Thought Leader Thursday – Jeff Fisher, LogoMotives

Posted by Wildfire Marketing Group | April 30th, 2009

Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge with us today Jeff. You’re known throughout the design industry as one of the leading branding experts who has written several successful books and spoken all over the world on the subject. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into the field of graphic design?

I appreciate the opportunity to answer your questions for Thought Leader Thursday.

I have now worked as a professional designer for more than 30 years. My interest in design started as early as grade school, at a time when graphic design was referred to as “commercial art,” and I told people “I want to be an artist when I grow up.”  Of course, most people tried to discourage me from following a career path where it was assumed one could not make a living. Still, I had incredible advocates – mostly elementary and secondary school teachers – on my side, nurturing my creative desires. In high school I was allowed to study independently within the art department and much of my work began to take on a graphic, rather than fine art, quality.  One day in 1974, while at the public library, I came across a copy of  Milton Glaser’s then new book, “Graphic Design.”  Not only did it give a defined name to my chosen profession; it was evidence that an individual could make a living in the field.

A frustrating first year in the Fine Arts program, in which Graphic Design was a course of study, at the University of Oregon, led me to talk with Roy Paul Nelson, a professor in the school’s Journalism School. Nelson, who literally wrote the book on the “Design of Advertising,” taught advertising design, publication design and other related classes in preparation for a career in real world.  He told me to get out of the Fine Arts program and into the Journalism School. However, to take his design courses I would also be required to take the traditional journalism courses.

In the fall of 1980, thinking I was pretty hot stuff as a designer, I moved to Portland to begin my career. Instead, in an economy much like today’s, I found designers being laid off, and ad agencies and design firms closing their doors. Making the most of a bad situation, I set up informational interviews with anyone willing to speak with me.  Those meetings let to referrals, suggestions of others to meet with and a great deal of independent design work.

My independent design efforts led to a client asking me to create an in-house design/advertising department for a nonprofit organization producing a group of medical publications. My next “real job” was as art director of a small advertising agency, working on accounts as diverse as automobiles to kitty litter. Following a move to Seattle, I became the creative director for an international clothing company, creating graphics for apparel, coordinating fashion shows, designing ads for national magazines, and working the marketing and PR for the firm. All the while knowing that each of the experiences were better preparing me to work on my own eventually. I’ve always said, It’s not that I don’t play well with others; it’s just that I want to choose where, when and with whom I play.

After nearly two decades in the design industry I was experiencing career burnout. I had always taken on every and all design projects that came my way.  I thought that was what a designer was expected to do – and my passion for design was being lost in the process. It was then that I choose to redirect my career to the identity design efforts I enjoyed the most.  I adopted the business name Jeff Fisher LogoMotives and took on the title Engineer of Creative Identity.  The passion for design returned and has remained since.

With that renewed passion and enthusiasm for my career came requests to speak and about logo design, the business of design, marketing and self-promotion and more. I’ve been a speaker at numerous HOW Design Conferences, business gatherings, nonprofit organization workshops, design schools, universities, high schools and other events. I am now doing Webinars and teleseminars for organizations such as HOW and RGD Ontario. This fall I will be doing a one and a half day self-promotion and marketing bootcamp, sponsored by HOW Magazine, in Minneapolis. I often write about design for industry magazines, webzines and blogs. My first book, “The Savvy Designer’s Guide to Success: Ideas and tactics for a killer career” was released in 2004.  Out-of-print, it has recently been released in a PDF format on CD and is available at HOWBookstore.com. “Identity Crisis!: 50 redesigns that transformed stale identities into successful brands” was released in late 2007.  I am currently writing “Logo•Type,” a book focusing on typography in identity design.
 
Everyone has a nephew with a copy of Photoshop these days. In your opinion, why is it important for a company to invest what may seem like a sizable sum of money in a professional graphic designer when they could have it done cheaper, or even for free?

I worked professionally as a designer for about 13 years before a computer ever appeared on my desk. Back then everyone had a nephew who claimed they were an artist and could draw. That declaration didn’t necessarily translate into having an educational background in graphic design, an understanding of basic design principles, knowledge of typography and the printing process, advertising and marketing experience, a strong portfolio of past work, and a bank of satisfied previous and current clients willing to be references.

