This is a declaration of a strong change of direction.
As those of you who have actually followed this blog previously have undoubtedly noticed, I haven't posted in a very long time despite my best efforts to stick to posting. I'm not going to bore you with excuses because I have more important information to share with you right now.
Before I tell you about my new focus let me try to explain where it came from. Two out of my last three attempts at freelance artwork have failed miserably. By failed I mean I put hard work into designs for clients that ultimately rejected the work I was doing/had done and decided to go to other artists to fulfill their needs without notifying me of their change of heart or compensating me for the work I had done. I have no ill feelings towards them or their decisions what-so-ever but the circumstances left me in a very deep rut of self reflection. So here are the decisions I've made as a result of my failed freelance artwork.
1. I do not have the patience to teach a client sound marketing strategy.
2. I refuse to treat logo design as anything less than a strategic marketing symbol and I refuse to compromise on my pillars of logo design.
3. I will not work with any clients in the future that seem even remotely unsure of what they want.
4. I will only work with one client per project. Meaning I will not try to simultaneously please two clients that have different visions of what they want with the same design.
5. I will not work for free. My design services come with a $100 non-refundable up front fee regardless of any circumstances. This fee or a portion of it may be deducted from the total cost of the sale if negotiated, but will not be refunded in the event of a dissatisfied client or a client choosing to go with someone else's services. Any serious client will see this as more than reasonable .
6. Until further notice, I will ONLY work with clients by a referral basis and after extensive review.
In short, I really don't plan on doing much freelance work in the future. If future attempts go more smoothly I may change this stance, but for now I really don't have the time to be working on building other people's wealth for a modest one time fee.
Such strong words from such a modest, weak minded, push over right? But wait, there's more! So far I have explained my new disposition towards freelance work, but I haven't even gotten to the good stuff yet. I've been spending a lot of time thinking about how I am going to turn my life around. Obviously I can't be a delivery driver forever and I certainly don't want to be working my way up the ladder of pizza company enslavement. I now know that I don't really want to be doing "for hire" work either. Not only would my income be strictly tied to a 'dollars for labor' trade but it would be a never ending battle with wishy-washy clients. I'm not the only one in my inner circle in this position, either. There are others who can't sustain themselves doing what they are doing but they aren't sure how they are going to change for the better. I also have deadlines to make decisions fast approaching. I have to decide if and where I am going to move in a very short time and the consequences of the move are very far reaching no matter what I decide.
The other day I logged into my blogger just to post the images of the last logo I had finished and I was looking through my statistics to lament how I hadn't gotten any real views since I stopped posting. While looking through my stats I found something that completely changed my outlook. This blog has made me money! 3 pennies to be exact. Such a small and seemingly insignificant amount, but you have to realize, that's 3 pennies more than I have earned from my last two clients and I didn't even have to do anything. Its a very modest beginning but it means more to me than you can understand. This means I have something I can do right now from anywhere in the world and be actively building my own future. Its something that won't diminish if I move and doesn't hinge on variables that will be changing in the very near future.
So here is the current plan:
1. I'm going to revamp the nature of this blog since freelance work is at least temporarily being phased out of the picture.
2. I'm going to re-commit to posting (not exactly daily posting) with a new focus on creating material that's less about me and more about bringing value to other people's lives.
3. I'm going to be alpha testing a whole lot of different strategies and ideas while the variables in my near future sort themselves out.
And now you know...
Showing posts with label Status Update. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Status Update. Show all posts
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Good News!
I may end up doing some very slight changes to this before I'm happy (the kind you wouldn't notice unless you had someone point them out to you while you were looking at a before and after image) with it. The next step is to translate it into color. Jacci already reviewed the last set of color choices I threw at her and preferred the more green and gold looking version. So I'll be taking those colors and making a lot of subtle variations of them and giving them to jacci to look at. I'm also considering looking into adding some heavy vector color work into my logo design process. The flat colors just aren't doing it for the clients and I agree with them. I need to find some advanced illustrator coloring techniques learning material to consume before I try to just do it on my own though. Otherwise I'll be wasting too much time for a crappy looking product.
