But, as mentioned before, their money spends the same no matter what the design looks like. So I’ve had to learn to try my best to be in their shoes and understand what it is they are trying to say, communicate and do. In the end, it’s their company and, therefore, their choice.

I’m an artist, a creative and a perfectionist, so I’ve realized that what I like is just that — what I like.

My 2¢.

Nothing in those pretty logos is even slightly tied to the mission of the client herself, nor even evocative of her activities.

Designers may feel they know best and all should follow their lead, but after reading these posts, it almost seems that they may not “get” how regular people make connections. Surely that can’t be true!

I know that this is an old post, but I was so struck by the reactions to it that I wanted to add an opinion from a layperson.

I feel that both of these logos miss the mark for different reasons. I can completely and totally understand the idea that the client wants the logo to tell the complete and entire story — that’s what she did. Well, your logo hardly tells the story, unfortunately. I would definitely be willing to bet that you might have come to a compromise that still had a professional look but portrayed more of what she wanted.

See, the use of color psychology could have been used on her. She didn’t know why, but your logo wasn’t giving her the warm and fuzzy feeling she knew she wanted. If you had worked the colors and fonts to give that feeling (and I know that they can), you might have had a stronger concept for her and thus had a better compromise.

Also, to those who say that when you look in the Yellow Pages you won’t know what the other one is for! Are you kidding?! No logo tells the whole story — that’s why people take out ads and actually put content in those ads to tell the whole story. You can easily take a horse logo and make a beautifully designed ad that shows the horses with kids in wheelchairs.

Oh, and the font choice is just the kicker in all of that!

Obviously this is old . . . but really just wanted to put my little words in because I am on a logo-writing frenzy right now.

I share your same pain with clients wanting ugly stuff. They need to be educated with what is bad and what is good.

As designers we are idealists. Maintaining the tender balance between giving our clients what they want and giving them what they need is tough to do. Nothing drives me more batty than to have a client ‘hold my hand’ and show me how to design. I have told clients they are hiring a very expensive production artist if that’s what they want to do — but yes, it all pays the same. I think it comes down to pride on our part.

Bottom line — I believe it’s our job to LISTEN more than anything. Giving a client a value statement that clarifies that you thoroughly understand their design objectives can really help prior to any design. If I can get examples of what they like, it helps too. In the meantime, we artists need to develop thicker skin! WrK

While a client may have set ideas, as a designer it is up to me to try and shake them out of their comfort zone. I try to show them options that are on message, competitive, that will stand the test of time and be serviceable across all media.

It’s a balancing act. If the designed logo was too corporate, I think there was a way to soften it to the tone of the final product without it seeming amateur or unprofessional. Like some of the other suggestions, I think there could have been a little give and take, adding of children to the design, which the client seems to clearly have wanted. Perhaps enlarge the globe and a silhouette of children instead of the wire frame; possibly rounder, more playful fonts.

Bottom line: I am working for the client, not my portfolio, so clients get what they want (and it sometimes does not make the portfolio). FWIW.