I remember the day when a box appeared with five Moleskines. Each journal had a logo debossed on the cover with an end paper with development sketches.
So cool!
The logo started as a monogram for a book cover (lettered with Higgins, ink, and crow quill pen on tracing paper). See all the sketches here.
Here’s the story behind those Moleskines and a monogram that became a logo.
“As I talk about this… The Win Without Pitching Manifesto came out about 13 years ago, and the designer who designed the book, Brian Sooy, did the WWP monogram as part of the book that became the logo of the business.
One day he shared with me his notes, a piece of paper where he sketched all these variations of that monogram. He had a skull and crossbones version, and he had 40 versions. I said, "Send me that." Then I took it, had it printed on the inside of a moleskin and sent him a bunch of copies.
I look at that, and I think that is a glimpse into the creative mind of how we got to the end product. I am completely fascinated by it. As somebody who's creative through words and not through visuals, I love seeing the visual journey of the creative process, and I think we don’t place enough value in how the sausage is made.
I think we could do a better job of showing that off because when you just show finished products, it's like, “Yes, okay, you're finished, your outputs look the same as every other firm I'm talking to.” There is something about making the journey the client will take with you visible and allowing them to see themselves in it that is really powerful, really compelling.”
People love to watch creative professionals work. The process is part of the end product for the people we serve. If you were to sit with me and watch, it would make me uncomfortable because I’m concerned you’ll find it boring.
To me, it’s ordinary. To you, it’s fascinating.
AI co-creation tools skip the joy and accidental discovery of the design and creative process. I may never have arrived at the intricacy and elegance of the WWP monograms without my sketches for another client’s logo that appeared above the WWP explorations (see the top left in the image).
The strategy and design process is contextual. At times it’s chaotic, sometimes messy, yet always disciplined.
Category design is structured and disciplined
Graphic design is structured, disciplined, and messy.
Lettering design can be structured and disciplined yet is often messy and chaotic.
As Derek Sivers writes, “What’s ordinary to you is amazing to others.”
Listen to Blair Enns and David C. Baker on the 2Bobs podcast.
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