In other news, I may have picked up a new client. This one is unique in that rather than needing 1 brand for one store, he may end up needing multiple brands for multiple products. This client is also unique in that he has his own clients. I'll be helping him with both his own work and his client's. He is a very talented artist himself, so the work I do for him may end up being less in the arena of producing art and more in the arena of marketing consulting.
So how do you feel about the new logo design for Jacci? Are you excited to see what ideas I have for coloring it?
Sunday, July 1, 2012
today is to be a busy day.
This is just a preemptive "I'm probably not going to post today" post. I've got a meeting with Darlene at 11 and then I've got to go to work until around 9pm.
ta ta for now.
ta ta for now.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
I need a business plan
I need to write a business plan.
I need to write a business plan.
I need to write a business plan that doesn't suck.
I need to write a business plan and I don't know how.
I need to write a business plan to solidify my course of action.
I need to write a business plan so I don't look like an idiot.
I need to write a business plan so people will start to take me seriously.
I need to write a business plan so I can adequately measure my progress.
I need to write a business plan so I can figure out when it's safe to abandon my job and embrace my career.
I need to write a business plan.
I need to write a business plan to gain more support.
I need to write a business plan to gain leverage.
I need to write a business plan to move forward.
I need to write a business plan.
I need to write a business plan.
I need to write a business plan.
I need to write a business plan that doesn't suck.
I need to write a business plan and I don't know how.
I need to write a business plan to solidify my course of action.
I need to write a business plan so I don't look like an idiot.
I need to write a business plan so people will start to take me seriously.
I need to write a business plan so I can adequately measure my progress.
I need to write a business plan so I can figure out when it's safe to abandon my job and embrace my career.
I need to write a business plan.
I need to write a business plan to gain more support.
I need to write a business plan to gain leverage.
I need to write a business plan to move forward.
I need to write a business plan.
I need to write a business plan.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Hiatus (& thoughts that entered my head)
It's been well over a week since my last post. Shame on me. I haven't been 100% non-productive however. Since I've met with my newest client I have been able to make good progress on a logo design for him. If he approves of my latest sketch, we'll be moving into the digital phase of his logo design.
Jacci's logo is kind of at a stand still at the moment. She wants a "softer" design of the logo I've been working on. With the corners of the leaves already rounded I'm not sure how to make it softer. When I try to make them blunt at the tips it no longer looks like a leaf at all. The melalueca leaf that she wanted me to model hers to be similar to does not have rounded edges, it's pointy. I think I need a new approach to the leaf. I suspect it's not the edges being round that makes the leaf look sharp or not "soft" but perhaps the shape of the leaf in general. It's a conundrum.
I have acquired a new employee ... sort of ... it's hard to explain. But I paid a good chunk of money and now it's understood that if I need a hand they need to help me. We'll see how that works.
I've noticed that not writing in this blog every week and not posting my lack of progress has let me be lazy. Without the fear of embarrassing myself on the web by posting a lack of progress I haven't felt the pressure required to make progress.
I don't know what I want out of my business and it's causing me serious problems. especially in the way of organization. I need to get my head screwed on straight.
I like the idea of owning the local guru business of design and media production. a business that handles everything and does it better than everyone else. By everything I mean everything that is not being done already. The area has good print shops, good photographers (at least I think it does ...), good layout designers, and even some broadcasting companies. What it doesn't have is any decent branding designers, or an advertising agency/marketing company, or a quality media production company for film or animation, it also doesn't have any web design businesses worth their salt (aside from a few freelance artists here and there that aren't advertising their services). Having one business that handles all of these things appeals to me.
