We Know You Can Create Better Quality Logo Designs



This year I have heard a similar saying from several clients, and it always intrigues me as to the psychology of it. I don’t know if it’s just me, or if this is a relatively common experience amongst designers?

It typically happens midway during a project, or more specifically at a point where the client is clearly feeling a sense of frustration at how I’m seemingly failing them as a designer.

Its Just Not Your Usual Quality Logo Design

The ‘it’ appears to make them feel that they are the one and only client where it looks like that I’ll not be able to deliver quality logo designs that they were expecting, and hoping for.

After all, as they say, they hired me specifically based on the, “exceptional quality logo designs in my portfolio” (their words, not mine), and would just like me to design them the sort of quality logo designs that I have previously designed!

I just find it interesting that this sort of behaviour is pretty new to me, and I’m trying to work out why someone would feel that, for whatever reason, I’m failing to deliver the style/quality of work they have counted on.

From my perspective, and each and every time this has happened, I know in my heart that the quality of the logo designs are up to my usual standard, if not much higher.

Yet, even with all my explanations, rationalisations, justifications to the various designs and concepts I have so far delivered, some clients feel they are not getting the ‘value‘ they were hoping and paying for.

Which obviously makes me pretty sad, and makes for a pretty frustrating time. Self doubt also right up there with the inner turmoil of feelings I experience.

On the one hand: I’m busting my gut, as I always do, to try to constantly and consistently out-do myself (and I believe mostly succeeding), to keep pushing the boundaries of my logo and brand identity designs where ever possible.

Yet, on the other hand: each time I feel I have designed something truly awesome, and completely appropriate for my clients needs, I am faced with this increasingly occurring reaction:

“We hired you, over the other logo designers, because we loved the simplicity, the creativeness of your logo design portfolio, and felt your experience and particular design style would be a perfect match for our company. However, we have to be honest and say we feel you are not delivering the quality of work we were hoping for, yet know you are very capable of.”

The last project that this happened with was with a client that ended incredibly badly, and I wrote a lengthy post on the whole disappointing attitude and behaviour of this particular client: A Cautionary Tale: Advice in Using PayPal Safely When Accepting Client Deposit Payments 

I have a number of likely theories on why this seems to be occurring more and more, not to mention how I might better deal with the resounding ‘lack of confidence’ the client clearly is experiencing at that point, and anything I can improve in my own communications.

But right now, I’m just really oddly fascinated with the relatively apparent sudden onset of this behaviour. Curious.