Is it possible to grow as a designer or an artist without constructive criticism? I submitted my previous design for the 500NAMES campaign and received great feedback. Rock WILK, the client (and amazing artist) requested that I fix ONE thing about the previous design. He wanted me to increase the visibility of the text “FIVE” (located behind “500″). That was it, at least at first. He then  mentioned wanting to be able to use the text “500Names” portion of the design as a logo – which was vital. I changed the opacity of the “FIVE” and it no longer felt strong to me, it felt dark and heavy, and so  I  was compelled to re-approach this project with new eyes, bearing in mind the logo idea. I did the unthinkable and started from scratch, only retaining some portion of the font treatment. The end result is posted above and was submitted. This is the first time that I’ve ever incorporated an  image within the text/characters, which wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t get the feedback that I got. Constructive criticism goes a long way and its important for me as a designer to be open to it and apply it as best as I can.

Rock WILK has already incorporated this design on his website!  Check it out LIVE here.  I think I will still build upon this design and incorporate the names of his donors as I did in the first iteration …the mental wheels are turning…