carike meiring

2010-10-25T03:24:00.004-07:00

2010-10-25T03:24:00.003-07:00

2010-10-25T03:24:00.001-07:00

Logo Design: The Process

2009-09-02T01:39:00.000-07:00

I would like to share my process of creating a logo, with an example of a recently created logo. I do not just sit down and start writing the name over and over in different fonts, I "muse" about it. I walk outside and look at things that spark interest, I research competitors, I ponder over a cup of coffee, and then I create from a detailed brief.

The logo I designed recently is for a CRM software product, named Harvest archiving. I first tried to understand the process of harvesting: sowing, nurturing, gathering and storing, and wanted to show this dynamic process with the same vibrancy that is created in beautiful pictures of wheat fields and harvests.

Therefore I started my project by researching various images, that related to harvests, and fields. I had to be careful not to make the design too agricultural as it needs to live in the software realm.

I chose a few images for inspiration and devised a few colour palettes, and logo options from these for the client to choose from. The result was a logo that I am very happy with, and so is the client.

Crowdsourcing: The race toward instant gratification

2009-06-10T08:56:00.001-07:00

What is it that motivates thousands of designers to subscribe to crowdsourcing websites. What is the lure of pitching your idea against hundreds of other hopefuls, and maybe winning one? Why do we do it? Is it ego, is it a valid source of income or just a passion for design?

I have tried to get an accurate answer by creating a questionarrie and sending it out to freelance graphic designers in the hope of solving this puzzle. I wanted to focus directly on the South African market and how crowdsourcing is perceived here. I found a few willing participants for the survey but am sorry to say that I have not gained any conclusive statistical data about this phenomenon.

Out of my research I could only gain the following tidbits of insight:
• Most designers have other jobs – although that may have changed given the recent economy – they do contests for supplementary income or international exposure.
• They have won less than 10 contests, if any, and they subscribe to two or more crowdsourcing sites.
• Some don’t have a clue about what crowdsourding is.
• A lot know what crowdsourding is and support the NO SPEC movement.

Due to the lack of information I gained this way, I decided to use a personal case study, to gain first-hand knowledge of this experience.

A client of mine (who was looking for a cheap logo design) decided to launch a contest on 99designs, and gave me his insights, while I decided to participate in a few.

My client was amased at the turn-around time that was achieved by the designers. Within an hour he had some logo ideas, and they kept on coming. The designers were open to criticism and generally took his direction well.

His frustrations were, that a lot of the designs were amateurish and that it was difficult to communicate with a lot of them as English obviously wasn’t their first language. He also felt that there was a lot of copying going on, and that as soon as he gave feedback to one, everyone would jump onto the bandwagon to try to and appease him, and then nothing creatively “new” happened for a while.

Because of the obvious lack of design skill in some of the entries, he decided to invite a few designers based on their portfolios, extend his deadline and increase his prize money, which seemed to generate better designs from more experienced designers.

He also noted that he could have given a better, more detailed brief, as he had to go back and give extra information too often.

To test my theory that “you can’t design properly if you don’t know the client”, I entered the contest. Thinking that by knowing him and what his likes and dislikes are, I would be spot on with my solution.

How wrong was I… even with my knowing the client (and having had a face-to-face brief) I did not win the contest or even make the top three… Does it therefore really matter to build up a client relationship, or is it purely a matter of getting the design right to meet the client’s current mood.

From my professional viewpoint, the winning design wasn’t the best in terms of meeting the brief, but the colour usage was strong and the graphic appealing. It seemed to please my client, and he felt met his briefing requirements.

I entered two more contests where I was “invited” to, due to the work in my portfolio. This kind of arrangement makes more sense to me. Look at a portfolio and decide on that basis whether you can work with someone, or not, but I’m still swallowing hard on the fact that my portfolio alone is not always enough. Why does there have to be a pitch involved? The Client gets hundreds of ideas…instant gratification. I get nothing other than my ego being stroked by nice words, or maybe a 4-star rating.

