If you haven’t heard through one way or another – Jeff and I are engaged!

Being the dorky designer that I am I’m more interested in deciding on colour schemes and fonts for my wedding than anything else, but I have been looking around for venues and some of the websites out there are really just appalling. My mother insists that this is just a matter of taste, but I think with something like design that has a purpose, one that fails this purpose is simply a poor design, regardless of taste. So, although I don’t think there are many people in this industry currently reading my blog, I thought I’d offer a few suggestions.

Have a website

Most reception venues seem to have this one covered, but there’s still a few out there without a website. We’re reaching the point where you don’t look up services in a big directory book; you Google them. If you don’t show up then to people who only use this medium, you don’t exist. Word of mouth and recommendations are wonderful things, but do you really want to risk potentially losing a portion of possible clients? Specifically in the wedding industry, a large percentage of clients will be young and tech savvy people who will expect to be able to find what they need online.

Get a pro to do it

Too many of the websites I’ve looked at look like they weren’t done by a professional, and it shows. There are also some really very polished ones out there, so to compete in this digital age you really need to be up to scratch.

Get some decent photos

It doesn’t matter how nice the venue is – bad photos will make it look bad. Just like having an amateur website, having photos that were clearly taken on a compact camera in poor lighting by someone who doesn’t know anything about photography really doesn’t encourage potential clients to see your professionalism. I haven’t looked far into wedding photography yet, but if you talk to the client and their photographer you might be able to make an arrangement to use their photos for promotion. Otherwise, get a pro in to get some quality photos of your space – it will make your website and other promotional material look far more professional and enticing.

Use decent fonts

Papyrus, Comic Sans, Curlz MT and Times New Roman don’t look for anything, wedding services included. Scripty curly ‘nuptial’ fonts are often used for and associated with weddings, but don’t go nuts – people still need to be able to read it!

Have decent copy

Writing is one of those unfortunate things that everyone can do, but not many can do really well. You might be the nicest, most professional and most flexible service, but if this doesn’t come through in what is written on your website you could potentially lose people. For weddings in particular people like to feel looked after, and since viewing your website will form their first impression it’s really important that that impression is a good one – both visually and in what the website says. Once again – unless you’re a talented copywriter yourself, get a pro to do it.

All of this is very much applicable to any website of course!

Don’t forget that your clients have talents too – I know I’m going to try and trade my skills to cover as much of my wedding expense as I can, so if you need a website feel free to get in touch :)

I’ve been doing a lot more logo designs for clients recently, and it’s something which is challenging but rewarding in the end result. Some clients have asked me how they can help me design a logo that’s right for them without being annoying, so I thought I’d put down some general thoughts here.

Understand the value of a good logo

For any business, organisation, group or whatever with a public face, branding is a big part of how you are perceived. It might not be completely obvious – in fact it shouldn’t be completely obvious, but the way something is presented greatly impacts the way you feel about it, even if you don’t specifically register why. A logo is a large and essential part of this branding, which is why you really want to get it right. If your logo design looks messy and unprofessional, what traits do you think people will associate with your business when they see it?

Get a pro to do it

As talented as your next door neighbor’s cousin’s niece’s best friend might be with MS Paint or a pirated version of Photoshop, it’s not going to be the same as getting in someone who actually knows what they’re doing. Sure, a professional will most likely not be content to be paid in pizza or a slab of beer, but at least you’ll end up with a logo design is clean and professional and accurately portrays your business.

I have to say I’m also really not a fan of contest websites such as 99designs – I’d go into more detail, but I think this post on graphicPUSH sums it up nicely.

Get acquainted

So I’m assuming you’ve found yourself a nice talented designer to work on your logo by this point – well done. Different designers work in different ways, but personally I like to start by having a chat and getting a feel for what the business is about. While briefs and questionnaires are very useful tools, actually talking to people can go a long way to understanding what they’re about and what they’re after. Besides the basic purpose of your business, think about who you need to appeal to and what kind of feelings or ideals you want to be associated with.

Throw some ideas on the table

You might think that telling the designer they can have free reign and to do whatever they want is the best way to go, but honestly? In most cases it isn’t. Even if it’s something vague, like some buzzwords or a particular style, it can go a long way to narrowing down what you want. Don’t be afraid to throw some suggestions on the table, even if they aren’t fully formed ideas, because in the end you need to be happy with the end result, and clear communication about what you want from the start can make the whole process faster.

Listen to suggestions

While you shouldn’t be afraid to suggest some ideas, listen to what your designer says about them – they know what they’re doing. If they suggest that a rainbow gradient might have connotations that you don’t necessarily want to be associated with your brand, or that using a photo as a logo will create a lot of problems, or that Comic Sans maybe isn’t the best font, pay attention. If they’re worth their salt they’ll be able to explain why these things aren’t a good idea, and suggest more suitable alternatives. Of course you don’t necessarily have to follow their advice, but really consider what they’re saying before disregarding it.

Scribble on it

Some people think that scribbling changes onto my design will offend, but it’s actually incredibly helpful! You don’t have to be an artist or use any fancy software, just get the general idea across visually, especially if it’s something that’s difficult to explain in words. Once again, don’t be afraid to suggest changes but do listen to your designer’s reasoning if they don’t completely agree with what you’re suggesting.

Have patience

Designing logos is actually pretty difficult, even if the end result appears very simple!

Make sure you’re happy with the end result

It is your logo after all, so make sure that you’re happy with the way that it turns out.

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Of course other designers might work differently, so if you’re not sure about what kind of input is required of you as a client, ask them what their process is. If any other designers are reading this, I’d love to hear how you prefer to work!

I decided to submit my last IF illustration to Threadless! This is my first time submitting, so please be gentle :) I’m not too hopeful considering the incredible work that tends to get through, but it would be really wonderful to see my design on a t-shirt!

For those not familiar with Threadless, artists and designers can submit artwork to the website which is then voted on by the public for the next 7 days. The Threadless staff then look at the top designs and choose some for printing. I’m a big fan, but never really had the courage to put up a design for voting until now. So you see, if there’s enough of a positive response to my design it could go through, which is why it would really really help me if you go and vote it up. Please?