Not long ago I started designing a logo for a family friend … I know, I can here it now. “Those are the worst clients”; “They can be soooo picky”; “What the hell were you thinking” etc, etc. Believe me, once bitten twice shy, but I’ve got a little boy on the way, and I saw the best AZ Cardinals onsie the other day that has been placed on the “priority” list for baby items. Any how, where was I? Oh, yeah, design logo.
I started this project as I do with most, pen, paper, coffee and music, not necessarily in that order. I began doodling, writing relating words, looking at the people and the surroundings around me, (again @ Café Solo, Tempe). As I started to get things going and juicing on colors, shapes and formats I suddenly thought about fonts. I mean, this was a three word logo, was the element itself going to be able to cut it? I know what this person is like, I’ve got a decent idea in my head as to what sort of fonts they may like and suits the job, in fact a simple type application may be all that is needed. But is it going to work with the couple of ideas that I have down on paper?
I pushed aside the pad, jumped onto my laptop and started scouring my library of fonts and it dawned on me. Rarely do I go to the computer until I at least have three to five decent ideas worked out on the pad. Yet, I can’t ignore the simple fact that the perfect design may come to me whilst looking at fonts on screen, I could quite possibly find the perfect solution to this logo. I can’t “draw” a font to save my life, except the one I call “Romeo’s Scrawl”, that one I am great at. I was basically going against the grain of what I have been doing on most of my logo design projects. It got me thinking, though, technology is so advanced, am I going about this all old school? I’ve worked with a Wacom tablet before, (how I miss thee, kick-ass piece of technology), but I would still used my trusty pen and paper first even then.
Though I know that some would disagree, without computers, technology and sweet software, we may be nothing more than glorified advanced finger painters. Your thoughts? I already know the answer to this one from one of my old co-workers, I’m not mentioning names. They always said, if the building was burning down, forget your personals, forget the computers and even forget the beer in the fridge. Grab their sketch books, that was were all the real inspiring creativity was. As crazy as I thought it was at the time … I mean, forget the beer? Are you kidding me?!? Something about this resonates with me. I believe that as designers our optimal tool is what our imagination has put done on paper, not the computer.
So I’m curious as to what most of you designers out there do? Are the old school ones still using that pen and paper first. Does the younger generation know that pen is more than a weak paper weight? How do you go about designing? The Pen first, the Computer maybe? But I know that not everyone is a designer who reads this so I’m willing to ask a couple of other, age old, this or that questions? Honestly, your feedback and answers would be really welcome. Let’s see who is doing what, compare and debate. Just write your name and the corresponding letter to the number.
1> a: pen & paper b: computer
2> a: scrunch toilet paper b: fold toilet paper
3> a: floss before brushing b: floss after brushing
4> a:socks first b: socks last.
Romeo – 1a, 2a, 3b, 4b. Look at that, two a’s and two b’s. Best report card I think I ever got!
Thanks, and keep on creating, creatively!
