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I just wasted $300 on a custom logo because I didn't check the colors myself. | Color Contrast Checks - The Design Community Hub

janab87•5mo ago

I just wasted $300 on a custom logo because I didn't check the colors myself.

I hired a designer for my small clinic's website, and they sent over a beautiful logo with a light gray text on a white background. I approved it because it looked fine on my bright monitor. When we printed it on our new patient forms, you could barely read the clinic name. I had to pay another $300 to have it completely redone with proper dark blue text. Has anyone else been burned by not running a basic contrast check before signing off on a design?

3 comments

3 Comments

stella_shah895mo ago

Ugh that's so frustrating, but honestly the designer should have caught that. A good rule is to always check logos in pure black and white too, because if it doesn't work there, the contrast is definitely off. They really failed you by not showing it on a dark background or a printed proof first.

susanr155mo ago

Actually I see it the other way around. The final check is always on the client, because you know where the logo will be used. I always ask for a test print on my own cheap printer before I approve anything for my shop. It's a hard lesson but it saves money later.

-1

the_jason3mo ago

That little test print move is genius because it really shows how many things look GREAT on a screen but crash and burn in real life. It's the SAME thing with everything now - I see people buying clothes online based on a filtered photo and then wondering why the color is totally different in the sunlight. The final check being on the client makes PERFECT sense because nobody else is going to care as much about your specific setup or lighting or paper quality. It's like everyone wants to skip the boring verification step and just assume it'll work. But that's how you end up with a dark blue logo that looks black on your actual signs.