But it's not like I can do all of that. Not without a whole lot of money to pay real professionals to do real work (more on that in a second). The alternative is doing just one thing and finding other people to fill in the other things with their small businesses. In other words be a sole proprietor for life. I think I will die before letting someone talk me into cornering myself into the S quadrant for life (that was Robert Kiyosaki speak for those of you who don't understand what I just said). having my own business that handles just brand design or just media production or just advertising strategies is a business that dreams small and stays small. It is a buisness that never makes the B quadrant and dies with it's owner or in many cases even sooner.
And let's say for the sake of argument that I did go the route of the sole proprietor working only one aspect of the design. Where am I going to find the people to fill in the missing holes? There is no one out there at the moment filling my needs (at least not to my standards). What if I find someone to do it, but then later realize I don't like working with them?
So how do I get what I want? Is it even what I want? The things I know are: I really want to get onto YouTube, and not in the way the typical business owner thinks of YouTube as nothing more than an advertising strategy or small limb of their "real" business. I want to really get onto YouTube in the way it was meant to be utilized; for the production of free entertainment. I want to own my own business that goes big. I want to be able to step away and let it run itself. I want to hire quality professionals who work for serious cash. I dont want to work with people who think pinching pennies in their advertising budget is a smart business model. I want to create something that outlives me. I want to offer something that improves lives. I don't want to stay local.
Just some of the many things that race through my mind on a daily basis...
Jacci's logo is kind of at a stand still at the moment. She wants a "softer" design of the logo I've been working on. With the corners of the leaves already rounded I'm not sure how to make it softer. When I try to make them blunt at the tips it no longer looks like a leaf at all. The melalueca leaf that she wanted me to model hers to be similar to does not have rounded edges, it's pointy. I think I need a new approach to the leaf. I suspect it's not the edges being round that makes the leaf look sharp or not "soft" but perhaps the shape of the leaf in general. It's a conundrum.
I have acquired a new employee ... sort of ... it's hard to explain. But I paid a good chunk of money and now it's understood that if I need a hand they need to help me. We'll see how that works.
I've noticed that not writing in this blog every week and not posting my lack of progress has let me be lazy. Without the fear of embarrassing myself on the web by posting a lack of progress I haven't felt the pressure required to make progress.
I don't know what I want out of my business and it's causing me serious problems. especially in the way of organization. I need to get my head screwed on straight.
I like the idea of owning the local guru business of design and media production. a business that handles everything and does it better than everyone else. By everything I mean everything that is not being done already. The area has good print shops, good photographers (at least I think it does ...), good layout designers, and even some broadcasting companies. What it doesn't have is any decent branding designers, or an advertising agency/marketing company, or a quality media production company for film or animation, it also doesn't have any web design businesses worth their salt (aside from a few freelance artists here and there that aren't advertising their services). Having one business that handles all of these things appeals to me.
But it's not like I can do all of that. Not without a whole lot of money to pay real professionals to do real work (more on that in a second). The alternative is doing just one thing and finding other people to fill in the other things with their small businesses. In other words be a sole proprietor for life. I think I will die before letting someone talk me into cornering myself into the S quadrant for life (that was Robert Kiyosaki speak for those of you who don't understand what I just said). having my own business that handles just brand design or just media production or just advertising strategies is a business that dreams small and stays small. It is a buisness that never makes the B quadrant and dies with it's owner or in many cases even sooner.
And let's say for the sake of argument that I did go the route of the sole proprietor working only one aspect of the design. Where am I going to find the people to fill in the missing holes? There is no one out there at the moment filling my needs (at least not to my standards). What if I find someone to do it, but then later realize I don't like working with them?
So how do I get what I want? Is it even what I want? The things I know are: I really want to get onto YouTube, and not in the way the typical business owner thinks of YouTube as nothing more than an advertising strategy or small limb of their "real" business. I want to really get onto YouTube in the way it was meant to be utilized; for the production of free entertainment. I want to own my own business that goes big. I want to be able to step away and let it run itself. I want to hire quality professionals who work for serious cash. I dont want to work with people who think pinching pennies in their advertising budget is a smart business model. I want to create something that outlives me. I want to offer something that improves lives. I don't want to stay local.
