A Turning point

The first thing that you notice about a brand is their logo, but that is often the last element to building or rebuilding a brand. My Creative Graphic Consultant position at the Temple University SBDC allows me to create new identities for client’s brands or rebrand its existing logo. My first client, somewhere2turn had a social work business and wanted me to create a logo for the company as well as several other items included in the ‘creative package.’ I would like to go into detail about our collaboration since November 2021 and expand upon my experience working with the Temple University SBDC.

The creative package includes a logo, letterhead, business card, as well as different formats of all the creatives. I had the pleasure of working with an engaged client, and he and I collaborated closely to ensure that his needs were met. I worked around 15-18+ hours a week on top of going to class, studying and balancing relationships and personal hobbies, but it was well worth seeing the end results. One of the things I learned to hone in on is my restorative nature, I like problem solving. This position has taught me to be more patient with technology, to be more attentive to detail, and to find how to describe a brand’s message through creative.

I worked in Adobe Illustrator throughout the entire designing process. The application gave me some issues in the beginning, the files would save in their latest version and some of the fonts kept reverting to Calibri after being saved, but I soon managed to work around the issues. The client wanted a graphic/text combo to use in the company letterhead, business cards, and any other company materials. I was resourceful and used my skills in my past courses such as Digital Tools for Advertising, Psychology of Advertising, Intro to Brand Strategy, and others to ensure that my first client’s needs were met.

The client was extremely patient and understanding. Although the project should have been completed in two months, it took around 6-7 months for the final product to be chosen. I learned how to use my interpersonal skills to think like the client and target audience so that the logo could be decoded correctly and send the right message.

Another accomplishment of mine is working with my manager and supervisor, rewriting the process of how we handle new clients since the switch and addition of our virtual office space. I collaborated with my superiors to instruct our clients of our new initial deposit fee and how to register in our system so we can begin designing as soon as possible. I created a new ‘creative kit’ which is a PDF full of questions and prompts that the client will fill out to help us begin the designing process.

I now have another client and plan to keep improving my skills so that I can work more efficiently!