Sep 03 2008
Some time ago, probably around our second year of business, we were approached by a pilates studio in the West Linn area. Nice enough people but the project unfortunately fizzled. I don't blame them but instead chalk it up to poor communication and our personalities not exactly meshing. It can happen. But what has stayed with me from that one experience is that the client felt that we couldn't deliver the right logo because our logo designer (ahem, me) didn't have any pilates experience.
Immediately I thought that maybe there was some truth in that. And to a degree I guess there could be. After all, if I happen to love and enjoy soccer (which I do), I can probably design a pretty good logo just because I'm so familiar with the sport from playing so many years. But I can also fail miserably despite that if the communication between the client and I is broken. And that's exactly what happened with this pilates logo.
The argument that a designer needs to have experience in a particular industry is completely flawed. If that were really the case I don't know how my team and I could design a painting and construction logo and website (none of us do construction outside of small DIY projects), a salon / spa logo and website (none of us are stylists), an attorney's logo and website, or even this pilates studio's website. Beyond us, how could any designer create anything outside of their realm if that theory were true?
What should happen, however, is a thorough discovery phase.
A designer or design team needs to do this before any creative solutions are even thought about. Further, it should cover more than just style. This first and crucial phase (which is mainly a conversation with the client and a few other things) needs to cover business and marketing goals and strategies, both short- and long-term. It needs to get into the nitty-gritty of who the audience is, how the finished product should be perceived, what the outcome will be, why it needs to happen and how it aligns with goals, and more. And to throw a wrench into the mix, every client is different. So what goes into one discovery phase with client X won't necessarily work with client Y or Z.
So no, the people (or person if that's the case) you've hired to design your logo (or website, or whatever) doesn't need to be experienced in what you do. What they do need is a thorough process for getting to know you and your company. But that can't happen without your input.