You don't necessarily have to work in the creative industry to know how many complaints there are about clients. And of course, vice versa. The client is always stupid, and the creative is paid to make the „logo bigger.”
Of course, the question is more complex than that. When a client approaches a creative, they sometimes have a very specific idea of what they want to see, but in most cases, they are at a loss. They can articulate their feelings and goals, however – since this is not their profession – they do not visually see the realization. They don’t have to. The creative also does not understand general contracting or tax consulting, which is exactly why we seek each other out.
The problem often arises from the fact that the client cannot cope with the reality that they do not understand something, and they still pull the reins when they should let go.
It often happens that the client cannot let go of their own taste and makes decisions on branding issues solely through their own lens. Of course, it is important for management to be satisfied with the final result, but let’s admit, it is quite rare for management to cover the target audience of the business…
Creative design is a complex, value-creating task; it is not just about trying to create „something aesthetic.”.
Fortunately, there are clients who relinquish control to the creative.
This summer, they approached me to design the branding for an exhibition.
A MURDER – The Killer Exhibition already had a previous branding. The goal was to recreate this branding because the previous version did not reflect the true intention of the exhibition. It seemed much more like a terrifying, self-serving scare tactic than an interactive exhibition based on historical facts.
I received a detailed brief and all the important information for the design. They trust my expertise and were open to my suggestions. As a result of effective collaboration, the final branding and website were quickly created.
Every graphic element carries underlying meanings. The red shape in the logo symbolizes blood, as do the circles used on other surfaces; however, these also secondarily refer to the live documentary film indicator (the red circle of the record indicator). The tilted letters symbolize the victims, and the letter spacing and justification align with the theme's turmoil. The logo is often placed in space (floating, obscured by some detail), indicating that during the exhibition, we will also be part of the space in the midst of the real locations.
The client specified in detail what text content should go on which window/door surface. It quickly became clear that if I followed this completely, we would kill the branding. Fortunately, no further arguments were needed; I was given free rein to solve the problem.
I believe that the entire branding reflects a well-thought-out concept consistently. I could only maintain this kind of consistency with the client's cooperation.
I consider it important that the client receives not just a basic package, but a set of guidelines and rules that can be maintained long-term and provide a stable framework for visual appearance. However, it is the client's responsibility to give sufficient space and trust to the person who, let’s face it… has been in this profession for quite some time.
In my opinion, when the creative receives sufficient trust from the client, something very complex and good can always emerge.
And what happens if you let the designer design? The design managed to win the 9th WOLDA (Worldwide Logo Design Award) Award of Excellence. (wolda.org)
I would like to thank you for the collaboration, and thank you for your attention!
