Sounds familiar?

This is not only one of the most common “pickles” logo designers find themselves in, it is also one of the most frustrating.
Although I admit these clients aren’t quite like “The Clients from Hell” (see George Ryan’s post), it still can be quite frustrating trying to please a client who has no clue how they want their logo designed.

Although clients like these will always roam the earth, don’t give up, there is a solution to the problem:  Imagination.

The definition of imagination is ability to visualize: the ability to form images and ideas in the mind, especially of things never seen or experienced directly.
And that’s just what we need when we find ourselves in those sticky situations.
It’s our imagination that makes us good logo designers, not how “smart” we are.
Don’t be afraid to try really weird designs that you come up with; these strange concepts can sometimes be the best.
Also, look for ways you can make your logo unique, eye catching; a dull, uninteresting logo is very unlikely to excite a client.

It’s amazing how much time you can waste just sitting there at the computer biting your fingernails,  trying to figure out a good design scenario.
Do something else for a change; rake the leaves,  something to clear you brain.
You wouldn’t believe how many times I just couldn’t come up with an good concept and when I just got up off the computer and started doing something else, the ideas came flooding in.
So much so, that I had to stop what I was doing to get back on and see how they worked.
Try it, and if nothing else, at least you got something done.
Also, when thinking up concepts, remember that your logo should be designed in such a way that it is unique and memorable while it also reminds one of whatever service or product your clients business or organization provides.
For example:
Let’s pretend you were designing a logo for JS Bait & Tackle.
Ask yourself a few questions: What kind of things are related to fishing? Worms, hooks, fishing poles, ect…  How can you cleanly incorporate these ideas into your design?
Use your imagination when trying to piece things together like that.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to say that imagination is everything in logo design, only that every graphic designer needs it.

Speaking of imagination, try to imagine where all the logo designers across the world would be if it wasn’t for powerful graphic design programs like Adobe Illustrator?
I can tell you, we’d be out of business; as a matter a fact we wouldn’t have been in business in the first place.
But you must remember that even if you know Illustrator like a pro, are you really smarter then someone who doesn’t?
That is a question that deserves careful consideration, however I think we can come to a reasonable conclusion:
Even with the best imagination, Graphic designers could go nowhere without design software.
But on the other hand, the best software is useless without a brain to use it!
It is sort of like a vehicle: What is more important, the gas or the vehicle?
No vehicle could run without fuel; but what good does the fuel do without a car to put it in!

Do you get my point?

I didn’t think so.

Let’s just put it this way, every designer needs good design software,  but more importantly needs a good imagination.
And I suppose the only question remaining is how smart we really are.

Now days there is a free software program for every kind of work that we do with computers,  whether it is basic word-processing for home users or graphic designing work for professionals. There is even free software for professional video editing work,  the only exception being 3D software. Although there are a few free software programs that can do basic 3D work,  there are none in the professional arena.

Some of the pros and cons of using free sofware are listed below :

Pros :

·    It’s free. Yes, you don’t need to spend anything to have it.
·    Flexible-  You can use it or not to use it. You have the freedom of using it. You can start using it whenever you like and can stop whenever you wish.
·    No charge to test drive. You can always give it a try to see if it will work for you, and there is no time frame for how long you can try it out. Some paid software provide fully working demo versions, but they are time limited, and the ones that are not time limited may only let you try a few features.
·    No rush – Learn at your own pace. You can acquire the software and learn it at your own pace. There will be no time limit bugging your mind.
·    Use more than one program – Use it with other software. You can use free software along with a paid one. You can profit from the unique features of that software without adding to the cost.

Cons :

·    The future isn’t always bright:  Sometimes free software is discontinued after a few versions. The reasons can be not getting enough developers to work on the project or the software itself not getting enough response. It is the worst thing to happen, its very difficult to switch to another software after spending lots of time in mastering one. And if you need to buy new software, then?
·    Again, the future isn’t always bright -  Sometimes paid software can be changed to paid ones, though this is a rare case but this can happen. Due to dearth of funds sometimes a free software needs to be changed to a paid one.
·    No support. Though there are a lot of users of free softwares, and the users help each other, you will rarely find any official support from the developers.
·    Less learning material. Learning materials for these softwares are very rare. The user base of some the free softwares is very large, despite that there aren’t many good learning materials available in the market.
·    Bugs, bugs and bugs. Most of the free softwares have lots of bugs and as there is rarely any official support, it can sometimes be very annoying.

Choosing the right software:

Now, the question arises, can the free software be compared with the paid software. The answer is more yes and less no. In terms of features some free software can come very close to the paid ones, only a few high-end features may not be available. But, before you start using free software take into consideration the following points. These will help you choose the right software :

·   The tools & the features : It’s not just what kind of tools or features there are in the particular software that is worth knowing but its better to know if these features are really required, i.e. are you really going to use these features. Some software comes with a lot of tools, but these are of no use to professionals. So, first make a list of features and tools that you’re going to need and then compare it with the features and tools of the software.

·    Familiarity with the particular software:  Though most of the free softwares are easy to learn, an unfamiliar software can take a lot of time to learn. Even after you learn a software it takes lot more time to master it and time is more precious than money.

·    Take other people’s opinion: It’s a good thing to read the opinions of other users of that software. By doing so you can easily come to know about the pros and cons of that software. Just search about that software in the internet.

·    Read the license agreement of the software: Before using a software always read the license agreement of that software. Some software allows you to use them any way you wish. But there are some which allow you to use them freely for personal purposes but charge a fee if you are using them for professional work.

Last but not the least; my suggestion. If you are new in the design arena and also a little cash starved go for a free one. And for others there’s nothing wrong with giving it a try, after all its free.