A Creative Year

Author Anthony Muchina contacted me regarding several creative projects he needed for the launch of his new business, appropriately called ‘Muchina’. The company will be selling various luxury items, and the client was looking for something stylish, that would work no matter what type of product he was selling. Initially, the leaning was toward a script style lettermark, and I kept that in mind as I sketched. However, after brainstorming and sketching, we ended up going a different direction. Here is a scan of a few of the sketches:

I typically come up with as many ideas as I can and try not to limit myself in any way through the sketching process. Then, after I’ve exhausted that and have a few ideas that stand out, I like to quickly mock-up a couple of them. At this point I send everything to the client, with an explanation of various stand-out ideas and the thought process, if it needs explanation. I’m not shy about showing them both the good and the bad – you never know what will spark some inspiration. There’s some debate about this, as some designers fear the client will pick out something that really should not be used, but when that happens I find that you can explain why it would not be a good choice, and also find out what attracts the client to that particular design and try to take that aspect of it and carry it into a something that will make more sense.

For the Muchina logo, right away the client saw one he liked and we went to work perfecting it. There were many experimental changes using slightly different shapes and fonts. We went back and forth a few times, and all told there were 26 variations of the chosen logo sent to the client. The final logo was shown at the beginning of this post, in black and white. You can see some of the spacing relationships here:

The type face used was Gill Sans. The shifting of the ‘Muchina’ name to the left helps to offset the weight in the symbol above – even though it is technically not truly centered, moving it left looks right to the eye. The amount of spacing between each letter (tracking) equals the amount of space from the right edge of the circle to the right edge of the sliver, and the space from the symbol to the type is 75% of that space.

Next we will be designing the packaging for the initial product, with the client indicating the box will be purple with 1 color printing (an undetermined golden hue). After that, I will be working on the website design. We’ll highlight those projects in a future post and also include a testimony from the client.

Sometimes fear is a positive force and can protect and motivate you. When designing websites, I’ve seen fear negatively affect content decisions, and ultimately customers. Recently, I had a client in a competitive market request all right-clicks be disabled from their site. Apparently competitors liked to steal their designs. I tried to explain that disabling right-click has more of a negative effect than a positive one, and that anyone really wanting your pictures will get them whether right-click is enabled or not. For a good article on that, go here.

I’ve seen greater degrees of fear causing iffy decisions to be made, that ultimately resulted in customer frustration. Catalogs with information removed, contact information removed from a web-site – you get the idea. It’s key to keep what’s important at the forefront when designing a website so that fears about how a small percentage of your users might use your content does not negatively affect what the vast majority of your visitors want to accomplish. They want your content, information, your message and they want it immediately available to them. Information needs to be easy to find, and it needs to be made available in a variety of ways, so that your of users can navigate, search and gather information in whatever ways they are used to.

Don’t let fear negatively affect the vast majority of your visitors when it comes to content decisions. Look for solutions that will keep your visitors happy, but hopefully also address whatever possible concerns you have over misuse of your content.

“So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” -Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1933

A common story I hear, when meeting with new clients, is that their previous designer did them wrong. I’ve seen cases where designers have left unfinished websites in their wake, took a deposit and were never heard from again or couldn’t perform the services they were contracted to do. In one recent case, there was some sort of personality conflict and the client doesn’t even know where their site is hosted. They have no information about the domain name – through whom it was purchased, when it expires and also no information about their email account (which they have also never checked). They have a website they can’t access, that has no information on it, and looks horrible – but DOES have their name on it. And they have no means, or desire, to get this information from the person they had worked with.

Scared yet? If you are in the market for a designer for a creative project, don’t worry. There are plenty of designers out there that can handle your project flawlessly. The trick is finding them. Perhaps you are a small business owner or are just getting started and you need someone who will do a professional job, but within a limited budget. This means you aren’t interested in working with a larger firm. You like the idea of supporting someone else who has the same entrepreneurial spirit that you do. This article will provide you with some tips, which should help guide you in the right direction.

Tip #1: Ask yourself if your chosen designer is trustworthy?

It seems like every student with a computer is offering freelance design services. Many of them can produce good work, and we have all had to start somewhere, but there are some potential problems you need to be aware of before securing this type of designer for your creative project.

Is the designer running a legitimate business, acting in a professional and dependable way? Maybe they own the necessary design software, or maybe they are using pirated software. Maybe they will do a good job on your project, providing a professional result on time and on budget… maybe they won’t.

I’ve run across several businesses who have partnered with someone just getting their feet wet, offering their services for perhaps the first time. All freelance designers have been there! You do need to be careful who you partner with however, as you could run into the same problems a local real estate firm had. The designer didn’t finish the project – probably after realizing that working for a client is just that – work. The client came to Jason Milburn Design to salvage their site and upgrade the look of the site so that it projected the right kind of message about their company.

