They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I see that regularly as a graphic designer. Tastes vary, and my preference isn’t always the client’s preference. What I think is a really good design may be rejected for an option I didn’t like as much. At other times, they may reject all of my options and it is back to the drawing board. It is hard not to take it personally, and I confess that I still get nervous when I send off initial designs to my clients, but I have toughened up a bit in the fifteen years I have been working as a graphic designer. I’m getting better at dusting myself off and getting back on my computer.
Knowing that everyone’s tastes are different, and that often people aren’t really sure what they are after until they start seeing designs, I regularly send a collection of concept designs to my clients. If I have done well, the client comes back with “I like this, but…” or “I like that, if only it had…” From there I fiddle until we settle on a design the client is happy with.
Why am I telling you this? I hear you ask.
Because the new rhododendron card we have in our spring range was actually a flower I made up as an option for a client. In the end they settled on another of my designs for their new logo, and I was left with a flower that wanted to show its face to the world but couldn’t.
Or so it seemed.
Thankfully, I am also half of Willow Lane. I posted the flower in our virtual office with an enquiry as to whether it would work as part of our range. The answer was a big yes, and the rhododendron greeting card – in two styles – joined our spring collection. It has now even become a mug range and appears on one of our totes.
I hope you like them.
Naomi
About the Author: Naomi Blythe
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