Picked a $30 logo over a $500 one for a client pitch - got the job but it backfired hard

Last month I had to choose between using a fancy custom logo I spent 12 hours on or a cheap stock vector I threw together in 10 minutes for a bakery client. I went with the cheap one because the owner said they liked 'simple and fast.' They picked my proposal, but 3 weeks later their competitor showed up with the exact same stock logo. Now I'm stuck redoing it for free while the client keeps sending me angry texts. Anyone else ever win a project with a shortcut that came back to bite you?

3 comments

3 Comments

wesley_jones18d agoMost Upvoted

Own fault. Shoulda checked the license first.

dakotab9318d ago

Simple and fast" never means "use the same thing as everyone else." Always check stock art exclusivity first.

corablack18d ago

Respectfully, I see it differently. The real problem wasn't picking the cheap logo over the fancy one. It was not checking if that stock vector had any usage limits before you handed it over to a paying client. You took a shortcut on the research side, not the design side. That's a separate mistake from deciding which logo to pitch. The client asked for simple and fast, and you gave them that. The issue is you didn't spend the extra minute to see if that image was exclusive or already floating around out there. That's on you for skipping the fine print, not for picking the cheaper option.