Tip #2: The ‘friend’ will probably not do as good a job as someone you pay.

You may know someone that does some design work, either as a full-time job or on a freelance basis. Sometimes this can be the perfect set-up: you’re going to get a deal with someone you know and trust. However, there are some pitfalls to this scenario.

One of the problems you may encounter is that the familiarity of the friendship ends up resulting in a project that never seems to get done. One comic shop decided to use their ‘friend’ for their website project, telling us that it was already being worked on. That was two years ago. Another client had Jason Milburn Design re-design their website because the friend she worked with ended up deciding she really didn’t want to do websites, and left the site unfinished and poorly designed.

It is usually better to enter into a professional relationship with a dependable, proven designer than going this route. However, if you do work with a friend or relative, just make sure you set the guidelines for the project in detail and make sure the friend knows what you expect.

Tip #3: Things to look for when choosing a designer:

1. Proven track record: One of the best ways to judge a designer is by the work they have already completed. Who are their clients? What type of experience do they have? Do you like the work that they have done and does it prove that they have the skills necessary to complete your project?

2. Client Testimony: What do their previous clients have to say about them? Are they easy to work with, and dependable? Is the designer easy to reach?

3. Pricing: Everyone wants a good deal. For some of the clients I have worked with, this was a main motivator for choosing a designer that ended up leaving the project in shambles. They were cheaper! Another reason for making a poor choice in whom to work with for your creative project is that some business owners don’t properly value good design. It is important to understand the importance of design and how it can help your business be successful.

It is possible to get a professional, experienced designer for a good price. However, if you are simply looking for the cheapest you can find, chances are your project will look cheap and end up costing you more in lost business and re-do costs in the long run. Remember – you get what you pay for!

4. Professionalism: After you contact a potential designer asking for a quote, how they handle your request will tell you a lot about what working with this designer will be like. How quickly did they respond to you? Is the quote professionally done, properly outlining the project with a competitive price? What is their process for completing the project and how long will it take them? What guarantees do they have?

A creative and professional design can be critical to your company’s success. A well designed website can drive traffic and produce new business, as well as keep existing customers coming back. How your logo, stationary, and brochures look – they all speak volumes about your company to your customers. It’s all about establishing your brand. Choosing the right designer to partner with is important. Hopefully these few thoughts will help you find the right person for your next creative project!

2007 marked the first full year I offered freelance design services. While still a side-business for me, business was good and the lessons learned were many. Here are a few tips if you are considering offering freelance design services in the near future.

1. Being Dependable Sets You Apart: I’ve dealt with many clients this past year who had gotten burned by their previous designer and were turning to me to either save a project, or start from scratch. Perhaps the previous designer was testing the waters and didn’t know what they were doing, or realized that working with a client can sometimes feel a lot like work. As a result, the wounded client is wary, and looked at me with beady, piercing eyes. After all, they have designer baggage and it was my job to win them over. This is the perfect opportunity to earn a life-long client by being dependable, and delivering a quality finished design.  

2. Find Time To Get Better: You are going to learn a lot just by doing, but also set aside time to improve your skills, bone up on fundamentals and otherwise try not to make a fool of yourself when a more talented designer looks at your stuff or a client asks you a tough question. It’s your career, your passion – actvely sharpen your skills and increase your knowledge!

3. Be Prepared for Personality Conflicts: When you go freelance, in some respects you still aren’t your own boss. In fact, you now have multiple bosses. Some of those will grate on every nerve in your body, hammer your senses with stupidity, and otherwise aggravate you. However, differences in personlaity don’t have to test the limits of your sanity. Prepare yourself ahead of time and be professional. Handling these kinds of situations will mature you and ultimately increase your people and communication skills (which some introverted designers, like me, can always improve).

4. Don’t Take on Something You Don’t Know: It’s my opinion that you offer clients services that you can perform. I’ve heard others say, that if a client needs something that you can learn on the fly, never turn that client away. I find that if you are busy, and striving to do excellent work, sticking to what you know is the better option. Yes, this means occassionally turning clients away.

If a client needs a service you don’t provide, try and partner with someone who does offer it, and have that relationship in place for next time. If you are not prepared at that moment to offer the service, my advice is to be honest and stick to what you know. There’s more that can be written on that, and maybe we can come back to this topic later.

5. Taxes Suck: Make sure you know what to expect come tax time. Don’t be caught owing for all those sweet freelance projects, and not having the money because you bought that new Mac. Plan ahead, get your business ducks in a row, so when the tax-man cometh, you can send in your paperwork with confidence.