Contest is definitely the best way to describe crowdsourcing, as it creates that same angst or excitement you experience when you are running a race, playing a sport or getting onto stage to perform.

It evokes feelings of having to prove yourself, give more, do better and show the rest of the world, that you know what you are doing. I don’t know why, maybe it is an ego thing, maybe we are all under the impression that there is no one better than us, and that we have to prove it.

Maybe we are just sitting around with millions of creative ideas bursting out of us that we need to share (yes, I don’t believe that either, but maybe there are purists out there…) – or maybe we just have low self-esteem and need to look for approval anywhere.

In any case given the current economic situation I see the rise of mediocrity just getting stronger, and the piece of the pie we all have to fight for just getting smaller. So I think crowdsourcing is here to stay.

I still can’t condone it, but I will have to live with it.

Crowdsourcing in South Africa. No Spec vs Pro Spec

2009-03-28T22:36:00.000-07:00

In my first month back at freelancing, I had to find ways in which to market my skills, and obviously turned to the Internet for this. Since the last time I freelanced (about 3 years ago) a lot has changed in the online marketing world, and social networking has really become a science - one that I am just beginning to look into.

My first attempt at re-marketing lead me along the traditional trails of contacting recruiters, lisiting with sites such as bizcommunity and sending my digital portfolio out to previous clients and agencies. I also looked at online directory websites such as freelancecentral..

Then I heard about ideabounty, a recenlty launched South African crowdsourcing website, which offers hefty monthly bounties for a great idea.

This site lead me to think about the crowdsourcing situation in South Africa. This is not a new idea; in fact I came into contact with it about 10 years ago, while lecturing in Cape Town, when the AntsNest introduced themselves to my students. Obvioulsy the term "crowdsourcing" hadn't been coined yet, and I was intrigued by the whole concept. I even signed up and did a few pitches. Alas, this didn't sit well with me as I felt that the time I spent, wasn't being rewarded properly, and I removed my portfolio form their site. The AntsNest has evolved since then, from being just a crowdsourcing site to an online community, with different options, such as portfolio directories and outsourcing options, but still uses crowd sourcing to meet their client's needs.

I decided to look into the crowdsourcing scene in South Africa and drafted a basic questionairre to determine why designers find them so alluring, and whether they offer a viable income alternative to freelancers. I can see the huge benefit that it holds for a client, getting loads of ideas for a small price, but how does it benefit the designer?

I decided to contact 100 freelance designers to gain some insight. Unfortunately I have not managed to reach that amount yet, so I am still busy with the research, and will post my findings soon. If you are interested in participating, please send me your details, and I'll be happy to forward the questionairre to you.

If you're just interested in the results let me know too!

First days back at Freelancing

2009-02-28T21:42:00.000-08:00

So, tomorrow is officially the first day that I start Freelancing - again.

For a few months I worked full-time, but circumstances changed and I find myself back to freelancing. A scary, exhilirating, tummy-bunching thought (even after doing it for over 6 years, before deciding to throw my talents in with someone else).

What challenges does it hold: Well for one, the main reason that I went back to work for someone else was the amount of admin I was doing when working for myself...only to find, that I was doing just as much admin for someone else. This time around I'm definitely getting an accountant to sort out my tax and finances.

It also means that instead of just doing the design and production work, now I have to go back out there and find the work. Now that is a really scary thought, considering that everyone seems to be tightening their belts. So this is challenge number two.

Challenge number three: Balancing work and home. I tend to work whenever I have a spare moment, so my family does suffer as I retreat into a state of obliviousness. This time I'll try to lock my study after 17:00, and have a normal family life - well I'll try.

Challenge number four: Finaces, finances, finances. Working for someone else allows you to have a regular income, bounce ideas of colleagues and have a "safety net". Working for yourself...becoming a tight rope walker.

Well, there you have it. I am ready to go...balancing beam in hand.