Designer Magazine Article

About UCDA
Membership
Design Resources
Events
Going Green
UCDA Foundation
Contact Us
News and Announcements
Partner Events
Search
Site Index


	STAY CONNECTED

"I Don't Do Logos"
by Shelley Johnson
UCDA Designer Magazine, (Vol. 27, No. 3)
Download PDF file >>


How to say "yes" when you need to say "no."

Ever fielded this call?
"Hi. This is Marge Simpson. I'm the director of the new recreation center and we need a logo to put on merchandise-frisbees, workout clothes-something really attractive, you know-we need to sell a lot of stuff."

How do you respond without alienating a colleague when what is really going through your mind is "here we go again..."? a) Click. b) Muffled scream. Click. c) "Sorry, we don't do logos. If you had read the identity manual, you'd know that." d) "Well, let's meet and talk about your communication needs." Of course, as the consummate design professional, your response is more like the last one. You've neither slammed the door nor promised a logo. Now what? Set up the meeting, and develop a game plan that will turn this inquiring annoyance into a friend and ally. While it seems like these identity questions should have vanished with the 20th Century, recent discussions among UCDA members from large and small schools highlight continuing challenges. Nothing can invoke discussions of ownership and individual rights quite like a request for a logo outside of a visual identity system-except perhaps a first amendment discussion. Even when used with extreme care-in roles subservient to the university wordmark, for instance-multiple logos dilute the effectiveness of a central visual identity system. Consistency and repetition are critical to making a college mark synonymous with its brand. In our heart of hearts we know these things. Successfully communicating them to a client with diplomacy is another matter. In one metaphor, implementation of visual identity is compared to building community center-its success requires everyone's cooperation and, in the end, the entire community is stronger for having it. Conversely using multiple logos is like randomly pulling bricks out of the community center wall until it loses enough strength and falls down. No one benefits and someone has to haul away the debris. In the rare school where consistent identity use is a widely held, documented institutional value, a simple "I'm sorry, we don't do logos for individual units" may be enough. If this is your school, go have a beer. These thoughts are for everyone else.

Seize the "Teachable Moment"
Education experts often refer to the teachable moment-the event that provides the perfect opportunity to demonstrate a concept in a way that the student will remember forever. The logo inquiry is just such an opportunity. This is your chance to prove to the client that you really (really) want to understand and help them with their communication needs and earn his or her trust.

Listen First
Start with information gathering 101. Gently ask fundamental questions to begin to reframe the problem: Who is the audience? What results do they hope to achieve with their communications? How will they measure success? What besides frisbees and clothing would they hope to develop? The client will often answer with "we'd like it to be blue, and have a big sun in the middle and some type in a circle around the edge." Redirect gently by repeating your original question. Then be quiet and take copious notes as they respond-it's harder to talk while you're writing.

Assume positive intent-resist the urge to argue. The client may (will) request the ridiculous (in your mind). He or she is simply seeking to make the best showing of the program or unit-not trying to undermine the entire college. If you simply must speak, ask another question. Alternately, try the psychologists method of paraphrasing and summarizing their thoughts back to them. When they say "we want an athlete on it," you say "so, you're hoping to communicate energy and movement..." Don't slam doors-you'll have the chance to redirect them later.

The language you use is important. Avoid repeating the word logo-substitute "communications"or "look & feel" or "family of materials." Try to uncover all the possible uses they might have for this "logo." Even your questions can begin to help the client see that identity development is complex.

Reframe the client's ideas as "options." This extremely useful tip came from Jerry Allen, a professor at the Minneapolis College of Art & Design. Ideas, says Allen, live close to the heart-they're owned and loved like children. Options, on the other hand, are just possibilities among many. Options are much easier to let go of when the time comes.

Explain that you'll digest the information you've gathered, develop a written proposal, and if the client approves the proposal, you'll move ahead with development. (Remember you're not promising a logo here). Commit to a proposal date and set your next meeting before you leave the room.

Frame Your Follow-up Positively
Once of the most important jobs a designer can do is to help a client understand how what they want differs from what they need. Designer Nance Longley from the University of Minnesota said, "What I'd like to be able to advocate for here in my own corner of the universe is creating graphic identities that do not revolve around logos. I think choosing color palettes, typefaces, types of images, layout grids, etc. can just as, or even more, effective." It is also more fiscally responsible to make the most of an established identity system-a university may invest upwards of $200,000 in visual identity development.

Review your notes; try to interpret what they really need from what they said they want. Write the proposal in terms of communication objectives, restating what the client told said in terms you can "design to." Let them know you understand their needs.

Offer Alternatives
Focus on what you can do for the client. Propose to create "a family of materials" or "a unified look and feel" that meets the re-stated communication objectives. Gather samples of success stories-yours or others'. Prepare sample boards to show how a program can be visually distinctive without its own logo. Don't jump specifics of visual appearance. If the client goes there, take notes and gently redirect. Save that discussion for the comps.

Get Support Behind the Scenes
This approach has to be worked on a number of levels. Share a copy of your client proposal with your boss, and keep him or her informed along the way. You'll demonstrate your positive approach and be much more likely to have critical support when you truly do have to say "we don't do logos."

If your school doesn't have formal visual identity policies, you'll need to work even further up the food chain to develop a centralized policy that comes directly from the president and says "individual units may not use/produce their own logos. " This means "managing up" until you can convince the top to manage it down, and it often coincides with the development of a new visual identity or name change.

Remember, no one can succeed without support from the top, and even then, if you have 90 percent participation, you're doing fabulously.

No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the University & College Designers Association.