I like to call myself a designer. I’m not sure if I really am one or not, but I call myself that anyway.
About 90% of the time, I enjoy graphic design. I get to play around with computers and use my creative juices — two things I like doing very much. To top things off, sometimes I make money off of the deal. Certainly helps the ‘fun factor’ a bit.
Tonight was one of those 10% nights. I’m trying to take a basic concept for a logo design and turn it into something that’s really unique and memorable. Right about now I’d call it passable and mildly interesting. Not exactly what I’m shooting for, but sometimes what I get anyway.
The frustrating thing is spending several hours brainstorming ideas on how to improve, only to reach one dead end after another. Now instead of a good, solid logo, I have about ten average ones.
Like I said, I enjoy graphic design 90% of the time, and I’m 90% of the way there on this project. That last 10% is always the hardest. The problem is…creativity can’t go from ‘decent’ to ‘awesome’ by sheer will or by working harder. It just has to come to you.
Sometimes it doesn’t.