Designing "just because" is no way to develop solid design. If you are a designer or someone in the business you already know this.

There are times though when clients are adamant about something that has to be in the design, not necessarily for a good reason, just because they like the "idea" of it, not because it has any real meaning or validity. This will often put a wrench in the creativity process but it's something everyone of us has had to deal with from time to time.

Consultation throughout the project is just part of the process. If a particular font & color combination is requested, it's our job to help the clients understand why that may not be the best way to go whether the chosen font doesn't represent the integrity of the company for specified reasons or the colors requested evoke the opposite emotional tie into the identity.

Design has a purpose, it's not just a dumb luck thing like milk chocolate falling into a jar of Reese's peanut butter. A lot of thought, experience, color and font knowledge as well as a touch of experimentation and a boat load of creativity goes into how we think as design professionals. You can't just rummage through your Microsoft Word font list, choose Zapfino, grab the default purple and chartreuse, find some sweet clipart and put two sentences of text around it to create a logo and call it a day — there's a little more to it than that. Just a little.

When it comes down to the design process, you — yes you the designer are the expert, you were hired for a reason, not just your creativity but your knowledge and expertise. It's no different than a patient trying to self diagnose — no good ever comes of people trying to figure out why they're sick or how to fix their own broken leg etc. Design projects should be handled in a similar manner.

If you've been trying to design your own marketing materials or have become your in-house designer and your expertise is something completely different, contact us, we can help educate you in the design process and clear your plate of that hot pink Comic Sans mess.