As many of you already know, Logoworks used to be owned by HP, but they shut it down in April 2012. We went independent and reopened our doors a few months later, which means it’s been just over a year since we flipped the switch back to on. Reflecting on the past year, it’s so nice to be a part of the New Logoworks, and in the spirit of gratitude, I wanted to quickly share with you some of the awesome things that I get to be a part of here at Logoworks:
1) I get to speak to people all over the world about their line of work. This world is full of interesting people and stories, and I get to hear them almost every day. When we design a logo, I get at the core of our clients’ businesses, values, and ideologies. And just like you expect, every business is just a bit different. Some are just starting up and the owners are busy, pulled in a thousand directions. Others are a bit more stable and looking for help with rebranding.
Then there are the serial entrepreneurs with multiple companies under their wing. They seem to be more seasoned in the business world, having more first-hand experience with the power of The Brand, which I get to discuss with them. Every day there is learning and teaching to be done.
Despite the different stages our clients are in, every single one is excited about their business, which in turn excites me! I can’t help but to share the excitement and root for them to succeed in their branding endeavors!
Whether we are given very specific design instructions or casual indifference about how the logo is made, it’s beautiful to be a part of such diversity as I learn how people all over the world are going to use their new (or updated!) logo, designed by Logoworks.
2) I get the opportunity to see art every day. My guess is that most people don’t typically equate a logo design on their laptop with a Rembrandt or a Van Gogh at the Met. Truthfully, I don’t either. But they do have some similarities. Here is what I have seen first-hand: it takes a creative mind to perceive and imagine, and a skilled hand to be able to communicate that idea in the imagination onto the screen. Logo design also comes with the need to understand effective branding and marketing; in other words how to efficiently give a “face” to a company. For their trade to stay viable they have to have creative minds, up-to-date artistic and technical skills, and a solid knowledge of branding.
It’s not just art from our graphic designers that I get to see either; it also takes a special artist’s touch for an engineer to write code in a computer language, and have it function exactly as expected, being totally reliable. Yes, most programmers are linear-thinking (black/white) with little to no room for the gray or “creative” space. However, I have witnessed an artistic spark in every engineer that I’ve encountered along the way. It’s just that their medium to express their creativity entails lines of code, not lines on a piece of paper.
3) I get to continually work on my communication skills. Sometimes in life we are presented with that which challenges us the most. Sometimes it’s presented to us daily.
At Logoworks, one of my roles is that of professional interpreter – it’s just that instead of switching between English and say, Spanish, I’m switching between client-speak and designer-speak. And don’t forget all the other languages too. Business partners to team, team to software engineers, developers to designers, the list goes on and on!
The highest level of responsibility our whole team has is to do right by our clients. In that vein, our message of design quality, customer care, and our own passion for logos has to show through. Each time I write an email (or blog post) not only are my own personal communication skills put to the test, but I also must represent the overall Logoworks message of “We Help Your Business Look Great”.
Overall, I’d have to say that this line of work is both a challenge and a pleasure. Bring on year 2!
