I recently took on a logo design project. The client found me on Google and reached out via email. And that gave me a bit more confidence in my SEO strategy 😄
The logo was to be half drawing and half calligraphy, so I initially thought that I was supposed to do the calligraphy part only, but in fact, no: the client wanted me to brush the whole design!
That was a bit scary actually, because I am a calligrapher, not a Sumi-e artist or a painter… So It would require some serious practice.
The client's request was for a magpie drawn inside a ring, with the word "Magpie" in Katakana next to it.
The request was clear and simple. And it made me think about what the ring should be. Was it meant to be a Enso (zen circle)? Or could it be a moon maybe? Or something cleaner like a family crest? I couldn’t decide, so I made many variations.
Same for the Magpie, it was hard for me to get clear vision. So I have to admit, I looked again at How Miyamoto Musashi did his bird paintings. He made several ones, but his most famous one is “Shrike in a Barren Tree” (see my previous posts about it). Of course, I would not be able to draw a bird like him, and it was not the point anyway since the logo has to be stylized.
Finally, since calligraphy is my field, the Katakana part was less of a challenge compared to the bird 😄
I presented five options to the client, including one I felt particularly confident about. However, they ended up choosing another one, which I personally liked less.
It made me reflect on Tastes and Needs: because this was a commissioned work, my taste and my feeling should not be as important as those of the client. I work to bring his vision to life, not mine. It is a difficult but interesting exercise, that calligraphers rarely have the opportunity to do. It is always a rewarding experience.
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