Just some of the many things that race through my mind on a daily basis...
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Logo Design Progress
It's about time I updated you on what's going on with Jacci's logo.
Jacci asked me to create a version of my logo that looked more like a melalueca leaf, as apposed to the one I originally had. So this is what I've come up with.
Jacci asked me to create a version of my logo that looked more like a melalueca leaf, as apposed to the one I originally had. So this is what I've come up with.
The difference between these three black and white versions is the stroke width of the white in the center of the leaf. Otherwise, they are all the same.
We've been discussing color and she likes the idea of a gold and green color scheme (yellow-green analogous). So I've been playing around with colors and these are what I have so far.
Bright Green and Gold
Dark Blue Green and Dark Gold
Dark Blue Green and Light Green
Dark Green and Light Green
Yellow Green, Dark Green stroke, and Yellow Gold
Jacci sent me an image of a globe and asked if I could make it the dot above the J. I'm hesitant to do this because a globe is a fairly complicated bit of imagery for such a small part of the logo. My fear is that a globe will not scale down nicely making an icon sized version of the logo look bad. This would be a violation of my 7 pillars of good logo design.
Obviously for copyright reasons I can't use the image that she sent me as the dot, but I am going to be creating my own globe and trying to make it VERY simple to lessen scalability issues. I am worried about this idea but what the client wants, the client gets.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Utter Failure
Today I worked 11 hours at Domino's (from open till near close). Bright side: 3 hours of overtime pay and I walked out of the store with 90$ in my pocket from tips and mileage. Crap side: another day has gone by where I haven't managed to get anything truly significant done.
I've had too many of these in the last two weeks. I need to step it up somehow. Dig in a little deeper, be a little more focused, w/e it takes. I've already pretty much flopped on the drawing of the day posts. blah. Now I feel like I'm stagnating. Slowing down is not an option. I know myself too well and if I don't pick up the pace I will quit soon.
Things I resolve to get done this week:
Get a friggen hair cut. I'm starting to look like Chewbacca's bald faced cousin or something.
Post a drawing of the day post every day.
Finish Jacci's logo design
Don't explode with frustration
If I can manage to get at least this much done this week, I will consider the pace to have begun to hasten back to what it was a little while ago.
On a slightly related topic: It's becomming very apparent that I can't do this alone and I need help getting tasks done. However I face two significant issues. I can't pay anyone. Not a lot of people are willing to work for free on a highly probable to fail enterprise. The other is that I have people willing to help, but I find myself clinging on to the tasks. I can't just give away the drawing portion of the blog or the design aspect of the logo at the moment. ... actually I could give away the design aspect of the logo, but I know I would give the money to the employee and keep none for myself and then I wouldn't really be getting anywhere with my business. I find myself in need of individuals with particular skills (editing(writing), legal knowledge, creativity, design, software specific skills, etc etc.) but unable to afford those skills. Dominos doesn't seem to be paying me enough to finance this endeavor but really there isn't a job on the planet that would. The ones that would pay enough would consume all my time completely.
I've had too many of these in the last two weeks. I need to step it up somehow. Dig in a little deeper, be a little more focused, w/e it takes. I've already pretty much flopped on the drawing of the day posts. blah. Now I feel like I'm stagnating. Slowing down is not an option. I know myself too well and if I don't pick up the pace I will quit soon.
Things I resolve to get done this week:
Get a friggen hair cut. I'm starting to look like Chewbacca's bald faced cousin or something.
Post a drawing of the day post every day.
Finish Jacci's logo design
Don't explode with frustration
If I can manage to get at least this much done this week, I will consider the pace to have begun to hasten back to what it was a little while ago.
