Design For Thyself
As I work through the redesign realign of echofaith.com and begin to work on some branding materials (I still don’t have any business cards… how sad is that?), I’m realizing again just how hard it is to design for myself. I’ve probably designed over 10 different business card looks but I’ve trashed everyone so far because I just can’t seem to be happy with one.
When designing for a client it’s a whole lot easier because you define their brand and the purpose for your design work. And once you are done you send it out, it does its job, and you never have to deal with or see it again. You know you’ve done good work that is going to achieve it’s predefined purpose.
But for myself it changes. Somehow I can’t seem to define this purpose when it’s my own. Maybe that’s just a reflection of how I live my life? I hope not. =) But regardless it seems to be the challenge that I continue to face as I seek this self-brand.
Perhaps it’s knowing that this will define me to the outsider. That this small design, whether a website or a business card, or whatever will tell someone whether or not I am worth their time. Maybe that’s why I still don’t have business cards… as if I’d rather be unknown than have a less-than-satisfactory image.
Bah, I really need to design these business cards.
7 Comments
Chris Harrison
Feb 26 @ 05:14 AM
You might consider an approach like what JSM</a> did with his cards (http://www.jasonsantamaria.com/archive/2006/03/27/short_run.php). Each card ended up being unique…
Or, try finding a printer that can do short runs… (overnightprints.com isn’t half bad.) Find a look you’re moderately happy with and only get a 100 or so printed. That way you’re not stuck with them for long, but you at least have something to hand out!
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Jarrett Fuller
Feb 26 @ 11:24 AM
That has been my biggest struggled since I’ve started doing graphic design. I’ve been trying to put together some sort of personal brand for like three years now, and am just beginning to get something I’m [somewhat] happy with.
Looking forward to the new site!
Jesse J. Anderson
Feb 26 @ 01:24 PM
Chris - Wow that’s just plain genius. One of those “ooh, I wish I’d thought of that first” moments. I definitely like the idea, very creative… if I can come up with my only clever spin on it maybe I’ll take that route.
Hmm… if anything the creative juices are flowing =)
Jarrett - That’s exactly the problem… After loads of adjustments, tweaks, and scrap-redesigns I end up with something that I am only somewhat happy with.
Call me greedy but I want something that I am down right stinkin proud of! It should be one of my crowns of design, in theory. =)
Jesse J. Anderson
Feb 26 @ 01:27 PM
And the short-run idea looks like that could be a good start for now… Overnightprints.com has a pretty nice price point.
100 double-sided cards for $14.95 sounds about exactly what I need right now. Thanks!
Jeff Alldridge
Mar 05 @ 01:12 PM
Designing for yourself is one of the most difficult design exercises. It’s super daunting to define or label yourself with a design. How does a designer brand themselves? As designers, we are sort of design chameleons adapting style to fit the needs of the client.
The key to remember when designing anything is defining the specifics:
What are you trying to say? Who are you saying it to? Lastly, how do you want to say it?
Easy when you’re creating a poster, flyer, brand identity for a client that does something specific with a specific target audience.
As a designer, what are you trying to say? I can design anything. OK… yeah, I guess so. And who are you saying it to? Any one and every single person ever. Riiiight.... and how do you want to say it? Whichever way they want it to be.
Everyone has their own design tastes and that usually lends to what designs they are better suited for, but we are design chameleons. Along with a multitude of other reasons, it makes it difficult for us to sit down and label ourselves and put an identity with it. To package ourselves like we do every day in our professional lives.
I hate my website and want to change it every month, but to what? Then THIS whole thing comes up.
There are two key things I have found that works well. Keep it simple. Now take that simplicity and make that even more simple. Then distill that down into nothing. —just keep it very simple. That doesn’t mean flat colors with no texture, just making the design of yourself (be it website, business card, etc) not overpower your actual portfolio.
Second, make it unique and memorable, yet forgettable. Try to define what Coca-Cola tastes like. It’s hard, you can’t. It’s a flavor we know very well but cannot directly connect it to any other thing besides Coke itself. So we forget what it tastes like (in a sense) and crave it. So find something unique or memorable to drive your brand identity, but yet forgettable —if that makes sense.
You want the client to see your work, think it looks good, and forget about it aesthetically, but remember it was good.
It’s a tough one. There’s no magic bullet. And even the vague advice I struggle with is easier said then done.
Welcome to the club. ; )
Jonathan
Apr 05 @ 05:56 PM
Sorry to chime in late, but this is exactly my problem, as well. In fact, it’s almost a pet problem. It seems every time I redesign my site, I fall in love with it and never want to let it go ... that is, until two or three weeks pass and I get tired of looking at it. I’m at that stage now. I figured something blasé would last (something I don’t just “love"). That idea worked for about twice as long. I thought it was just me, but apparently this is fairly wide-spread! :o)
Steffan Innokenti
Jul 14 @ 01:24 AM
But now you dont get even the simplest of thing. Steffan Innokenti.