Right, so the name Molly Ackerman came up today. Funny how names just stick in your head, sometimes for weird reasons. It took me back a few years to this one specific gig I did. Wasn’t even a massive project, but man, it was something else.
The Kick-off
We got this brief, seemed simple enough on the surface. Client wanted a particular feel, very specific look. They kept referencing styles, and somehow that name, Molly Ackerman, got thrown around a lot in the early meetings. Not sure if it was an artist they liked, or just a vibe they were trying to pin down. Honestly, it felt a bit vague from the start.
So, I dove in. First thing, I gathered up all the reference materials they sent over, plus anything else I could find that seemed to fit this “Ackerman” style they were hinting at. Spent a good couple of days just soaking it all in, trying to figure out the core elements.
Getting Hands Dirty
Then came the actual work. Fired up the usual tools, started sketching out some initial ideas. Tried a few different approaches based on my interpretation. Put together the first round of mockups. Sent them over, feeling pretty okay about them. Thought I’d captured the essence, you know?
Well, the feedback came back. Polite, but basically, “Nope, not quite it.” Okay, fair enough. Round two. This time I focused more on specific details they mentioned. Tweaked the colors, played around with the layouts, adjusted the fonts. Really tried to nail down that elusive vibe. Sent off the updated versions.
Feedback round two: “Getting closer, but…” And then a whole new list of changes. This went on for a while. Back and forth, back and forth. Each time, I’d rework things, spend hours adjusting pixels, moving elements just slightly. It felt like chasing a ghost. One minute they loved a direction, the next it was totally wrong.
The Grind
It got pretty draining, I won’t lie. Late nights became common. You start questioning your own understanding, your own skills even. You look at the screen so long everything starts to blur.
- Tried simplifying things.
- Tried making things more complex.
- Even tried combining elements from different previous versions they’d commented on.
It felt like we were going in circles. The core issue, I think, was that the initial vision wasn’t clearly defined on their end. They were using this name, this idea, but maybe didn’t fully know what it meant themselves. So I was basically iterating based on shifting goalposts.
Wrapping It Up (Finally)
Eventually, after what felt like forever, we landed on something they signed off on. It wasn’t my favorite piece of work, truth be told. Felt a bit Frankenstein-ed together from all the feedback rounds. But hey, the client was happy, and the project was closed. We got it done.
It’s just funny how that name, Molly Ackerman, immediately transports me back to that specific grind. The frustration, the endless revisions, the feeling of trying to hit a target that kept moving. It’s not about the name itself, really, but about that whole experience. Some projects are smooth sailing, others teach you… patience. Yeah, let’s call it patience.
