When you don't work with a professional

I'm often asked about spec work, the $99 logos, and the "free websites" out there. It's a whole DIY level of design that I don't even like to address. The same way that looking up a condition on webmd.com doesn't make you a doctor, these sites don't make you a designer. And worse, it cheapens your brand. And I've gone into that on other posts, so I'm not going to do it here. What I am going to do is show you something. A sign I keep passing on my way up to Wisconsin. So full of information that I don't know what to read first. Or what the name of the business even is. So many colors, type, and sizes. There's no order or sense of visual hierarchy. I think the logo might be in the upper left corner. I don't know. Is the name New Economical or is it their key selling point? These are questions that I shouldn't even have. When you're driving down a highway and you have only a couple of seconds to process information, it shouldn't be this hard. Of course, keeping it simple is my motto. Obviously it's not theirs. And I googled them. It's called Asian Gourmet.