Fan To Pro - The Blog of Professional Geekery

Tales from the Ashcan: Proof Identity Design is Important

Merry Christmas!  Right now, you're probably drinking egg nog, cozying around the TV station playing the picture of the fireplace and beating that cousin you don't like and haven't seen in a while at Call of Duty, so you can ignore this.  For the rest of you who aren't, however (read: me), I've got a new Tales from the Ashcan for you.  This month, we're talking about identity design.

As a graphic designer and typographer, one thing that I've really noticed since my great wide entry into the world of comic publishing is exactly how horrifically bad some of the identity design (aka logos) some people have.  Seriously.  Granted, horrific logo design is something you see on a regular basis - it's everywhere.  But I've noticed that it's exceptionally bad in the realm of comic logos.  Without pointing fingers (because that's bad), I can find you within ten minutes some of the most afterthought (if even that much) series logos out there.  Likewise, aside from our own, I can point out what I think are some of the most incredible ones.  While the former are afterthoughts, the latter have clearly been thought out in terms with the scheme of the story, or are intentionally aping a particular style.  The difference between a monstrosity (you can find one within five minutes by looking at any webcomics aggregator) and something as beautiful as the logos for Woody After Hours or Powernap or Delve into Fantasy are immense.

But as a professional, it's even more important to have the proper identity for your business, regardless of whether or not your business is a comic artist, bookseller, travel agenty or coffee shop.  Why?  Well, it can really hit you hard, and I'll give two examples; the first one now, the second after the jump.

Take, for example, a conversation I had one day with an individual who handed me his business card. It was a simple affair, with black and blue ink and looked very sleek and stylish for a technology company. There was just one problem: the gentleman was in the food services industry, something that the average person would not have known by looking at the card. While his logo and branding needed work, the colors and fonts chosen did even more to confuse potential customers, thus making a simple food producer look like a great tech company (which was not even close to his intent.)  I ended up doing a much warmer and more accessible logo for their business, and their business is doing swimmingly.

But I had another customer who had an even bigger issue, and his I'd like to share with you.

Launch or Be Lunch, Day 11 - Lrn 2 Advermatize and Market (At Least Better than HP. Ouch, Lawsuit in 3...2...1....)

Aside from merchandising, one thing that you may want to look into is A&M (that's Advertising and Marketing, for those who didn't stay awake during Business Ed.)  If you want your endeavor to be successful, you have to get the word out there; it's rare when they come looking for you from the very start.  So you have to make the effort.

I'll get this right out of the way: advertising and marketing sucks.  It's a specialized skill, and not many have the knack to do it.  There are a very few who are a natural when it comes to it and they usually find new and unique ways of approaching it (my favorite is Scott Stratten's UnMarketing methodology).  Chances are, you're like me and abhor it.  Well, it sucks but it has to be done, and with that in mind, let's get cracking.

(Oh, and forewarning: due to the examples of just sheer wrongness people do, this post is slightly NSFW.  No naughty bits, just lots of language.)

The Post Mortem

If you are part of a regular publication, or a product that has regular release dates, I recommend doing a “post mortem” analysis after each new edition.  Pick out a few things that worked well.  Pinpoint the things that didn’t work out so well, and brainstorm ways to improve. 

The Fan to Pro Transition Survival Guide, Part Five

So now you and everybody else knows that you’re ready to take on the world. However, the world may have other ideas about that. Here are some possible solutions to the problems that often arise.

Problem: It takes money to make money, and I don’t have any to begin with.
Solution: Firstly, look at what you have available to you for little or no money. Getting a domain name isn’t too expensive and, if you learn how to make a kick-ass website on your own*, then that is a powerful promotional tool. Don’t forget about free social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Myspace**, and the likes. Post some stuff up there, and call upon your network to forward it to their networks.

Secondly, depending on the type of project (like starting your own business), you might have to invest some of your own money. If you don’t have enough to get yourself started, there are always grants and loans you can apply for. Just be careful to read all the fine print before you sign anything.

Problem: I can’t get a job without experience and I can’t get experience without a job.
Solution: Phht. What are you, living in the 20th Century? Do something. Learn from it. Now you have experience. Infinitely loop that and you’re good.

Problem: I’ve got a good idea, and I’ve done all I can with it, and I would like to continue but I don’t know where to go next.
Solution: You might be able to find a mentor. Go online, and search for local people who have done something similar to what you want to do. Contact these people, and politely make your case: here’s a one-sentence summary of my idea, here is what I have so far, and here is what I need. Because of your accomplishments in [what the person did], could you offer me any advice? The person or their secretary might be impressed and want to help you out. They might also tell you to F- off or just never get back to you, but it is worth a try. Just don’t go into too much detail until you know that they are interested.

Problem: There are too many people already doing something similar to what I want to do.
Solution: Take whatever makes your version different from everyone else’s and make that the prime feature. Focus on what makes you unique or better than everyone else. If you can’t find said feature, then go back to the drawing board and ask yourself some questions:
1. Why do I want to do this in the first place?

2. What is something else I like, totally unrelated to this main thing, and can I put the two together?
3. What are all the things I am good at and like to do, and how do they fit together?



That should give you some ideas for how to modify your project. The last thing I have to say here is that there are a lot of brick walls, but none of them totally encircle the path. It may take some climbing or changing your route, but you can eventually get to where you want to be. Now get out there and make yourself proud.

*Or beg a friend to do it for you.
**Myspace is actually useful when it comes to music.

-Tamara Hecht

Interview With Ash Huang

I met Ash Huang on the very day she had left her job to start her own agency which focuses on branding, identity and interaction design, mostly for independent businesses.  We sat together on the Caltrain, and she told me about how she'd struck out on her own.  So of course, because she's creative, geeky, and living the indie business dream, I had to interview her!

You can visit her portfolio at http://www.ashsmash.com/ and follow her on Twitter at @ashsmash

An Interview With Artist Cheng (Lily) Li

I met Cheng (Lily) Li in one of my many rounds of conventions.  She's a fascinating example of how people can share an combine their loves - she's both an artist and a Life Sciences Research Assistant at Stanford.  Not only does she do fannish work, she does detailed scientific illustration - you can find much more at her website, http://www.lilycli.com/.

A person who combines fandom, art, and science sounds like someone with quite a story to tell, and Lily was nice enough to let me interview her.

INTERVIEW: Richard Brown, freelance artist

Some people aren't interested in working for a business - or even their own - and would like to go the freelancing route.  I was fortunate enough to meet artist Richard Brown via LinkedIn, and he was kind enough to grant me an interview about artistry, freelancing, and working in games.