On a slightly related topic: It's becomming very apparent that I can't do this alone and I need help getting tasks done. However I face two significant issues. I can't pay anyone. Not a lot of people are willing to work for free on a highly probable to fail enterprise. The other is that I have people willing to help, but I find myself clinging on to the tasks. I can't just give away the drawing portion of the blog or the design aspect of the logo at the moment. ... actually I could give away the design aspect of the logo, but I know I would give the money to the employee and keep none for myself and then I wouldn't really be getting anywhere with my business. I find myself in need of individuals with particular skills (editing(writing), legal knowledge, creativity, design, software specific skills, etc etc.) but unable to afford those skills. Dominos doesn't seem to be paying me enough to finance this endeavor but really there isn't a job on the planet that would. The ones that would pay enough would consume all my time completely.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
This post shall be called, "This post shall be called."
Yay today is a Sunday. That means I get my Dominos schedule for the rest of the week today. It means I have to send a bunch of emails today, and it means that I will be posting an updated version of the ever growing list of things to do.
I also need to make two DoTD posts because i didn't post one yesterday.
busy busy busy.
I also need to make two DoTD posts because i didn't post one yesterday.
busy busy busy.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Rough two days.
Yesterday was a very very busy day at Dominos. The phones were ringing off the hook non-stop and the drivers were taking non-stop triple deliveries all over town. I didn't end up getting home until about 1:30 AM. I had to turn around and open at 10AM today which also happened to be a pretty busy day. I didn't get off until 8pm.
The reason I bring all of this up on this blog is because I could have had a chance to finally meet with the client I've been trying to meet with for over 2 weeks now, but I got over worked today. The client was free at a time I should have been free but I was kept on the clock because we were busy. I guess I shouldn't complain too much because I did get 2 hours of overtime pay for working a 10 hour shift. ... but then again, it's not like I want to be a 'Dominoid' for the rest of my life.
It's also frustrating that now it's 9:53 and I still need to do my artwork. I have new work to submit to Jacci and I really don't want to keep her waiting as well as submit a drawing of the day today (probably just going to make some progress on the painting and call it good).
Anyways, that's my status update for the day.
The reason I bring all of this up on this blog is because I could have had a chance to finally meet with the client I've been trying to meet with for over 2 weeks now, but I got over worked today. The client was free at a time I should have been free but I was kept on the clock because we were busy. I guess I shouldn't complain too much because I did get 2 hours of overtime pay for working a 10 hour shift. ... but then again, it's not like I want to be a 'Dominoid' for the rest of my life.
It's also frustrating that now it's 9:53 and I still need to do my artwork. I have new work to submit to Jacci and I really don't want to keep her waiting as well as submit a drawing of the day today (probably just going to make some progress on the painting and call it good).
Anyways, that's my status update for the day.
Friday, June 1, 2012
I'm going to go home and rethink my life.
I woke up about an hour and a half ago after a very busy and tiring shift at Dominos last night and now I have only a few hours before I have to go right back and do it again. In the meantime, I need to draw something and post it to this blog and find something I can do to make progress for my business.
I need to re-think my strategy. This is too slow moving and and its draining me physically and psychologically.
I need to re-think my strategy. This is too slow moving and and its draining me physically and psychologically.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Posting will resume
After getting called into work on Labor day and not being able to post I decided to take a legitimate day off yesterday; no work, no spending hours scheming and researching, no spamming my facebook page, no blog writing, nothing. I feel better today. although I have to leave for work again right now.
Posting will resume as it should be one (maybe more) post(s) a day. I have a few ideas I'm eager to share. Keep checking in.
Posting will resume as it should be one (maybe more) post(s) a day. I have a few ideas I'm eager to share. Keep checking in.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Client Assessment Form / Personality Profile
Earlier I mentioned that I was going to create a Client Assessment Form for the purpose of better understanding my clients and thus helping me to create work for them that they can be happy with. I've created a first draft that's nothing more than a page of questions about the client (general interests etc.) and then it is followed by a True-Colors personality test I found on the web.
