Why quick design solutions are not good design solutions

I recently received an email that puzzled me. The company contacted me about rebranding. They wanted a new logo, typeface, icon for their app, their app UI redesigned, and their website redesigned. Needless to say this was not a small project. We had a phone interview discussing the company and all the design work they needed done. After establishing what they needed I was then emailed a few questions regarding what I would do to improve their brand. I proceeded to answer by explaining that I work based on goals that we establish together. We use these to create a one of a kind Brand that reflects the company. This is the formula I use for all logos, brands and websites that I create but the email I received back took me by surprise. 

I was told that I should have explained in detail the logo I would give them and the way I would recreate their website, as a result they are going to go with a different designer that did exactly that when replying to their email. Generally this would make me frustrated as I didn't get the job but really it made me confused and a little sad about the state of design work. 

This company wanted an immediate solution to their very immense and complicated problem. I could have made something up and said this is your new logo but there is no meaning behind it. We live in a time where everyone wants immediate gratification and wants what they want, now.  I am sure you have heard designers talk about great logos, see: Apple, Nike, Adidas even McDonalds or Mercedes. These logos are simple, but more importantly they represent the brand and have a special meaning behind them and their creation. 

Having a logo created quickly and for cheap might work for a company, risking not having it trademarked, having illegal use of fonts and potentially having a logo that is straight up plagiarized can work out, but most likely it wont. The company will get its “cheap” logo and use it for a while, a year or two will pass and they will realize their “cheap” logo doesn't mean anything and want to have their company rebranded. They then have two options, they either take the time to work with a quality designer to create a real logo representative of their company and brand, or work with another designer that cranks out logos at an unreasonable rate and sells them for cheap. This will result in the company rebranding in a few years going through the same thing again and again. This means you have a brand that is not taking advantage of its success by having to recreate itself every few years.  On top of all of this the company will need all of their current content “branded” and when you get no explanation on how to use the logo, what colors are used or how to get access to the fonts it will continue to make more work for the company on a daily basis. Working with a Designer that understands the value of a holistic approach to design is imperative in creating effective designs that will stand the test of time.  

I hope you find this a good explanation of why working with a quality designer is so important. I will continue to update this blog regarding all things graphic design. Thanks for reading and if you have any questions please don't hesitate to reach out!