vibrant blue.

Logo 4

Final

Logo 4 was presented to them; they loved it and paid for it. Two files were sent to them.

A new contract.

A week later I received an email that they wanted to make some changes based on feedback from friends and family but didn’t setup an appointment. About a month went by without hearing anything so I followed up and suggested we make an appointment to discuss the feedback they received.  

They said that the two dots with the swirl looked like the Pringles guy and the “l” was hard to read. The wife thought the text should be capitalized because it’s a proper name. She was concerned that it looked sloppy and people would think they didn’t know what they were doing. She also didn’t like the space between Enumclaw and Music. The husband liked the lower case.

I explained that logos don’t follow writing rules and pointed at Skynet across the street and gave US Bank and Amazon as examples for lower case logos.

So we discussed the next step. Because the previous contract was complete I did a new contract and, in order to keep the cost low, it included one option for the changes they wanted, one revision, and two files.

Logo 5

I tried one design (logo 5) and decided to get feedback from some online design groups by sharing logo 4 and 5. Most liked 4 the best although they did feel it was hard to read the “l”. Some asked what Enumclaw meant.

Logo 6

I tried another design trying to do a hybrid between 4 and 5. Logo 6 is the result.

Logo 6 was presented to the husband who liked 4 better.

Logo 7

I said the treble clef could be separated from Enumclaw Music and the husband suggested stacking the text. Logo 7 is the result. When presented to the husband, his response was “spectacular!”

A couple days later I get an email from the wife saying she wanted to make changes. She also said that she would be the main contact for discussing the logo to simplify communication. The contract did allow for additional changes for an additional fee. The wife and I met to talk about what she wanted. She thought logo 7 was too busy and didn’t like the angle of the treble clef.  She looked at the sketches, the drafts, logo 4, and logo 7. She cut the treble clef out from logo 7 and pasted it back at a different angle. Then she crossed out the note and lines. I told her the text would probably have to be adjusted.

Logo 8

I made the changes and adjusted the text to get logo 8. We met. She held up a copy of her changes up with logo 8, complained that the angle of the treble clef didn’t exactly match her markup and that the text should be center justified.

Logo 9

I made the changes resulting in logo 9. When I presented logo 9 to her, she said “awesome!” and made the final payment. Two files were sent to her. 

For those who want to know what Enumclaw means - it is the name of a city. It's from Salish North American language meaning "place of evil spirits" or "place of noisy spirits" or "thundering spirits".  It's based on North American Mythology about two Pacific Northwest American brothers named Enumclaw and Kapoonis who were turned into thunder and lightening respectively by their father. 

Two Variations on a Logo

I'm working on revisions to a logo. The first version is below.

The revision is the second image below.

To Contract or not to Contract

My instructors and advisor at college drilled into me “Don’t work without a contract.” The Graphic Artists Guild (GAG) and American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) recommend that designers always work with a contract.

However, there are designers that don’t. My sister doesn’t although she says she should and I’ve met other designers who don’t including some people in online groups of which I belong. One person claimed that their communication with the client is so good they don’t need a contract. Another person said they have never worked with a contract and will never, ever work with a contract. So there are those who choose not to but I don't understand being adamantly opposed to it.

What is a contract?

It’s an agreement between the client or their representatives and the designer. It can be a written agreement or verbal and in the US a verbal agreement is considered binding. I know a technical writer who is satisfied with a handshake if the project is less than $1,000. The potential problem is that verbal agreements and handshakes can be hard to prove in court. If there isn’t a lot to lose that may not be a problem.

Written agreements can be a formal contract or a string of emails. Either method is a form of documentation that helps the client and designer.

What does a contract do?

Coming out of the IT world and hosting meetings, I know that if you have 10 participants you have 10 different versions of what was discussed and agreed on in a meeting. So notes are taken and meeting minutes are sent to all meeting members. This ensures that everyone has a similar understanding of the scope of a project, responsible parties know their tasks, and everyone knows the next steps in the project.

