Creating your own design concepts can save money.

Got a design in your head but you cannot make it happen?  Not everyone can be a designer but you can create the concept.

As a media consultant, I do not always make the perfect design.  Sometimes, I have to outsource in order to get results.   To save time and money, however, you can create a concept that will allow your designer to have a clear and focused direction.

There are tons of free graphic sites that can help you to build your vision to the point where someone just has to put on the final touches.   My expertise lies in the concept, but I am not a professional graphic designer so I cannot always get high resolution.  So, I create the logo and send it to someone who can.  Because it usually involves a simple process, the cost is minimal.

Here is how a typical concept design happens.

I had a grandiose vision of a top hat design.   I thought it would be interesting to show you the process along the way.

1. The concept is always easier in your head

I just couldn’t create one top hat that suited me and this logo is what happened.  The concept went from white hat to “eating up the digital world.”  Nice, but not quite there yet. The colour just isn’t right and it does not say HQ corporate.  So it’s back to the drawing board.

The colour just isn’t right and it does not look corporate enough.

• Certainly, a change of colour will do the trick?

Um, Nope. It could be better.

• What about Blue?

And again, no!

• Let’s try something different.  What about a monogram for the lettering instead?

2. There is always a back to the drawing board moment

Really like this idea, but I cannot put it in that design so let’s try something else.

• Ok, so I love the lines and triangles but I hate the font.

• Hours later and a few adjustments, I finally have a design that I can live with.  It contains almost all of the elements that I started with except the top hat.  But, it is lighter, softer and a bit more corporate.

3. The struggles are real but the effort always pays off

The end result makes me happy.  It is the logo that I want for my business but as you can see the quality needs an uplift. I want it in High Resolution and maybe a colour tweak or two.  For that, I will have to outsource so it will be perfect.  I know the limits of what I can produce and I am ok with that.  That is why professionals exist.  Just make sure when you hire someone that they exceed what you can do.  Otherwise, there is no point paying for it.

As a final note,  because I chose this one, in the end, it does not mean I do not like the other ones.  It’s just not for this particular project.

And, I haven’t given up on the top hat design for some other purpose. Oh, the places the creative mind can go.