Creating Iconic Brand Identities: Staying Motivated

Excerpted from Logo Design Love: A Guide to Creating Iconic Brand Identities (New Riders)
By David Airey

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Design inspiration is a bit of a cliché. I’m asked time and again where I find the inspiration to do my job, or how I stay inspired, but it’s important to remember that what we do, as designers, doesn’t need inspiration in the true sense of the word. The ability to successfully complete the identity design process comes from the result of years of study, practice, and experience, as well as following a clearly defined set of steps.

However, motivation, not inspiration, can sometimes be an issue. You’d be naive to think that at some point during a long career in design, your motivation won’t wane. A seemingly never-ending project; overly harsh criticism from your peers; the discovery that, after weeks of work, your favorite design concept has already been created by someone else for a different company; or simply being stuck at your computer for hours on end every day — all or any one of these factors can suck the motivation right out of you.

The following provides a range of motivational tips — some from me, and some from other designers — on how to keep your spirits up and the creative juices flowing during tough projects.

Our profession is constantly evolving, so to stay in the game you need to evolve with it. To get a sense of where our industry is headed, you need to look at where it’s been. There’s an incredible amount we can learn from the great iconic designers that came before us: people like Paul Rand (IBM logo), Paula Scher (Citi logo), and Tom Geismar (Mobil Oil logo). Those who have worked through a lifetime of design have amassed an incredible amount of experience, and I never tire of listening to their stories and anecdotes.

New-York-based Ivan Chermayeff has this to say about design: “To be effective over a reasonably long lifetime, all identities must be simple and appropriate. However, if they are not original or in any way provocative, thought-provoking, and noticeable, they will not accomplish their task.”

Showtime By Ivan Chermayeff, Chermayeff & Geismar, 1997

When you think about it, our peers are our biggest sources of motivation. There are few things in design that I enjoy more than seeing and reflecting upon the identity work of other designers. It pushes me to improve, and the most talented designers are those who have an interest in everything. I’ve already mentioned that you need to keep actively learning about the world, our history, and how we live our lives.

HarperCollins By Ivan Chermayeff, Chermayeff & Geismar, 1990

I asked Belfast-based designer Richard Weston of design blog Ace Jet 170 what keeps him motivated. His answer very much supports this notion of always learning.

“The thing I always come back to is, ‘Never think you know enough.’ A thirst for knowledge and experience fuels my work and, to be honest, makes my working life a whole lot easier,” said Weston.

“I’ve always had to deliver ideas and design work of a very high standard but, invariably, within a tight time frame and with an equally tight budget. I thrive under that kind of pressure but can only cope with it because I have made a point of learning and collecting loads of stuff. And it just keeps going. There’s always something relevant and new to learn; whether it’s about the disciplines we work within or the world at large. It’s one of the main reasons why this is such a bloody brilliant job.” And a bloody brilliant job it is.

“I remember reading somewhere — and, sorry, I can’t remember who said it — that a designer’s tastes were seven years ahead of the general public,” said David Hyde of studio hyde (aka davidthedesigner.com). “And that the art of being a successful designer was to be four years ahead. It’s that elusive year four that still motivates me.”

“As a designer, I have found that I need to have creative experiences outside my client engagements, opportunities to create with no one to satisfy but myself,” said Jerry Kuyper of Westport, Connecticut-based Jerry Kuyper Partners.

“This allows me to listen and collaborate with my clients more effectively. I also remind myself to go outside — the graphics are amazing.”

Fusion By Jerry Kuyper, Creative director: Gene Seidman, 2005

LodgeNet By Jerry Kuyper, 1990

As awe-inspiring as computers and the Internet are, they’re still just tools we use to achieve our aim — creating iconic design. Our best achievements are born from our thoughts, and deftly interpreting the needs of our clients, neither of which have anything to do with the computer. Trying to brainstorm and generate ideas on the computer adds unnecessary friction to the design process.

“Although this is no longer the case, our business used to be made up of people who could draw,” said designer Gerard Huerta. “This is how ideas were related to those who could not visualize. When you are stuck, walk away from the computer and draw. It will teach you how to see.”

When you’re fighting the urge to conceptualize design ideas at the computer, remember that design has been with us a lot longer than computers. Not just any design either, but design of a calibre to match or better what we can produce today. So shut your computer down for at least the initial stages of the design process. Think things through. Grab that pen and pad you carry and start making notes and sketching ideas.

“Balance is the key,” said California-based designer Lauren Krause of Creative Curio. “Balancing work-life, online-offl ine, digital-analog, personal-professional. Balance puts life into perspective, helps us to not lose our passion to bitterness, shows us inspiration through other experiences, and helps us maintain our sanity.”

I need only look at my earlier work to see the journey I’ve taken as a designer. You should try it, too. Dig out some of your earliest identity design projects and compare them to what you’re working on today. I find it helps. Sometimes I cringe. But it helps, because I can see the progression.

Originn By David Airey, 2004

Henri Ehrhart By David Airey, 2009

“Every designer has a level of insecurity that can only be abated by the creative peer group respect or commercial success of their work,” said Martin Lawless, creative director at London-based 300million. “Sadly, the warm, fuzzy, proud feeling of security doesn’t last long. Sometimes, it’s as short as the length of time it takes to make the winding walk back from the awards podium to the table of smiling workmates and your half-drunk client.

“Motivation comes from the relentless desire to get back to that briefest pause on the mountaintop. It’s as simple and as hard as that.”

Do you know the famous line from Stephen King’s The Shining? “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Just like in the movie, starving yourself of everything but work will only lead to unhappiness.