A contract can function in the same way. It is a communication between the designer and client or their representatives. It is designed to protect both the client and the designer and to ensure both know what to expect. If there are any questions, both can refer to the contract.

What is in a contract?

The contract can include the description of the project, the scope, usage rights, the designer’s responsibilities, the client’s responsibilities, schedule of deliverables, estimates, an indemnity clause, cancellation and refund clauses, royalties, list the expected deliverables, late fees, purpose and use of the deliverable(s).  Contracts are not written in stone and, if necessary, amendments can be added. There are a lot of sample contracts online and the GAG handbook has several contract templates that can be customized for your specific project.

When I first started freelancing I was hesitant to bring up a contract but I have learned that clients who balk at signing a contract are not reliable. That should be seen as a red flag. If they won’t even discuss and negotiate a contract, walk away.

I’m still working on a balance between covering what is needed and over doing it. I have a tendency to add everything but the kitchen sink when it’s not necessary. Then I’ll swing to the opposite end and have a bare bones contract that can leave out important clauses.

My opinion

Whether you do a formal contract or something informal in emails it is important to have something in writing so that all parties know what’s expected and what's involved in the project.

The Dreaded Question: How much do you charge?

When I first started promoting myself as a freelance graphic designer, showing people my portfolio and handing out my business cards, my target audience was individuals and small businesses. They’d tell me what they wanted, I’d calculate an estimate and the response would be “I’ll think about it” which really meant no.

After running into this response time and again, I would cringe when asked for the cost. I tried quoting an hourly rate; tried quoting for a project; tried quoting a flat fee. “I’ll think about it” was still the response.

It can be a struggle to decide how much to charge for your work. You can tell yourself you need enough to live on and calculate based on how many hours you spend on a design, travel, overhead, and experience. You think you’ve come up with a reasonable price for someone just starting out. But you don’t get any clients.

And here’s the thing, it’s not the cost. Small businesses aren’t as cash strapped as they make themselves out to be but they are choosy about where they spend their money. They might mention ROI. What you need to do is persuade the client that your services are worth the investment. I found that if you just frame the discussion in terms of money you’re likely not to land the client. That’s why I started using the paper towel analogy, “Would an employer hire you if your resume was on a paper towel?” Talking about what graphic design can do for their business and the importance of having a professional look for all their marketing materials will help land the client. Then you can discuss cost.

Design and The Paper Towel - It's Not About Looking Pretty

Would you hand a potential employer your resume on a paper towel? 

Because small businesses are looking at cost savings for their marketing and they want to concentrate on what they actually do rather than spending a lot of time on the marketing, they are just happy to have something out there. They have good SEO results, their information is out there. They are good to go. Right? Design doesn’t matter, right?

They ignore the importance of first impressions. What they don’t think about is that their marketing materials, whether it’s the web, social media or print, are their resume to the general public. As an employer will consider a well dressed, professional candidate with a polished resume over a candidate in jeans, t-shirt, and a resume on a paper towel, so the general public will gravitate to the professional looking website, brochure or business card.

Color, composition, and text used effectively can give a powerful message that can bring attention to the small business owner’s company. Unfortunately, a lot of businesses don’t consider these elements in presenting their message to the public. I’ve seen websites with black backgrounds and yellow text. It’s not only hard to read but is hard on the eyes. 

Below is an example of what I’m talking about.

The second example shows how the black and yellow color scheme can be used for a more professional look. It’s how the two colors are used that makes a big difference. The dark text on a light background is also easier on the eyes.

To see examples of my work go to my website: 

http://leftofcentergraphics.com 

Question: Why do small businesses settle for poor to average design? Part Two: Center Justify, Just say no.

What with all the software available, online printers, and social media to use for marketing yourself, a lot of businesses are determined to do their own design to save money. Center justify is used, again, and again, and again on websites, business cards, brochures, Facebook cover photos, Facebook photo id’s, you name it. I’ve seen a whole brochure center justified. I’ve seen lists center justified.

