On Being Cheap, Fast and Good
November 2007

I read an article recently which reminded me of the old business saying you can have your product or your service cheap, fast or good --- choose just two. In other words, business tells us that we can have just two; it is not possible to have all three.

It is the same with logo design. We at Powerlogos Design know what we are doing through many years of experience and our credibility-based logo design philosophy. We are able to zero in on a logo design with a specific direction. This makes for a great logo which will work. Doing our work in a specific direction also means less time, therefore less costs to our clients.

But, less time is not four days. This is impossible if the end result is to work. It takes at least a week to plan and agree on the credibility traits which must be visually communicated through non-verbal design elements with our clients. Then it takes about two weeks to translate the agree credibility traits into several visual solutions. Then another two weeks to refine the most promising preliminary designs into a final design we are all happy with. We all know at that point that this final design will be effective.

If my addition is correct, that is five weeks to do the job right.

Where did credible logos get their start? This requirement stems from the teachings of my mentor late graphic design legend, Saul Bass, who is famous for his successful logos for AT&T, United Airlines, United Way, Rockwell International, Alcoa and Continental Airlines (during the period 1968 to 1989). If logos symbolize the company business, characterize particular company attributes and are contemporary they will have power, he would say.

If a design firm says they can do the job in four days, they are giving up something: cheap, fast or good. I would suspect good.

© William L. Haig, Ph.D. or Bill Haig, Ph.D. 2006

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