Just as having Microsoft Word on one’s computer system does not make an individual a skilled writer, the nephew with a copy of Photoshop most likely will not know how to use that tool effectively to produce the specific end product needed by a potential client. Quite often the company trying to commission a packaged business identity as cheap as possible will get exactly what they have paid for as a result.  I know this to be true because, many times over the years, I have been hired to redesign, or recreate, the work of that “nephew.”

The identity, advertising, marketing and branding elements required by a business are an investment in that company’s public persona and future success.  I’m always amazed when a start-up business comes to me with a logo design project just a few weeks before the launch of the business. Often, no thought has been given to the public image of the business through sometimes years of planning – and there is now no budget to produce the business identity.

I recently had the vice-president of a start-up tell me of their intention to launch the venture with a “make do” business identity because they could not afford to establish a full-blown brand at the time.  Huh?  The business was still incurring incredible expense – from website to complete stationery package – with a half-assed corporate image that would be the public’s first impression of the company.

The initial cost for identity, branding or marketing materials should be viewed like any other capital expenditure for a business – and pro-rated over time. A well-executed logo should have a life expectancy of a decade or more.

Logo trends have changed a lot over the years. You’ve been in the industry long enough to remember when designers actually used pencils instead of computers and paste-up boards instead of desktop publishing programs. Some of the rules when it came to logo design no longer apply. What are some rules that you feel people should still adhere to when it comes to logo design?

As a design-o-saur, I do have the X-acto knife scars and chemical fume flashbacks associated with the pre-computer days of design. While technology has changed greatly over the past three decades, the “rules” of logo design have not changed that much. Computers and design software may have simply given us all some leeway in how the rules are interpreted.

One of the first rules of logo design I learned, in high school in the early 1970’s, was “design in black and white” or “make sure your logo design always works in black and white (or one color).”  I still stick to that rule today as a design principle.  I will not even add color to a logo until the client has approved the design in black and white.  Not only does in ensure that the design will always work in once color; in simplifies the approval process for designer and client.  In a time of limitless computer program color options many of my client logo design are only used in black and white – and it is not due to past concerns about faxing an image, one-color print ads or the like. Such design can have great impact.

In my design classes I was always taught that a successful logo should be produced in only two, maybe three, colors. Thirty years ago this was primarily due to color reproduction costs.  With advancements in color printing technology, especially the home color personal/office printers, this is not the concern it may have been in the past. Still, I often find myself limiting the number of colors used in my logo designs as a matter of personal preference (for client and designer) and simplicity.

I tossed out the “never use a gradient” logo design rule a long time ago. So many reproduction technologies have improved to the point of making a gradient a positive, rather than a negative, in well-executed applications. In most situations I simply create a non-gradient version of a client’s logo for specific needs they may have.

Avoiding trends has always been a rule I have tried to follow in designing logos. Still, with the influences of the time, the logos I created back in the 1980’s look very much like logos created back in the 1980’s.  However, making use of classic typography, and classic designs, some logos I have designed have enjoyed a lifespan of 15 to 20 years without looking dated. I’m such glad, as a designer, I never fell into to using the Web 2.0 (or perhaps Web 2.Oh-Oh) required reflective element in my designs.

With computer technology, one of the first new rules of logo design I learned was to always create my designs as vector-based images.  This is still incredibly important for any logo design today.  Just yesterday I had to recreate a client’s existing logo design because she had no vector-based files of her five-year old logo and there was an immediate need for some signage requirements.

One rule that has not changed over time is the K.I.S.S. Principle.  My first year in college I was introduced to “Keep It Simple, Stupid” and today my simplest design are still the most eye-catching, memorable and effective.

We’ve all seen some pretty bad logos out there that obviously weren’t scrutinized before being put into use. On the other hand, design by committee can kill the creative process or cause it to drag on for several months. How would you suggest that small businesses find a balance between making sure their new logo presents the right image and keeping the people involved in the decision-making process to a minimum?

In my book “Identity Crisis!,” there is an incredible piece of advice I always share with others.  Unfortunately, it is not a quote of my own. Robynne Raye, of the Seattle-based design firm Modern Dog, suggests that businesses “Find a designer you can trust, and then trust them.”

I tend to shy away from design-by-committee situations by informing clients that “committee” meetings are not a good use of my creative time.  After an initial meeting, it is best for me to have one contact person relay project communication, rather than having input coming at me from every direction.

