Nowadays, the majority of employers asks for previous experience when hiring; even for junior levels a year of experience may be required. These requirements lead the entire design world into a vicious circle and in this case everyone loses. It’s practically impossible to get some experience as long as almost no one wants to hire newbies.
Many talented designers have had the courage to embrace a freelancer carrer and eventually, to launch a design agency. Fortunately, some employers hire designers having no previous experience. Overall, the industry is evolving, but the endeavours of the designers are really impressive in order to get a job. In this complicated context, any designer needs to have a clear idea about his/her potential. It’s a capital need of human beings to have an objective report of their evolution. Definitely, a logo designer “suffers” the same process. The years of experience seem to be a good indicator, but it’s not a fully reliable one. Some designers work more concentrated, while others consider that staying at desk and chatting with friends is enough for their professional evolution.
On one hand, judging the value and the progresses made by others or by himself is a very difficult task. On the other hand, having an idea about the improvement of skills is a necessity and not a fade. It was one of the hardest decisions to make, but we decided to establish a checkpoint list for our readers to help them determine their level. More exactly, we founded six indicators that reveal if a logo designer is still a medium one. By sure, each one is special and this list might not fully accurate for each situation. In spite of that, we made a strong research and consulted many designers in this respect. The next ones are our indicators, but you are welcomed to bring your own contribution!
#1. Neglecting the research phase
A good designer isn’t afraid of spending much time only for research. It’s a phase of logo designing process where the work and the endeavour of the designer isn’t visible, but it doesn’t mean they don’t exist. The less experienced designers are afraid of wasting their time and usually skip over or neglect the research. Or maybe research may be ignored when it’s resumed only to admire (or worst, to steal) the logos of the competitors. This is a huge “No, no” because research has its vital role. A logo, no matter how well designed is, must be suitable for the activity area of the owner. A superficial research may have as a result a conflict between a logo and the specificity of the activity area of the owner and it will very negatively affect both the designer and the customer.
#2. The fear of saying “NO”
We must recognise: it’s extremely difficult to say “NO” to a client. Sometimes we have too much client work to accept other projects, but many designers, even if they are aware that it can’t be accomplished in time, take these and promise to the clients that they will respect the deadline. I think that it’s another sign proving that these logo designers still didn’t reach the expert level.
Also, there is another common fear of saying “NO”. The medium designers don’t have the courage to explain to clients that some of their requirements are wrong.
Undoubtedly, being rude and ignoring the clients requests is totally wrong. The best approach is to patiently explain that some of their ideas are in contradiction with the rules of good design. I guess that this is the approach of any EXPERT, isn’t it?
#3. Stealing shapes instead of ideas
Thinking from a funny perspective, there are three types of logos: the ones that are replied from others- it’s an illegality and these logo designers must be banned. The second category is made up of logos that partially reproduce other logos- these are the works of mediocre logo crafters. The last category is formed from logos created by designers that steal ideas. In this case, the logo designers are real artists and everyone should try to reach this level.
#4. A logo must be responsive
A website must be responsive, but how could a logo be responsive? A responsive logo is one that looks OK no matter by the context where is uploaded. A logo crafter overcomes the statute of medium designer when his logos are well rendered both on a website and on a huge banner. The versatility of a logo is a very important feature. Take the example of the great brands as Nike or Adidas, these look the same on their websites, on various type of clothes or on huge billboards. In conclusion, responsiveness is a key feature!
#5. Ignoring the rules of good design
In some cases, the rules of good design seem illogical. By taking into account that some great designers allow themselves to ignore some of these rules, any logo designer has the tendency to break the rules. Altogether, not everyone is a genius designer that breaks the rules just to create an unconventional masterwork. I think that an expert won’t ignore the rules, while an amateur may do that just to create the false idea that he is original.
We shouldn’t forget that in order to break the rules, you should know them!
#6. An updated portfolio
A logo designer without portfolio isn’t a designer. The existence of a portfolio isn’t a sufficient condition to consider yourself a good designer. It must be updated and good looking. The Internet is full of very talented designers, therefore people needing logo design services have many possibilities. A portfolio is the same as an identity card, without it people won’t be able to recognize you. A good looking portfolio that is frequently updated reveals that the owner of it is active and ready to create stunning works.
Conclusion
I hope that this list will help every logo designer have a clearer idea about their potential and about the future perspectives. The universal remedy for improving the skills is only hard work. In conclusion, not a single day should pass without working! Do you agree with me or do you have other ideas? Please share with us your thoughts.
– Written by Daniel –