When I began work as a designer, I imagined generating brilliant solutions with nothing more than my sketchbook and my mind. Just my ideas and my work ethic would be enough to achieve aesthetic success.

Now a little farther down the design road, I find some of the most rewarding work results from collaborative effort. Such is the case with the sad girl illustration for the gottalottaheart card company. Company owner Jeri Sharf crafted a consolation card for the gravest of difficulties. You can view the original illustration here. The written sentiment perfectly pierced through the silence of grief, but the graphic lacked equal weight. The sadness was there, but something was missing.

I rendered the figure in varying weights of rough pencil line, added hands and a background line to ground the figure. The idea did not originate with me. The initial sketch did not come from me. Yet, through a bit of refinement I was able to help this client communicate her message more effectively. It’s about communication. It’s not about me.

Not all projects go final. Such is the case with the logo at left. This design for the Community Alliance for Preservation represented the organization’s mission: “…to enhance Rockingham County’s rural character, urban spaces and natural and cultural resources.” The tree showed rural and natural character, the fence pointed to man-made structures. After a few rounds of revisions, this logo was ready to serve the organization for years to come.

Wrong. Members of the organization decided they wanted to use their existing logo instead. Though all involved were gracious and paid me for my time, the quirky green logo remains buried in a past projects folder on my server. There is no business card or letterhead home for this one, or even a misguided application on a Powerpoint slide.

Still, the fate of the logo must not be mourned. I design for my clients, not myself. Sometimes factors beyond the quality of the design determine a project’s final outcome. Maybe the president’s niece designed the existing logo, or 2,000 T-shirts were printed with the current logo before the redesign began. I may never know the reason why some projects don’t get final approval.

My goal is always to serve my clients. Sometimes that means bringing a project to completion, but sometimes it means letting one go.

I still like this little green guy, don’t you?