As I do a lot of work with independent, small start-ups, I find it necessary to get the business owner to step away from what they personally like in regards to a business image and focus on the projected business persona from the perspective of the potential customer.  That’s a tough transition for those with a preconceived concept of their business image.

Over my 30+ years as a designer working on identity projects I have always been amazed by one constant, no matter the size of the client’s business operation:  The wife/husband factor.  Whether the head of a major corporation or an individual with a one-person operation, I will often get “I need to have my wife/husband take a look at the design” before I can finalize the project.  In many cases that spouse has absolutely no relationship with the business in question. I suppose such situations are where “Find a designer you can trust, and then trust them” becomes a serious consideration. The client also needs to simply assume more confidence in the decision making process of design projects.

As with their own marketing materials, companies often tire of their logo. How do they decide if the time is right to redesign it, or even execute a complete rebranding?

This past year I redesigned the branding of a business represented for nearly a quarter of a century by a logo the owner “designed” on his Commodore 64.  The image had served the business well over that time. However, it was dated and had the look of a “desktop publishing” image from the 1980’s. The business had evolved in services provided, marketing and promotion savvy, and overall sophistication in 23 years. The business identity had not evolved at all. It was time to bring the company into this century.

Hopefully the designer hired by a company in need of rebranding can assist the client in determining if an upgrade or complete overhaul of the business identity is required.  Most clients in such a situation come to me seeking a “makeover” of their existing company brand.  The logo being used may be dated by type, color or imagery. Perhaps the focus of the business has changed over time, but there is a desire to retain various aspects of the current identity. In some cases the name has changed but the client wishes to maintain a somewhat constant public persona. Some brand updates are initiated due to other changes such as relocation or expansion of the business, a website redesign, new signage needs, the investment in new marketing materials, or a required new print ad.

The majority of total rebranding efforts in which I have been involved are due to a major change in the business operation. New ownership, dissolution of a partnership, a complete name change, moving to a geographic location and other situations have led to business identity crises requiring complete rebranding. The expense of redesigning every marketing, promotion and identity element is a very serious consideration. One bonus of a large scale rebranding effort is the opportunity to reintroduce the business to the community and clientele.

When someone decides they want to rebrand their company, aside from hiring a professional, what steps should they take to ensure they get the best results and what potential pitfalls should they look out for?

There are three major pitfalls I see on a regular basis as business entities progress through the process of rebranding.

The first is ignoring the value in the historical perspective of the existing brand.  While elements of an identity currently in use may no longer best serve a company or organization, there may be historical references within the image worth transitioning into a new brand. Maintaining colors, making use of the same or similar typography, and updating – rather than eliminating – ad exiting icon are always valid options. When an individual gets a cosmetic facelift, the hope is to still look like oneself after the procedure. That end result should often be the desire of many businesses.

Secondly, businesses need to be much more tuned in to the emotional attachment to their current brand – from the perspective of both employees and targeted customer base – when considering possible rebranding. The introduction of a new image, without input from those coming into contact regularly with the finished product, may result in widely proclaimed dissatisfaction or revolt from an increasingly aware public audience. A major branding misstep can be a costly adventure for a company, as a capital expense and in the currency of employee or customer loyalty.

Following trends is the third pitfall I see in rebrands on a regular basis. “Because everyone else is doing it” is not a good enough reason to integrate the current trend into one’s corporate identity. The dot com boom of the 90’s saw the swoosh seemingly become a prerequisite element in the branding of industry firms. With the bust of that same industry, that swoosh now conveys a subliminal message of business failure. A few years ago, while judging some international design awards, a sea of orange and lime green met me in the room dedicated to identity and stationery packages. Since then, many of those firms have rethought color selections and, at considerable expense, redesigned and reprinted those orange and lime green pieces.  As I tell others in my own profession, when a graphics industry expert proclaims something a current “design trend” it is a “breaking news” message to designers everywhere that the specific ‘trend’ should be avoided from that moment on – rather than followed by a thundering flock of design sheep.

Hopefully the business has hired a designer, or firm, that will give serious consideration to concerns mentioned and more. While the client needs to trust their designer, those paying the final bill should also feel confident enough to convey any concerns of their own if a rebranding project is causing unease with the process, direction, or supposed final result.

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