Reamed at work...
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- dMullins0
Well this has been bugging the hell out of me all night, and I kept thinking to myself, "I know I didn't see this damn movie, hell, I never even really heard of it." Which got me wondering why I even ended up going this direction in the first place. So I opened up my work folder for this project and poured all the assets for other jobs, including a Keynote presentation that included logos my "Art Director" had created first. I remembered that I was the second designer on this, and that I was asked to come in and do some new explorations because no one was happy with the "Art Director's" options. Then I saw it.
This was a logo that she gave to me, and I remembered she had given me input on this, saying that it felt "hero-ish" and that I should give a go at this.
I feel 150% better about this entire situation now, knowing that my superior sat aside chuckling to herself (she doesn't like me), while I got my ass handed to me. This was good enough of a resolution for me. I realized that it's time to gtfo of here ASAP, when possible.
- Punch her in the tits on your way out the door.rascuache
- d_rek0
dMullins,
I feel your pain... sometimes from either absurd timelines or client demands we are often not left with much time for exploration and/or research. Unfortunately where I work we are often allowed to do ample research... it's the exploration part that's missing. If your superiors don't understand that both are integral and important to the creative process - especially if they want to produce unique, custom visual artifacts - then they will in all likelyhood run into this problem again.
What's even more alarming though is it sounds as if they value your talent in dollar signs. They no longer see the value in producing unique solutions for clients... i'm suprised they don't just have a big book of 'rejected' logos lying around for clients to shop from. Hell, why not build a web template library while they're at it? I understand the financial situation all too well... but even still, it can't hurt to begin shopping around for a better gig.
Cheers and good luck Holmez.
- cannonball19780
*on cell phone*
"Jimbo! Yeah. Not happy today. I was playing golf and my partner said his daughter said our new business card looks like the Invisibles logo. Yeah, the Pixar one. What?... Who gives a fuck if it's not even a registered trademark. I'm calling to fry your ass on this. My wife wouldn't give me anal last night. What? Yeah you better crack some skulls. I don't know what kind of a monkey shop you're running down there... we still on for lunch at Hooter? Ok good buddy see you then"
- MSTRPLN0
Not a rip, but awfully close for the "feel"
First thing that popped into my mind was this:
- sofakingbanned0
This totally sucks and makes me mad just reading it.
Bottom line, you need to find a new job asap. These people do not respect or trust you and will never do so.
Is the logo close meh kinda, but thats not the big story here... its how they handled this, thats the BIG red flag in this story.
I once worked for a guy (design studio) that would through his designers under the bus in front of clients. It was the most disrespectful thing to watch... even clients felt bad after those meetings. After a while it just got worst and he did more and more fucked up things to everyone. He now owns a studio with 1 employee and 1 client. Everyone bounced on that fucker. Clients and employees.
These people seem to have some of that in them. Leave that place.
- re: "these people" - it could be just the CEO or one higher up and no one wanted to get involved.zarkonite
- I read HR being in the same room. If they were ok with this type of thing I'm assuming this place is bad.sofakingbanned
- airey0
if you gave the brief to 50 designers and asked for 10 ideas in one afternoon you'd end up with at least 30 similar versions. fuckem.
- 4040
I find it hard to believe that NOBODY in your company or the company you were designing the logo for missed that it does resemble the incredibles. I'm not saying you ripped it, I'm just saying that I understand you never saw the friggin movie but I'm sure someone has and how can it be that nobody mentioned "hey that looks similar to the incredibles" haha wow.
- Thanks for repeating what everyone ALREADY SAIDmonospaced
- np404
- btw, eat my ass!404
- monNom0
Be glad that all it cost you was a slap on the wrist.
You can choose to focus on the indignity of being called into the office about it, or you can change your workflow to limit these sorts of issues in the future.
If I was in your boss's position, I'd want to see that you were dedicated to not repeating the mistake. Rather than dedicated to proving you weren't at fault
- gramme0
When designing a logo for a brand that would typically elicit copious look-alike solutions (this usually has more to do with the company's name and other pieces of equity, rather than limitations in your court as the designer), it's always good practice. to research the hell out of every good idea you have. As someone pointed out to me recently here on QBN, you won't plumb the depths of the business world by searching Google, Flickr, logolounge, etc., but you will give due diligence.
That being said: You need to leave this job yesterday. It sounds like a culture of blame-shifting as others have hinted at above. Very toxic. I would seriously start looking for your next job as soon as possible.
- luckyorphan0
Having been on the wrong side of a misunderstanding at work, I understand how frustrating it is to not have anything but your word to back up the fact that you made a mistake. It can be so mind-numbingly infuriating, the sense of powerlessness, that it can make you sick.
But, I must part company here a bit with many here and say that frankly, you were put in the driver's seat on this project, and you drove the car into a wall. If you were given an assignment that had anything even remotely to do with super powers, and did your due diligence in terms of research, you would have come across "The Incredibles," plain and simple. And it blows my mind that you didn't come across it on your own, regardless of whether or not you saw the film, given that the marketing for that movie was so ubiquitous that it wallpapered the country for a full year. But hey, it's possible.
Yes, other eyes should have checked your work, as crillix wisely put it (this will no doubt be a step you always follow on your own from now on). And yes, the company should stand by their product, but in the end, this is on you. It is your job to do exhaustive research and provide your client with a solid product. I can see how you could naturally come to the palette you used, and the font was required, but in the end, this was a ball that was dropped.
That being said, your company dealt with this very poorly. As you are right to say and feel, they should have given you the benefit of the doubt. They should have asked you for an explanation, and overall, been a hell of a lot more diplomatic and professional about this. They have the right to roll shit downhill, but they should keep a lot of it at the top.
In the end, it is your job to know what you're doing and provide quality design solutions. It's not your job to blame other people for not catching your mistakes.
- ^ gramme is on to something, with regards to the job, tho.luckyorphan
- +1 for the view from the other side of the pondtypist
- Well said.ayport
- ayport0
If you leave, try to leave on the best of terms. It would suck to quit and that be taken as an admission of guilt in some convoluted way...
- Yes. Be a professional. Always.luckyorphan
- Absolutely right.gramme
- 74LEO0
You have to be aware of your subconscious decisions. Even though you didn't consciously choose this your mind probably already associated Remarkables with incredibles, invisibles. Its actually good branding my disney. Look at your color choices also. Was that a random decision?
- cuke4260
it was a good movie, i liked it.
you should have done research but yeah they are dicks bottom line. poor management
- FredMcWoozy0
I think HR and your boss are fucking clueless.
You can use this quote if you want and my email.
- MrNibs0
am I missing something? You said: internally WE picked 4. Who is WE? And why wasn't WE in the room getting a communal ass reaming along with you?
- marychain0
wanna re-read that?
- ali0
Unless disney own the colour red those logos are more than different enough for them to have not treated you like that. Bad teamwork there, I would expect an apology for that or find some better people to work with.
- you can bet that disney has trademarked everything related to their property... and will protect it tooth and nail.monNom
- Disney once had an elementary school remove their characters from a mural inside the school. No joke.luckyorphan
- noneck0
I could see Disney getting pissed, but it's not a rip.
Having said that, you are not a legal department. Due diligence is not your job.
- +1chrisRG
- +2black-marmalade
- +3sleepyfatso
- - 6. Back to zero.luckyorphan
- marychain0
not a rip......
but too close for comfort
- zenmasterfoo0
I liked the baby in that movie. Regarding your work, I can see the similarities. It's too bad the colors, the exclamation point and the swooshes were all in there when your client went home and rented this movie for his kids - then checked his account to see how much he paid your company for the work. Bad timing.