Using timelines and schedules allows you to more precisely factor how long specific tasks will take, and helps ensure you’re not under any undue pressure when it comes to delivering to the client. Of course, the design process usually takes longer than most people think, and a certain level of overwork comes with the territory.

“We all get stuck as designers. Don’t forget that,” said Eric Karjaluoto of Vancouver-based smashLAB. “No matter who you are, the number of accolades you’ve received, or the past successes you’ve had, it’s still hard. You can look at this a few ways, but I largely take comfort in it.”

SinkIt By smashLAB, Creative director: Eric Karjaluoto, Designer: Peter Pimentel, 2005

“Becoming a good designer is, in my mind, directly related to one’s curiosity and willingness to work,” said Karjaluoto. “If you keep asking questions and deliberately practicing your craft, you get better. It’s that simple. So when it feels difficult and you want to scream, grab a pencil and a big blank sheet of paper, and just start drawing. With each iteration you’re closer.”

When you’ve carefully prepared for a project by asking your client plenty of questions, it makes everything run more smoothly. But don’t stop this methodical approach once the questions are answered. Attending to and working through each step of the design process will make things much easier for you in the long run. As strange as it might seem, skipping a step only creates more work for you down the road when your client hasn’t received the desired result.

“Perhaps one of the biggest killers of motivation in an identity project is client feedback,” said designer and author Armin Vit of UnderConsideration. “Specifically, client feedback that challenges in one way or another the solutions we have presented.

“But for the most part, this is where the real challenge of graphic design lies: finding common ground between you and your client in order to solve a visual problem.

“Remember that there are dozens of ways of visually solving any given problem, and most of them are equally valid.”

“If the client has reservations about the size or color of something, try another 12 sizes or colors,” said Vit. “If the client doesn’t like what you showed her, try another dozen options. It doesn’t mean you have to show her all of them, but at the very least, do it for yourself. You owe it not just to your client, but to yourself. Explore.”

VisionSpring By Bryony Gomez-Palacio and Armin Vit of Under Consideration, 2008

“A deadline can be a designer’s greatest single source of motivation,” said Blair Thomson of UK design studio biz-R.

It’s worth adding that your deadlines must be realistic, so always account for unexpected delays. Otherwise, you’ll end up placing yourself under undue pressure.

The brain forms routine patterns, in which the more we carry out the same task, the more ingrained and natural the pattern becomes. Before you know it, you’re in a rut.

One of my favorite authors is Edward de Bono, regarded by many as a leader in the field of creative thinking. “Creative thinking is a skill,” said de Bono. “It’s not just a matter of individual talent. It’s not just a matter of sitting by the river and playing Baroque music and hoping you get inspired. That’s very weak stuff.”

Just as you can learn how to speak another language, so too can you learn how to be creative. The aim of thinking laterally is to consider possibilities that are outside your normal train of thought.

How do you do this? I find that sketching each and every idea that pops into my head, and then studying the sketches with the design brief in hand, allows me to produce more sketches that wouldn’t have come to mind without such analysis. Turn your design concepts upside down. Look at them from afar. Ask someone to share some thoughts about your sketches. The more creative your ideas, the happier your client becomes, and the more satisfied you will be with the results.

“The single biggest motivation killer for a young designer is the client who wrecks your designs with seemingly pointless changes and unjustified revisions,” said Adrian Hanft, creative director at Red Rocket Media Group in Colorado. “While design school has pumped you full of talent and technical knowledge, most people aren’t prepared to deal with the heartbreak that comes with the first time a client transforms your masterpiece into manure.

“To stay motivated, you need to look at every encounter with a client as an opportunity to improve the skills they didn’t teach you in school: how to communicate with people. As you get better at educating and interacting with your clients, you’ll find that fewer and fewer of your designs get ruined and your great ideas aren’t being abandoned on the cutting room floor.”

If you expect clients to be overjoyed with your design work, you’ll miss the opportunity to be pleasantly surprised. In fact, you’re only leaving yourself open to disappointment. By maintaining modest expectations, constructive criticism from the client can be much easier to handle.

“Work on a design piece that really inspires you, whether it’s a book, magazine, business card, poster, website, anything that gets your juices flowing,” said Antonio Carusone of AisleOne. “Always design, even if you have no purpose. It keeps you fresh and motivated.”

Author and designer Maggie Macnab of Macnab Design offers some fitting advice: “You have to follow your passion in life, regardless of the consequences. For me, that has meant continually developing as a human being throughout the experiences of my life.”

SwanSongs By Maggie Macnab, 2001

“There’s a certain integrity with staying true to your soul, and it carries into all avenues of your life,” said Macnab. “If something isn’t working for you, find out why. Maybe you are in a learning curve and need further development before you can dovetail with it. Maybe it just really isn’t a fit and you need to move on. Explore always and discover. If you feel a quickening in your blood, it’s the first indication you’re on the right path. Read, look, go, be. Most importantly, love the life you are in. You only have one, and only you can have it.”

Maddoux Wey Arabian Horse Farm By Maggie Macnab, 1985

I once read that if you have change in your pocket you’re richer than 70 percent of the people on the planet. It’s a sobering thought that helps put our “westernized” lives in context. In the grander scheme of things, I’m incredibly fortunate to have grown up in a secure family environment, with a roof over my head and food on the table.

How does this motivate me? I want the same for the children I hope to raise, and by pushing myself to become a better designer, I can attract more rewarding projects (both financially and emotionally), and help secure a stable future.

Never take financial security for granted, and step back once in a while to look at the bigger picture.

That’s motivation.