Got stuck for a full day on a client's weird file format request

A client needed a vector logo, but the only file they had was a tiny, blurry JPEG from their old website. They said it would be 'easy to trace.' I figured maybe an hour. I spent over 8 hours trying to clean it up in Illustrator, but the lines were so pixelated that auto-trace just made a mess. I ended up having to redraw the whole thing by hand from scratch. Has anyone else had a simple-sounding task blow up like this?

4 comments

4 Comments

caseywalker1mo ago

That eight hour shift on a blurry JPEG sounds painfully familiar. I've been in that exact spot, staring at a pixelated mess until my eyes crossed. Redrawing it was definitely the right call, even if it felt like starting over.

miaprice1mo ago

Clients never understand how bad source files can be. That "easy trace" line is a classic trap. Redrawing from scratch is often the only way to get a clean result.

maryr431mo ago

I used to fight for hours trying to fix those files. But you're right, it's a total time sink. Starting over is just faster in the end.

shane1701d ago

Right, because nothing says 'easy trace' like a 50x50 pixel nightmare that looks like it went through a blender. It's like they think we have a magic 'make it perfect' button on our keyboards. At that point, redrawing it by hand isn't just faster, it's survival mode. The auto-trace tool is basically just giving you a mosaic of sad, jagged lines that you have to untangle anyway. I've learned to just quote a full day for anything that comes in as a 'small JPEG' now. It's a trap and we all keep walking into it.