Su Jang’s catering company needed a logo that would reflect her DIY punk-rock sensibilities (The company is named after “New Rose” by the Damned, the first U.K. punk rock single) without offending her upscale Oak Park/River Forest, IL clients.
I’d argue my best logo work (and most good logos in general) are a result of familiarity, trust, and good communication with a client. If the client trusts the designer, and the designer understands the client’s needs, a logo will come quickly. If it’s round after round of design by committee, it rarely goes well.
In this case, it only took a weekend, bouncing a few rough ideas around, before Su settled on a Tudor rose and House Industries’ “Malfunction” type with a few tweaks. I’m happy to say that after more than a decade of use, the aspiring Violet Crawleys of River Forest society still have no idea that their favorite caterer’s logo is a tribute to Rat Scabies and Captain Sensible. And it looks great stenciled on a road case.
If I remember correctly, Su didn’t ever actually pay me for the work, but she took me to Las Vegas to see the Damned last spring, so we’re all good. My rates are very negotiable.