Here's a first draft:
Here's a first draft:
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Seeking Volunteers
I need help getting stuff done. And since my business isn't even a business yet and it isn't making any money, I can't really pay anyone.
That's where you come in almighty helper person you!
Do you find yourself with extra time on your hands? Do you have a specific skill set you don't get to put to good use often enough? Are you considering looking for a new career opportunity or looking for something to do to supplement your current income?
I just may have an opportunity you might be interested in.
Right now I'm looking for volunteers to help me perform certain tasks. If this venture ever gets off the ground, you can be assured you'll be first in line for any paying jobs my business creates.
Tasks I need help with:
That's where you come in almighty helper person you!
Do you find yourself with extra time on your hands? Do you have a specific skill set you don't get to put to good use often enough? Are you considering looking for a new career opportunity or looking for something to do to supplement your current income?
I just may have an opportunity you might be interested in.
Right now I'm looking for volunteers to help me perform certain tasks. If this venture ever gets off the ground, you can be assured you'll be first in line for any paying jobs my business creates.
Tasks I need help with:
- Editing this blog: If you haz good grammar and spelling, U can Tell i aint that good. I need someone to edit the stuffz I right so I dont look so dumb
- Acting: I currently have a list of ideas I want to start actively working on for my youtube channel. However, I need actors. I can't be 3 different people in the same video ... well I could, but that doesn't seem like much fun.
- Grip work: If the video aspect of my business gets in full swing, I'm going to need an extra set of hands to help me move and set up equipment. If you already know stuff, GREAT. If you don't, I'll train you.
- Camera work: If I'm in front of the camera, it would be nice to have someone to stand behind it.
- All-purpose assistant: Right now I keep running into completely random tasks that I couldn't predict. having someone to help me take care of them will help me get this show on the road.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
more updates
So I have managed to update the look of this blog a bit. I think it looks much better now.
I also figured out how to get the labels I mentioned in my previous post as links in the blogs navigation bar. Now all you need to do is click the button and it takes you to a sorted list of all the blogs I've posted with that specific label.
I also figured out how to get the labels I mentioned in my previous post as links in the blogs navigation bar. Now all you need to do is click the button and it takes you to a sorted list of all the blogs I've posted with that specific label.
Wasted time?
I spent a good chunk of my day today trying to figure out how to create Pages for my blog that I could use to easily categorize my posts. I was very disappointed to discover that Blogger "pages" don't allow this. I have however learned a trick that will kind of give me a work around. From now on, I'll be attaching "labels" on all my posts such as "educational, status update, Critique and discuss." if you search for one of these labels, all of the posts that have that label should show up. In this way, I will be making it easier for my readers to find the content they are looking for.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
I tried to cheat ...
So I tried to cheat and really quickly post the images of my sketch book drawings really late last night (16th). Then I was going to make this post and go more into detail about them today (17th). Problem is I can't even cheat right. I took too long to get the last post up so it didn't get posted until 12:02 am. Only a few days in and I already messed up my "post every day" pledge. Oh well today still get's two posts to make up for it.
So lets talk about the images I posted. obviously they are all images of the same page of my sketchbook. The sketchbook I used is a 17x14 inch book and the scanner I have is only 8x11 in. So I just scanned several times so I could show the whole page. I thought about cutting them up and splicing them together in one image but that seemed like way too much work.
I felt I had several Ideas worth pursuing with this one page of sketches. When I showed the page to other people they could all point out at least 2 or 3 that they liked (some being picked multiple times by different people). I was surprised when I handed the page to Jaqulyn and in less than a minute picked out one that she was absolutely in love with. I was expecting a, "oh I kinda like this one and this one," lets try some variations of these before going ahead." I was even more surprised to find out that even though she was absolutely in love with the one she picked, there was only one other idea on the page that she even liked. I don't mean to imply that she didn't like my work, she just didn't want any of them as her logo. I was prepared though and for that I am glad. The more choices you can provide, the more likely there is to have a choice that jumps out at the client. Just think, If I hadn't done those 2 drawings that she did like, I would have had a full page of logos that she didn't like. I would have had to start all over again with a new page of logos (which isn't necessarily a bad thing).
