Logo Project
Watch me host a kickoff w/ a brokerage newcomer.
T L D R
This Problem
In Dec. ‘22, a new Chicago real estate company wanted a logo. They tried free software to make one and were not thrilled with the outcome. The owner was nervous about design in general, but even her opinions even.
My Role
Lead the client through the design kickoff, probing for questions about her business that will transition us toward three separate design critiques that I will host and present logo ideas that I designed and researched.
My Value
The videos represent my ability to provide a safe environment for the client to collaborate with us and express her needs throughout healthy discussion. It paid dividends as she not only worked with us on the design side again, but as a website client as well.
Meet sweats
The initial meeting is worthy of breaking a sweat over. It’s first date, first day of school type of stuff. I’m trying to earn trust here by letting the client know my history and what I am responsible for, while keeping the client aware of every stage that will happen and why it is happening that way. Take a 1m, 30s peek.
Learning the biz
This is where I am trying to understand details that guide me to exploring a symbol or figure that would be relatable for the company and can evolve as a brand for me. We start setting up the constraints with which I will design in. This part fascinates me and I love trying to extract little pieces that spark an idea that I can build from their inspiration. The peek is about 4m between the 2 videos.
Breaking through
After her initial nervousness, I was a little pessimistic that she would reveal something about her preferences that really meant something to her. One of my worst fear is that the client just agrees with every idea. BUt she did not dissapoint. All businesses do not need to mirror your personality, but if you’re willing to explore it at an early stage in your business life, where the stakes are still low, why wouldn’t you at least scratch that itch?
Jay uncovers a breakthrough that shapes the process of what will be produced.
Round I
We’ve had good conversations and I’ve developed some trust at this point, but you still don’t know whether we’re talented outside of the fact that someone pays us to do this. So I’m basically trying to throw objective darts on the wall that belong within the industry, but veiled with the info I uncovered during kickoff.
I spend the majority of my time designing 2 big, different ideas. I chose an easily recognizable map pin that I felt could evolve over time. And I wanted to give her original idea credence, by incorporating a chat bubble. After that came the heavy metal influence she ended on because I didn’t initially think it would make the cut, but I felt she deserved an effort that wouldn’t derail her investment in us.
RDII: Of Course Metal was the pick.
We gave her every opportunity to get out. We gave her more than a week to consult with her partners who were in the industry, but in the end I had a belief that it COULD work, she shared it and even after explaining it to my none-to-pleased managers, we all understood that it was bucking the trend and that in the end, was what made the client happy.
Although we now have this chosen direction and confidence, it is starting from square one within this new constraint. I love the challenge, but I knew that the metal logo she chose was appropriate, I knew there was a balance that would be sustainable in the future.
RD III: Placing the House
From all the designs we pitched in round two, it came down to one of the concepts that I threw together in the last hour. It had the most balanced proportions and was conducive to my signature house style. It is starting to become my reputation in the industry as the guy who places houses in other shapes and after internal reviews , the main question I’m always asked is, “Where is the house going to go?“ And as designers we don’t want to get stuck in a box. So I say, “what if its a door? Or a key? “ Adding as many “or’s“ to disprove my theory, but even I couldn’t ignore the clear solution in front of me, which was the “A“
What I Learned
I’ve been designing websites for the past few years I kind of forgot what it was like to be around a new business owner starting from scratch and asking for a logo. It sparked something in me I probably forgot was there and I realized how much I love crafting a message for companies that a are found lacking.
It felt like riding a bicycle and it always helps when they buy into your ideas early, but I think the biggest takeaway was finding a process that I could scale and make it easy for anyone to understand without feeling the confusion that many designers I have met have made me feel just to fill air in the room. I want to objectively create in a space that is known for its relentless subjectivity. And I haven’t eradicated the concept by any means, but I learned the power of dialing concepts down to the simplest, most relatable ways allowed for a great amount of room to collaborate.