A great client treats the designer like a partner in crime. They talk about goals, a vision, and brainstorm about how to make it happen. The big picture—the brand—is always part of the story.

Catherine Pandori was at Notre Dame High School for many years and I was able to help her bring the school’s brand together into a bright story about young women learning to be leaders, having fun and getting ready to make their mark on the world. To this day, I don’t remember who came up with which idea, but the results still stand up today.

Small one-person startups often worry about costs in creating a logo and applying it, so try to create their own—usually with clearly unprofessional results. But retaining a freelance designer you can trust is always a better choice, and the outcome will always be worth the relatively small cost outlay.

Jennifer Goddeau has been in the management consulting business for a long time but started a leadership coaching practice awhile back and asked me for a logo. She had an inspiration around strength and resiliency in the form of a hummingbird. I created the logo (just could not get that hummer to sit still!), we brainstormed on taglines, then I applied both to business cards and a leave-behind postcard. We found a simple templated site at Wix, and I added the design elements and adjusted it to her needs, helping with images and massaging her wording. You can find her at goddeauconsulting.com.

Several people came together to create this Art Auction fundraising event in 2009, then a plein-air landscape painting-inspired show. I was excited to create the logo and materials, and each year the event has improved on the past and grown. Now with a revamped logo and name—the EYNC Spring Gala and Auction—it is in its 11th successful year.

I donate the work for this event pro-bono, and what I’m most proud of is that the look of the logos and consistency of the materials fit the client—like a black-headed grosbeak fits the Nature Preserve! Everyone involved is passionate about nature, the environment, the animals, the history and natural history of the American River, as well as educating and sharing with others.