Inspiration and Happy Accidents

Recently we were asked to help design a logo for a new fashion boutique.

Our client, an experienced business owner was looking to build a distinctive brand, but was disappointed with the designs she had received so far by other companies, as nothing came close to what she envisioned. Not content to settle for second best, the brakes were on.

So here’s where we came in, and gladly accepted the challenge… but could we get it right?

Well I’m happy to say we did, but what did we do different?

We listened. That’s pretty much it.

Our client knew exactly what she wanted, and was confident that it would work for her brand, but until now nobody had listened. Sometimes with design, it’s an easier road to travel ‘telling’ a client what they should have, instead of ‘asking’ them what they would like.

It goes without saying that we have a responsibility, using our experience to make the client aware of what will work and won’t, but ultimately it’s a designers job to give the client a brand they feel proud to showcase, as it helps build a strong foundation for a new business.

So we got to work. Our client gave us her thoughts on what the logo should incorporate, along with examples of other branding that she liked, along with a little background information on the type of company it was and what the initial target audience would be. On the first draft we got a handle on the general layout and feel, as well as distilling down to a couple of font choices. After that it was just a case of fine tuning the layout, and trying out different colour options.

The design was finalised and our client was happy. So were we. And that’s when it happened… the happy accident.

I received a very excited email from the client, accompanied by a screen shot. As she was testing the new logo on various social media sites, the logo was temporarily affected while being positioned as a thumbnail, resulting in a larger version being used as a blurred background. Our client thought this looked pretty cool. I agreed… it did!

So treating this as divine intervention, we re-worked a new version of the logo incorporating the accidental effect, while also keeping the original, to be used when and where each one is best suited. The branding was created and expanded in one foul swoop.

So the moral of this story… Don’t be too proud to listen to ideas, and keep an open mind…no matter what your training or experience as you never know when and where inspiration will strike next!