Stop overthinking the logo.

One of the best parts about working with businesses to design their logo, brand and identity is taking part in the big picture. Often many people are pretty short sighted and think that getting an awesome logo will fix their issues and it is all up hill from there. But that is often, as many of us know, just not the case.

Something that as creatives, we often struggle with finishing. I published a blog earlier about why perfectionism is killing you. But this theme often has big implications in the quality of the product. We struggle with completing a job and saying that it is indeed "finished". This constant fear is what keeps us back from growing and essentially getting more (and important) work.

The constant need to nitpick, change kerning, colors, types, adjustments here and there in order to make it perfect. But this over-analyzation is not what is important.

One of the most recognizable logos on the planet is the Nike Swoosh. That icon can be seen around the world and even if some pretty far off corners and everyone still knows what it stands for. But the question I often ask is. "Can I (or you) make that?"

Am I able to make a logo like that. Now there is nothing incredible special about the check mark. Is the check mark so good that it helps Nike sell billions of dollars of product? Sure, a solid logo always helps. But is it the only reason they are so successful? Surely not.

Many designers are perfectly capable of drawing the swoosh or coming to a similar solution. It is not, technically speaking, a difficult logo to create. Nothing that makes the mark inherently impossible at a skill level for someone to come up with it.

The power of a mark is often found on the other end of things. The business and marketing aspect of what makes the company great. Does the company tell amazing stories? Offer incredible value? Impeccable customer service? Top of the line products? Etc etc. These are the things that make a company great and in turn make the logo have value.

This is why I encourage many designers to finish. If you have any chops you are able to make a good logo. Now, will it become as powerful and well known as the swoosh? That is up to the company and how they use the mark. Plenty of businesses are started every day and have fantastic logos. But poor execution and a million other reasons dooms them for failure.

This type of thinking leaves us designers open to be more valuable if we have the know how to help those companies get the most usage out of their identity. This valuable relationship helps us become more then just pixel pushers.

It doesn't need to be perfect, don't overthink something that just needs to be good enough.

Perfectionism is killing you.

I always thought that with my creative projects that I was a "perfectionist". That everything had to be just right in order for me to call the project finished. Embracing it as some kind of quirky creative character flaw that seems to follow most people in this community.

As I started growing in my understanding of self, I found out that this perfectionism was killing my growth and was simply an excuse to not ever finish work and start more.

Perfectionism is fear.

I will draw this example to show you what I mean. Let us take a fine art piece I begin working on. I start getting to the fine tuning end of the project, the final details so to speak. I used to not be able to stop picking at it and call it "done". Tons of creative artists never "finish" projects. When you call a project finished, that means that it is open to review...open to criticism. Most of our egos are pretty fragile and we like to keep it as safe as possible.

By not ever finishing anything and when we run into criticism, we can simply say, "Well it isnt finished yet...." This protects our ego's from the stones of opinion that get tossed at our work. Work that often we pour differentiated levels of ourselves into. The ol' blood, sweat and tears.

We want to take this thing that we have created and protect it...protecting ourselves from the reality of what other people think.

This inability to deal with 3rd part influences or criticism keeps our growth at bay, from truly tapping into something great that we have to offer our community.

It is our duty to finish our work, whatever it may be. Mark it and label it as finished, that way we can send it off into the world for further review. Maybe everyone hates it but then again..what if they don't? Often times, the success is more daunting than the failure, since failure is often expected and success isn't.

Finishing work lets you get started on more and repeat the cycle. Increasing your chance of finding something that is worth doing, something that matters.

Stop making it perfect and finish it.

Helping myself

There has been one thing that has helped me the most in my search for growth as a designer. It is pretty simple

Do more work and make it public.

I always thought that I was a perfectionist growing up. That I did such little amounts of pieces and work because I always wanted it to be perfect. But in the recent years I have learned that that is a bunch of crap.

I was and am.... scared.

When I was younger my sketchbook was always filled with finished pieces mostly and not ideas. It was filled with things that I would be proud to show people if they thumbed through my book. I was scared to have anyone look at stuff that wasn't good, that wasn't finished and that didn't show my skills. There was some kind of irrational fear that showed itself as perfectionism. 

There was a moment where I became a bit more self aware about my own growth as a person and designer. I was stagnant and boring...there was nothing being added and I professionally suffered for it (hell even personally).

So I decided to do more work...and show people. I made a online portfolio and an Instagram account along with some other platforms to showcase my work. It forces me to continually do more work, practicing, trying new ideas trying to better myself. But most importantly I have it public. For all eyes to see, to judge, to like, to not like..to comment etc etc.

This helps to keep me honest. To slowly build a body of work that represents who I am as a designer and person.

Hopefully this lesson doesn't come too late for me. Hopefully any damage done can slowly be mended as I try to "Quiet the lizard brain." Seth Godin. And do my best to be proud of my work.

So my tip to anyone out there. Do more work....and show it.