Defining ‘Good’ Design
How we ended up with a new state logo that a 5th grader could’ve designed. And why it may be exactly what we need.
When I first saw the new Tennessee “state logo” designed by our Nashville neighbors, GS&F, the first thing I thought was, “I don’t like it.” And I don’t. I think it’s boring and uninteresting. It doesn’t suit my personal taste, you could say. I thought to myself, “I could have done better and would’ve loved a $46k payday to come up with something this simple.”
Then I put myself in the place I’ve been in time and time again over the years — into the design process. Into a meeting with the client, reviewing mockups and gathering feedback. Receiving, “I love it” and “I hate it” in the same sentence. Getting disheartened when something my team really loved gets ripped apart. Guiding a client to an effective, unanimously approved solution.
Design is a process.
What many “on the outside” do not understand is that design is very much a process. I own a branding agency and know full well that the concept of “brand” can be ambiguous and difficult to define, but the best way I’ve found to articulate what we do is that there’s a “why” behind the what, and that why begins and ends with an intentionality to the process.
I can say with good confidence that the final product delivered to the client (in this case, our state government) effectively solved their problem. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been approved and we wouldn’t have been able to spend our day yesterday trolling through Facebook debates about how everyone’s five year old daughter could’ve designed something “better”. According to our governor, “the new logo was needed to give the state a more unified look on signs and letterhead.”
Is it the best solution? I don’t know, but who’s the final decision maker (most likely in this case, a committee of decision makers) that defines what “best” really means. It’s far from the sexiest logo, but if authority, simplicity, and consistency were some of the words used to guide the design process, I see that very much reflected in the final product.
Good design looks good and works well.
Ideally, as creatives, we want to absolutely love what we create. The mark of a strong creative and great designer, though, isn’t simply designing something that looks good, but rather, that works well and provides the best solution to the client.
To us at Proof, handing a client well-designed final product (be it a logo, website, print piece, etc.) is useless if they don’t understand the “why” and aren’t well-equipped to put the final product to good use with a confident identity, strong messaging, and clear calls to action.
Good design pairs form with function. Good design understands that substance must be supported with style and that style is very weak without substance. Good design looks good and works well.
But $46,000?! Really?! How much does a logo cost?
The State of Tennessee paid $46,000 for GS&F to design and create a visual identity system — a final product that brings together a multitude of very, very, disconnected and gradient-filled government seals and logos into one, simple, instantly-recognizable mark.
This is no easy task.
Let me repeat: this is no easy task. Especially working through the bureaucracy of a state government, the legacy and personal attachments to old logos and systems…I can only imagine the patience and guidance that process required.
I was recently asked, “How much does a logo cost?” — And this, friends, is an impossible question to answer. Want to see hundreds of logo design mockups for $99? There’s a resource for that. Want to invest half a million with Pentagram, who’s created some of the most well-known visual identities in the world? Pull out your checkbook. Heck, if you want to create your own logo (please don’t), there’s a multitude of “free logo design” generators out there at your disposal.
There’s no “going rate” for logo design — or any creative work. The issue worth examining here is the question itself — “How much does a logo cost?”
At the risk of sounding like a salesman, my day to day focuses on shifting clients and potential clients from the mindset of “cost” to “investment.” When met with a client who needs a new logo/website/etc., the first question I ask is, “Why?”
Understanding the goal(s) of a project is imperative to attaching real value to the investment.
With a logo, and really, with anything, there will always be opportunities to pay less or invest more. A cost becomes a strong investment when it solves a problem. When it provides a solution. When it makes your life easier, increases your businesses revenue, increases organizational support.
If the investment has a clear and strong benefit to the end-user, than an investment is just that — a strong investment, and not simply a line-item expense. Maybe that’s $2,000. Maybe that’s $46,000. Maybe it’s $99 or well over a million.
“I don’t like it” isn’t enough
When I saw the new Tennessee “state logo” I pictured myself sitting around with my team, giving subjective “I don’t like it” style feedback. (They absolutely love it when I do that). Wondering how the hell my design team could’ve come up with something so plain, so uninteresting, and so boring.
Then I walked myself through the process — I remembered that “simple” doesn’t mean fast or cheap. Will I stop buying a shiny new iPhone every year because a 5th grader could’ve designed their logo? No. Will I stop using Google every 47 seconds because a 5 year old could’ve whipped up something similar? No. Will I move out of the state of Tennessee because I’m not in love with the new state “logo”? Absolutely not.
In each case, the visual identity represents (much) more than just the final visual product. I don’t fully know what the process entailed with GS&F’s design, but I know with full confidence that in this case, and in every case, design is very much a process, and that where we end up in any creative process is and always must be at the best possible solution for the client and their audience.
If GS&F can say that — if we can say that — if you can say that at the conclusion of any creative project, then job well done.
For more good thoughts, read the response from our neighbors at redpepper.
