Comments on: What Determines the Number of Concepts you Show to a Client?

By: Tad DeWree

Tad DeWree — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 23:49:45 +0000

Ideally 1-3. You should be so on point that more is unnecessary.

Even at an early stage. Use three to determine tone, look and theme.

More? Too many variables.

Paul Rand, when presenting Steve Jobs the NEXT computer logo, he showed just one. But he made a great case for it.

More? Usually means you, or the client is lost.

Best of luck. Works for us.

By: Paul Galbraith

Paul Galbraith — Thu, 27 May 2010 10:53:55 +0000

I like to involve the client as much as possible throughout the process with the understanding from the start that we're aiming for one final concept. This concept is then presented in black and white, to avoid any distractions with colour and I explain the decisions made that lead to that final design. This process usually proves successful but on the occasions when it doesn't, we then try to identify which elements of the design are not working and look back over the process to see why they were chosen and what alternatives there are, that would work better for the client. Latest Post: How the Pros and Cons of Spec Work Impact You

By: Manuel Olmo

Manuel Olmo — Sat, 01 May 2010 07:07:36 +0000

Three is the magic number, but less is better. In the end the client wants to be satisfied and it’s a matter of getting to know what they want and need. Always remember the project has to comply with the client and reach the end user.

When you don’t know the client, it may take more steps. This is very important to know when pricing. You don’t want to end up working for free.

By: Duane

Duane — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 00:05:07 +0000

I typically show 1-3 concepts to a client. The number usually depends on my determination of the strength of the concept. The last thing you want to do is overwhelm the client with too many alternatives as it usually makes it difficult to maintain control of the process.

By: Joshua Geiger - 1981

Joshua Geiger - 1981 — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 14:13:07 +0000

I’m pretty much right there with Jeff. Typically three concepts and they are all in black and white until a concept is chosen. Back on my sketch pad, I’ll probably have a few pages of thumbnail sized concepts or ideas… but that always gets narrowed down to the few best in the bunch and then those are refined before allowing the client to see anything.

By: Fabian

Fabian — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 14:11:12 +0000

After trial and error I have come to realize that some clients tend to get confused and find it hard to make a choice if offered too many concepts at one time. I only send a client one concept at a time and let it be judged on it own merits, from there it gives me a clearer direction in which to come up with the suitable solution.

By: Camille Friend

Camille Friend — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:34:54 +0000

I typically show clients 2 to 4 concepts, initially (all of which I would be happy with should the client accept it). These first “drafts” are illustrated in black and white so that the focus is on the form and concept, rather than color preferences. So far, this has been a successful practice as the clients appreciate having a choice, and it often leads to good conversation about specific design elements or ideas that they feel relate to their business and brand.

By: eric|von|leckband

eric|von|leckband — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:14:50 +0000

I have always had much greater success when only presenting a max of 3 logos and in black and white. I have found that the clients tend to get distracted and overwhelmed if too many choices are shown. I think the work also tends to get watered down when showing too many solutions – just show 2-3 great solutions.

By: Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Jeff Fisher LogoMotives — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:20:24 +0000

The fewer the number of concepts shown to a client the better. Hopefully, my research, information-gathering and early client interaction has gone well enough that I truly know what the client needs (which is MUCH different that what the client thinks they want). I very seldom show a client more than three designs – even then 85% of the time clients will select the design that was my very first concept. Multiple concepts are usually presented due to client expectation or a direct request. If I have any personal doubt about a concept or two, they will be tossed prior to presentation. If not, it is guaranteed the client will select them. I only present concepts in black and white – and will not even consider suggesting colors until a logo design is approved. My goal is to avoid the design process getting bogged down by an unnecessary focus on color selection early in the project. Quite often I will know that I have hit the mark with a single design concept and present the client only one design. Each time I have done so the logo has been immediately accepted by the client. I’ve now been designing logos for 32 years. It only took about 20 years to trust myself in regards to what I should present to a client.

By: Ryan Brown

Ryan Brown — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 19:20:07 +0000

@Tad

That seems like a great approach to take. Right now we send clients full color concepts with mark variations which often times leads to the “Frankensteining” that you mentioned before. However, I really like the idea of sending black and white comps first. Ideally, it would help clients understand the concept from the beginning and also that creating a logo is a process. And I guess I feel like it would be better for them to feel underwhelmed with a black and white comp than underwhelmed with a full color comp with variations.