That is a tough question. Obviously it depends on how much your client wants to spend, how picky they are, how complex the logo, whether they know what they want or not, whether they *think* they know what they want or not…(more below)
Let’s say for the sake of argument that your client has the tenacity of a bulldog and unlimited financial resources. In that case my answer is that there is no “too many”. Not because we want to milk every dime out of your client but because it is our job to get them the logo they need and desire. Sometimes that takes a great deal of patience on our part.
The process can be a killer on your pride (which is a good thing). You do something that you think is “AWESOME!” and the client reacts with something like, “Oh, that is way too technical.” or the classic, “That is very nice…but not what I’m looking for.” My advise, don’t react as soon as you read the email, or if you’re on the phone just let it roll by and move on. I get the impression that many designers forget that our job is a service job…we serve the needs of others. Servants don’t tell the boss, “You have no clue what you are talking about and you need to listen to me!” Servants say, “Yes sir.”
Don’t get me wrong, we are trained in the art of visual communication and folks should often put their ideas in the hands of the professional, but that is not always going to happen. Also, like it or not, aesthetics are a subjective matter. There is a bit of gray area (although not as much as is needed sometimes!)
So when you’re tired and weary you have two choices:
- Have a bad attitude and allow your pride and ego to say, “This moron doesn’t know what he’s talking about, why won’t he listen to me!” (which I think we all feel that way when we first get shot down, but to hang onto it is pretty immature)
- Accept the challenge, let the situation push you to your best, to new discoveries and, hopefully, to your client saying, “Well Done, it is better than I hoped for.” I’ll tell you from experience that that is a good feeling.
I’d love to hear your thoughts…