So which one did she pick? This one:
This is the logo I will be creating colored digital versions of in the near future. I hope you like it, because I'm going to be doing a lot more posting about it as I continue to work on it.
I am curious, out of all the drawings on the page, which ones would you have chosen and why?
So lets talk about the images I posted. obviously they are all images of the same page of my sketchbook. The sketchbook I used is a 17x14 inch book and the scanner I have is only 8x11 in. So I just scanned several times so I could show the whole page. I thought about cutting them up and splicing them together in one image but that seemed like way too much work.
I felt I had several Ideas worth pursuing with this one page of sketches. When I showed the page to other people they could all point out at least 2 or 3 that they liked (some being picked multiple times by different people). I was surprised when I handed the page to Jaqulyn and in less than a minute picked out one that she was absolutely in love with. I was expecting a, "oh I kinda like this one and this one," lets try some variations of these before going ahead." I was even more surprised to find out that even though she was absolutely in love with the one she picked, there was only one other idea on the page that she even liked. I don't mean to imply that she didn't like my work, she just didn't want any of them as her logo. I was prepared though and for that I am glad. The more choices you can provide, the more likely there is to have a choice that jumps out at the client. Just think, If I hadn't done those 2 drawings that she did like, I would have had a full page of logos that she didn't like. I would have had to start all over again with a new page of logos (which isn't necessarily a bad thing).
So which one did she pick? This one:
This is the logo I will be creating colored digital versions of in the near future. I hope you like it, because I'm going to be doing a lot more posting about it as I continue to work on it.
I am curious, out of all the drawings on the page, which ones would you have chosen and why?
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Approval Granted.
So I've squandered a good chunk of my day away today and now I've got just a short period of time to make this post before I head off to Dominos. I'm closing tonight so I wont get home until around 2AM.
So I have good news! I showed a page of my best thumbnails (pictures coming soon) to the client today and she selected one that she absolutely loves and wants to go forward with. As far as I'm concerned, the hardest part of the process is now done and over with. It's time to get this bad boy scanned and traced into illustrator. From there I will be working on different color variations/stroke widths/fills etc. A lot of fine tuning that takes time but not suffering. Once the logo is to the client's and my liking I will be sending her a copy of the .ai file as well as sending a copy of the .ai file to a team she has hired to help her with her facebook page (more on that later, I'm excited about the network I'm building).
I was also able to procure permission from the client to more elaborately talk about my work with her. Before, I didn't want to mention her name, talk too much about what she does, or display any of the work I've done for her. Now I can comfortably do that. I need to get a contract just for this purpose so I can bring it to all future clients. It will be optional, so they can choose to give me permission if they want to. But I won't talk about them without having a signed document with their permission to do so. I figure I'll be persuasive enough to get permission from most people but those who are worried can opt out.
I also met with Darlene today and we made good progress on our work. I have quite the chore list amassing from her. It keeps me moving forward though and I love it.
So I have good news! I showed a page of my best thumbnails (pictures coming soon) to the client today and she selected one that she absolutely loves and wants to go forward with. As far as I'm concerned, the hardest part of the process is now done and over with. It's time to get this bad boy scanned and traced into illustrator. From there I will be working on different color variations/stroke widths/fills etc. A lot of fine tuning that takes time but not suffering. Once the logo is to the client's and my liking I will be sending her a copy of the .ai file as well as sending a copy of the .ai file to a team she has hired to help her with her facebook page (more on that later, I'm excited about the network I'm building).