Ok, I admit it. (Hanging my head in shame.) I’m guilty too. When first I started doing flyers for a local arboretum I center justified. Enrolling in a digital design program enlightened me. A good book for beginning designers is "The Non-Designer's Design Book" by Robin Williams. 

Why center justify? If others were working off of the same mistaken belief as I, it was to draw attention to the information. The belief is that having everything in the middle will focus on the text and important information. It offers balance. It looks good, right? Not really. If everything is in the middle, then everything is “focused” and, essentially, you aren’t focusing on anything. It also screams amateur. 

Basic composition principles apply to photography, traditional art and design. One of them is the rule of thirds. The main focus of a design or image is off center. This applies to text as well. There are exceptions to the rule but the key word here is “exception”.

Center justify is good for headings, titles, and sometimes logos. It is not good for lists.

Example of a center justified list.

Abilene   Albuquerque   Amarillo   Anaconda   Anchorage

Apple Valley   Arlington   Athens   Atlanta   Augusta   Aurora

Austin   Babbitt   Bakersfield   Baltimore   Baton Rouge

This city list is in columns and left justified. It’s professional looking, orderly and easier to read than the list above.

Don't center justify or center everything. The flyer below has everything center justified and the store image is centered. 

The second example has the store image moved down a little. The saturation of blue and largest text is at the top. Information for the store is at the bottom and aligned to the right.

The second flyer is more visually appealing.

Check out my website at http://leftofcentergraphics.com 

Question: Why do small businesses settle for poor to average design?

What is the goal of a business? Basically it’s to make money. First they have to attract customers and that means getting noticed. In today’s world there are low cost ways to advertise your business by using social media. Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn have free basic service and a small business can utilize the many free web templates available.

These free services make it easier for small businesses to get their name out there; in other words to get noticed. But is it a good notice or a bad notice? How important are looks? Would you go to an interview wearing your bathrobe or hand out your resume on a paper towel? No. Marketing, whether through social media or printed material is the resume for the business. In essence, the small business is constantly on interview when attracting new clients. So why don’t small businesses put their best foot forward?

Friend of a Friend

For most businesses design is not their area of expertise unless they are a design firm.  They don’t understand the impact typography; use of color and basic composition elements can have on their marketing materials. They do their own website, business cards etc. or they have a friend of a friend, daughter, son, nephew, or cousin do their design. They honestly believe what they have is fine.

The first flyer I did for the Lake Wilderness Arboretum Foundation (LWAF) I thought was fine. This was done before I enrolled in the Digital Design program at Pierce College.

The flyer I did this year for their spring plant sale looks more professional.

2013 Flyer for LWAF

2009 Flyer for LWAF

Money

Small business can save thousands of dollars when they do it themselves and saving money is a strong incentive. But the money that’s saved on advertising by using social media could be used towards better design and the material used for printed products. Business cards or brochures printed on plain copy paper have less of an impact than those printed on heavier weight paper – think paper towel versus photo glossy paper.

Options

I have often suggested using student interns. You’d be surprised at the quality you can get from a student intern. Typically, internships are unpaid but paying a stipend for their effort is highly recommended.

The other option is to find a designer who is willing to work within your budget. You may not get all the bells and whistles you want but you will get what you need that looks professional. 

Are you looking for a graphic designer? Check out my website at http://leftofcentergraphics.com 

I created a flyer for an event in Enumclaw at a local book store. Yes, neighborhood bookstores still exist. Once a month they sponsor poetry readings where people can share their own poems or poems that inspire them.

Final Product for Spa Beeutiful

Here is the live Facebook business page for Spa Beeutiful.

Spa Beeutiful

I recently got a small project updating a person's Facebook cover photo and photo id for their small business. Having learned what color scheme they wanted and playing off the name Spa Beeutiful I created two versions to be used. The client chose the first version.

Version 1








Version 2






Coming to a Facebook page near you...