We all love designing logos for clients, and it can be one of the most rewarding challenges of the graphic design field. Not always a bed of roses though, and sometimes gigs go south, leaving the client and designer with a nasty vibe about the entire logo design process. Some failed logo projects are a result of the old maxim “Can’t please all the people, all the time”. Others, not so much. What if we were able to identify these projects from the get-go, and proactively eliminate the hair-pulling and teeth gnashing before it began? Maybe we can. Here’s the top seven reasons why a designer may not want to take on a logo design project:
7: Buzzword Dissonance. When a client uses conflicting buzzwords to describe the type of logo they’re looking for, usually separated by the word ‘yet’. Examples: Cutting edge yet conservative. Extreme yet simple. Fortune 500 yet budget minded. These are design dichotomies, and outside art school theory, can’t exist in the same logo at the same time. That’s not to say you shouldn’t take on a client who uses these phrases – but in order to boil things down to one theme or another, an extensive ‘pre-flight’ session is usually called for.
6: The Library of Congress Design Samples. Learning what logos a potential client ‘likes’ is a fairly decent (and fast) way to determine their particular tastes (though you need to exercise some caution in how much these designs influence the your proposals). If a client sends you a whack of logos they like, make sure that there’s some form of common theme to the designs, be it conservative, iconic, text or illustrative treatment. If the logos they send have no connection to each other, the client is picking these designs for an emotional reason (Nike may have made their favorite sneakers, they see the Apple logo every day on their iPod) and the samples they’ve sent you have no real visual bearing on the direction they want for their company. Probably not a deal breaker, but proceed with caution. If a client sends you 200 logos as examples of ‘things they like’, that might be.
5: I’ll know it when I see it. If a client has no idea what they want, what story they want to tell, or image they’re trying to build, exercise caution. If a client also tells you “I don’t know what I want, but I’ll know it when I see it”, you’re about to visit revision hell, pitching idea after idea with no clear direction or input. Can also come in the form of “you’re the professional – I hired you to design something”. Probably best to bail before you’ve invested an ungawdly amount of time. In most successful logo design projects at the shop, the client already knew what they wanted to say and they hired us to put that message into visual form. A rudderless logo design project will continue for a long, long time, and the client won’t appreciate the extra time you’re putting into their project. They’ll become increasingly frustrated as the weeks go by and if they ever manage to select a final design, they’ll feel it was under duress (”I had to pick something”) and will describe your time together using phrases like “pulling teeth”. You’ll be utterly exhausted, having produced umpteen design pitches and preliminaries, using up valuable time and design energy that could be used elsewhere. The client will resent having to invest their time, and will see their participation as nudging you along, each and every step of the way.
4: Love your designs – how do I get a refund. When a potential client’s first question is “do I get a refund if I don’t like your designs”, think twice. While it’s a fair enough question at some point in the ‘tell me about your design process’ Q & A, if this is the first question posed by your would-be client, it’s a sign of trouble to come. The client wants to ‘like’ your design proposals at first blush, rather than listen to your proposals with an open mind. They’ve also been tainted by online logo design companies’ “100% money back guarantee” pitches (which are seldom 100% money back guarantees). It also means that they don’t trust you to look after their best interests and view logo design in the same light as haggling with a merchant at the local farmer’s market. Oddly, no-one ever asks “can I give you a bonus if I love everything you design?” Luckily enough, answering the question “how can you guarantee that I’ll like the logos you design for me?” by giving the true answer “I can’t” usually clears out the tire kickers pronto (see number 3 for more).
3: If I like, then I pay. If a potential client inquires about any form of business arrangement that involves “can I pay you if I like your designs”, it’s probably not going to work out over the long term. You may be able to convince them that this isn’t how things are done, but even a resuscitated gig of this nature will rapidly become a headache. The client will see any rejected proposals as you “wasting their time” (as opposed to offering a wide range of options) and views the logo design process as some form of hassle to begin with. Invariably, they view their logo as an expense, rather than an investment, and will view every step as you “not getting it” as opposed to working together to a goal. Depending on your confidence level in dealing with clients, this one should certainly be looked upon as a deal breaker. So should any gig that begins with a variant of “I want a logo just like theirs“.
2: My girlfriend’s a designer. Any variation of “my wife, husband, girlfriend, boyfriend, son, daughter, buddy is a graphic designer” is a red-light. Big flashing one too. You’re probably stepping on some toes, and the “graphic designer” in your new client’s life isn’t going to take kindly to another designer invading their turf. Even though you’re designing the new logo, and they’re supposedly not, they’ll still want to get involved every step of the way, usually to point out how much better they are than you.
1: I’ve been burned by designers. When a potential client tells you that they’ve ‘been through’ several design companies before arriving at your doorstep, think long and hard about taking on the gig. One previous designer, no problem. There’s lots of logo design pitfalls and not everyone can please everyone, all the time. Two previous designers, proceed with a little caution. It’s quite possible that your potential client managed to find two designers in a row that weren’t up to snuff, but the odds are getting longer. Three previous designers (or more) and it’s a pretty safe bet that your new client is impossible to please and is torpedoing the process through their interaction with any designer they bump into. And even if they’re at the crux of the ‘problem’, chances are they’re bitter towards designers, design, and think we’re all on the flaky side. Chances are #3 and #4 will also apply. Take the job if you’re looking for a challenge, but don’t be surprised if you’re added to the ‘through several designers’ list when this client hires their next design firm.
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All of these reasons could scare anyone away from the design process but yet it’s really not that bad. This is why there are limitations to it. Only so many revisions and a thorough examination before the drawing begins of what the client is truly looking for so that the artist can get it right. Experience is learning and once you have your strategy, it gets much easier.
I am dealing with a client that is displaying traits of numbers 1, 5 and 6! It’s nice to do the work that you love, but you start to wonder if it is really worth it in the end, when you have to deal with a difficult client. What is a good way to turn down a gig?