I was also able to procure permission from the client to more elaborately talk about my work with her. Before, I didn't want to mention her name, talk too much about what she does, or display any of the work I've done for her. Now I can comfortably do that. I need to get a contract just for this purpose so I can bring it to all future clients. It will be optional, so they can choose to give me permission if they want to. But I won't talk about them without having a signed document with their permission to do so. I figure I'll be persuasive enough to get permission from most people but those who are worried can opt out.
I also met with Darlene today and we made good progress on our work. I have quite the chore list amassing from her. It keeps me moving forward though and I love it.
Monday, May 14, 2012
One step at a time.
Today's post is going to be brief again.
I spent a good portion of yesterday forcing myself to doodle on paper. I got quite a few decent logo ideas down (at least I like them). I haven't shown them to the client yet so we'll see about that. I want just a few more before heading to the client. I have to owe a lot of my progress to Darlene who sent me an email yesterday giving me some insight onto the personality of my client. I never realized how important having an understanding of the person you're designing for can have on what ideas come into your mind. It really did make a difference having a different angle to look from. Perhaps I should give color personality tests or something silly like that to my clients to help me understand who they are as individuals.
I spent a good portion of yesterday forcing myself to doodle on paper. I got quite a few decent logo ideas down (at least I like them). I haven't shown them to the client yet so we'll see about that. I want just a few more before heading to the client. I have to owe a lot of my progress to Darlene who sent me an email yesterday giving me some insight onto the personality of my client. I never realized how important having an understanding of the person you're designing for can have on what ideas come into your mind. It really did make a difference having a different angle to look from. Perhaps I should give color personality tests or something silly like that to my clients to help me understand who they are as individuals.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Day one
Okay so it looks like my first post is going to be a brief post. I went to sleep around 2 am last night and now I'm writing this in the short window I have before I need to leave for work at Dominos.
So let me tell you about one of the projects I've got going on right now. The client is a member of the consumer direct marketing company Melalueca. She is a referral agent for the company. Melalueca, in a strong effort to avoid the label of MLM (Multi-Level-Marketing company) has imposed strict restrictions on what it's members can and can't do. One of the things a referral agent for the company cannot do is ever use the Melalueca logo in order to advertise themselves. This means my client needs to brand herself as a referral agent for Melalueca without divulging that she works for Melalueca up front. She needs her own logo and her own brand to help build her own image and advertise herself without advertising Melalueca. She needs to tell people what she does without telling people what she does. It's a unique challenge, and one I look forward to beating.
It does leave me quite perplexed. She wants a logo that helps convey ideas of financial security, prosperity, working from home, and success. That's where I'm stumped at the moment. Drawing sketches and such but currently not making much progress. I'm trying to limit myself to only a few more days to have 50 thumbnail ideas completed to submit for her approval, but at the moment even 1 idea seems like a challenge to come up with. Perhaps I'm going about it all wrong.
Ideas?
So let me tell you about one of the projects I've got going on right now. The client is a member of the consumer direct marketing company Melalueca. She is a referral agent for the company. Melalueca, in a strong effort to avoid the label of MLM (Multi-Level-Marketing company) has imposed strict restrictions on what it's members can and can't do. One of the things a referral agent for the company cannot do is ever use the Melalueca logo in order to advertise themselves. This means my client needs to brand herself as a referral agent for Melalueca without divulging that she works for Melalueca up front. She needs her own logo and her own brand to help build her own image and advertise herself without advertising Melalueca. She needs to tell people what she does without telling people what she does. It's a unique challenge, and one I look forward to beating.
It does leave me quite perplexed. She wants a logo that helps convey ideas of financial security, prosperity, working from home, and success. That's where I'm stumped at the moment. Drawing sketches and such but currently not making much progress. I'm trying to limit myself to only a few more days to have 50 thumbnail ideas completed to submit for her approval, but at the moment even 1 idea seems like a challenge to come up with. Perhaps I'm going about it all wrong.
Ideas?
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