Tuesday, October 21, 2008

“If we can get rid of the designers and creative directors...”

In the movie The Player, a studio exec is looking for ways to save money on movie scripts. He picks up a newspaper and reads the first headline he sees: Immigrants protest budget cuts in literacy program. “Human spirit overcoming human adversity,” he suggests. “Sounds like Horatio Alger in the barrio. Put Jimmy Smits in it and you’ve got a sexy Stand and Deliver. Slap a happy ending on it and the script will write itself.”

Another studio exec, Griffin Mill (played by Tim Robbins), snarks in retort: “I was thinking what an interesting concept it is to eliminate the writer from the artistic process. If we can get rid of the actors and directors, maybe we’ve got something.”

Point taken.

But hey, guess what? It looks like some marketing genius is seriously suggesting we take the designers and creative directors out of the process of logo development. Yep, in a recent PBJ article, AllBusiness.com wonders why a small business would spend upwards of $10,000 on its logo — you know, the central image of its brand — when it can fill out a questionnaire and have one produced via l’automation for just $500.

Griffin, any thoughts?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Here's a quick one for ya:

1. You don't have to spend $10K. There are many qualified, talented small to mid size branding agencies that produce and nurture stellar brands and can get through the first go-round (Logo / Tagline) for $3K - 5K.

2. While small business owners may be good at running their business, this does not make them savvy designers. Should we be leaving color and font selections up to the guy who runs a construction company?

3. Put your credit card number into a Website, spend $500 and get a logo. Then, go hire a branding agency, spend $5K, get a logo that is aligned with your company's true brand image, will support the evolution of your brand for years to come, feels unique and dynamic and is properly balanced for optimal scalability. Then, put the two logos next to one another. You'll then understand where that extra money went.

Aaron Haydn McLean
Creative Director/Executive Vice President

www.eight-eleven.com