Articles Tagged with: Newfoundland graphic designer
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March 9, 2021
3 things you can do to help get the design process back on track

We’ve all been there before in a work situation; why doesn’t the other party understand what I’m saying? Why aren’t we on the same page here? Miscommunication is frustrating but it happens, even in the design process. Here’s a few things you can do to help make sure your designer knows exactly what you need from them:

Make sure YOU know exactly what you want

This is key. If you’re unclear what style of logo you like, what your business’ name will be, or what pages you want on your website – wait until you have an idea before reaching out to a designer. If you aren’t sure what you want, the design process can be messy and unorganized, and may even cost you more money for extra revisions. If you feel that you trust us completely to design your logo or brand materials without having any input, great! Just be sure that you’re comfortable handing over 100% of the creative control to us before we get started.

Be clear on what is or isn’t required as a part of your design

Another important one. Would you prefer your logo to have a slogan? Does it need to incorporate a certain colour or font? Do you want to avoid a certain design element? Make sure you communicate this to your designer at the very beginning. If you already have existing brand standards, send those along. Even something as small as the word ‘the’ can drastically affect how we design something. Knowing this upfront can help us save time (and help you save money) in the revision process.

Send us reference photos

A lot of us are visual people. It can sometimes be hard for us to visualize what you’re saying through an email or phone call, so feel free to send along reference images to show us what you’re describing. If we are designing a logo, you don’t need to send along actual images of logos; but if you’re describing a certain shape? Send a photo of it. Describing a certain colour? Grab a screenshot of it. All of this can be super helpful to us in designing exactly what you envision for your business.

Ultimately, as with anything in life, communication is key. There’s no such thing as too much information when it comes to design, and we want to make sure you love the finished product as much as we loved designing it.

December 15, 2019
Behind the scenes: my client research

When you hire a graphic designer,  you know they’re going to be doing creative work for you. What you might not know is that us designers also put in a ton of research before we even start working on the actual design component of your project.

What kind of research? Well, it really depends on the project. The most extensive research and homework I put in are usually related to branding work. If I’m custom designing your logo, you can be assured I’m going to research every possible thing I can to achieve a unique design solution. Is your company name unique? I’ll research its background and origin. Where is your company based? I’ll be checking out that location and its history. How did your company come to be? I’m going to see what types of styles and imagery I can connect it to.

As an example, here’s a logo I created for a local company called Cod Sounds a couple years back. Cod Sounds creates a unique experience by using traditional Newfoundland culinary methods to collect and cook food from the land. My first step in this process was to find out where the name Cod Sounds came from. Turns out, a cod sound is the part of a cod fish that keeps it afloat in the water (sin that as a Newfoundlander, I didn’t know this).

I knew I wanted this logo to be fairly minimalistic, and also to represent Newfoundland and its heritage. I decided to do some research traditional fishing methods in Newfoundland. I found a lot of interesting things that I didn’t know; but what caught my eye was the manner in which fisherman used to catch their cod. They used a simple line with a hook, and by hand pulled up one fish at a time. That’s where the hook image in the logo comes from.

In conclusion, there’s a lot of behind the scenes effort that goes into your designs. Making sure your logo or poster or brochure is uniquely you it something we pride ourselves on, and having the creative freedom to do this is important- and why I love my work.

February 8, 2019
Why I chose to freelance

So often I’m asked, “why did you choose to be a freelancer?” To many, it seems like a life of uncertainty and unpredictability. That assumption isn’t entirely wrong. But for me, the benefits far outweigh the risks.

The first thing I’ll say is that freelancing was not a lifelong goal for me. I did not grow up dreaming of being a freelance graphic designer. I grew up first dreaming of being a lawyer like Elle Woods in Legally Blonde; then a French teacher; and finally, an art director of a top agency. It wasn’t until I was working toward that last goal, where I realized I loved my job but not so much the lifestyle. I reached a crossroads suddenly, so I decided to dive headfirst into freelancing. Surprisingly, I ended up loving it. Here’s a few reasons why.

Flexibility

First and foremost, this part rules and is probably the biggest perk of freelancing. Being self employed is hard, and often times we end up working more than 40 hours a week; BUT it’s hours we choose, based on our project needs. I have no problem working late into the evening for a Thursday morning deadline; and perhaps in turn taking Thursday morning off. This often means working non-typical hours like evenings or weekends; but as a former bartender, this is not difficult for me. Scheduling perks are also great. Want to get my hair cut at 11am on a Tuesday? No sweat. Get my groceries Monday afternoon before everyone else is off work? Deadly.

No income cap

What does this mean exactly? For freelancers, our income increases as our workload increases. Our workload increases as our skill set improves. For me, when I was employed I didn’t feel any incentive to get better or do better. I was getting my pay check regardless. Now, my revenue is completely determined by me, my skill set, and how much I choose to learn and improve. Possibilities can be endless if you put in the work.

Greater personal attention to clients

This is a big one for me. As a freelancer, I’m working for and representing only myself. My communication with my clients is very much more personal than when I was doing so on behalf of a company. I care more about them, their business and their success because the work I do for them can be a major factor in these things. I find I also have more time to devote to the clients who need it, because I’m in control of my own time management. Many long term clients have become more like friends, and I love it.

So in conclusion, is freelancing for everyone? No, absolutely not. There are many benefits to a secure day job that freelancing does not offer. But for me, I wouldn’t have my life any other way. Yes, the grass can be greener on this side of the fence; but only if you water it. We start with no grass over here.