Once upon a time there was a pair of friends who came up with a great idea for a business, Mr. Pink and Mr. White. Inspired by their favorite childhood treat, they wanted to bring back and popularize
rock candy, a delicious and little-known sweet created by the formation of large sugar crystals.
The business became big enough that the pair needed a logo design to start of their branding. They wanted the design to be modern and simple, yet still clever. They also wanted a design that showcased their branding colors: white, pink, and blue.
They didn’t know where to start looking for a design, so began by searching randomly through the web. They clicked around for what seemed like ages looking for the perfect design, when they suddenly stumbled upon a blank screen showing just the words “Your New Logo.” They looked for the website’s designer, but could not find one. Realizing the word “logo” was a link, they decided it was a sign and they needed to take a risk – clicking on it.
What popped up on their screen were three variations of logos for their candy business. The clients were excited. They took a closer look at the first design, furthest on the left:
“This design has too much going on!” they thought. “There are too many elements being used in this design, which makes it look busy and messy. And the implementation of the concepts are poorly executed and terribly generic! This will definitely lose the message of our business,” they concluded.
So, they moved on to the middle design:
“This design is too plain,” they said aloud. “This doesn’t show off our messaging or any vision on what our business stands for,” he explained. “It looks too generic and it doesn’t look like it required much work or thought,” they ended.
They were starting to get nervous that they would come up empty-handed, down to the last design. They took a look at the final design on the webpage:
“Ahhh, this design is just right!” they said happily while they examined it. “This is a balance between simplicity and complexity – using a concept, but in an abstract and clever way. It communicates the brand well and hints at our company’s back story, and it has thought behind it. This is what we need!”
They crossed their fingers and clicked on the logo, and were able to purchase it. So, with their newfound design for their candy business, they left the website happy and satisfied.
The end.
Moral of the story
Spend some time thinking out a concept for your designs, you want to find the “just right” point for your idea. You don’t want your design to be too busy and obscure the brand messaging, but you also don’t want your design to be too simple and miss out on the messaging all together. There is a sweet-spot (get it?) that can be found in each design idea you work with, where the concept is well realized and the overall implementation communicates in a way that is just what your client is looking for.
