Without a grounded sense of personal identity, a logo or business image evolves as a humdrum repetition of familiar clichés or a wild scramble for novelty that neither represents the soul of the business nor the heart of the owner.
Shara Gardner
| Defining Yourself and Your Business… We specialize in original solutions… Designs@Adeptpublishing.com A computer and a designer can continuously generate new ideas. That is the easy part. Developing a graphic representation for a client requires a lot of soul-searching on the part of the client and the designer as they work together. Business visionaries want to see their passion, authenticity, and professional credentials represented in one neat symbol or visual reference. As a designer, I want to offer a picture that tells a complete story for the client. Often it takes a lot of gut-wrenching self-exploration before we begin to see the exact image that reflects the client’s desires. As a designer, I am able to develop ideas endlessly using sophisticated software and a lifetime of acquired skills; but creating a new identity is so much more than that. During the process of developing a business identity, my role as a designer is to artistically represent the truest expression of the client’s vision as I see it; but also to understand what the client sees. Unless they have first determined what they want to see, a project can get stalled in the discovery stages. As a mentor and guide on the project, it is my job to keep ideas flowing until we find the right combinations that speak to the heart of the client. This is no small task. Sometimes discovery sessions can last hours and encompass many preliminary design ideas before we uncover the gem that will ultimately reflect the brilliant light of the client’s intentions. My specialty is to assist new entrepreneurs in defining themselves for the very first time. I also work with those who are ready for change or transition in their existing businesses. Not unlike psychotherapy, the process I use to help a client learn more about themselves borders on the deeply inquisitive exploratory processes a psychotherapist uses. My training comes from years of moving through this process with hundreds of clients, and also years of study in the psychology of choices. In the end, we not only create a graphic solution, but we also welcome a new part of the client’s personality so they can go forward feeling comfortable with the transition they have made, ready to take charge of their own destiny. A certain amount of discussion and discovery happens with every project. When we need additional time and attention to reach our goals, I recommend we engage in a purposeful Image Discovery session, priced at $65 per hour. It can be included in the final project billing. |