Logo Design Guide 4 of 5: Notes on Presenting
We’re nearing the end of the book with this fourth instalment of the 5-part series. The final chapter from our Logo Design Guide ebook will be posted next Friday. Download the entire PDF for any missed sections, plus lots of extra content that we’ve omitted from these posts: https://gumroad.com/l/HmceP
Section 4
Notes on Presenting
Good design does not sell itself. A thoughtful and articulate presentation of design work is essential if a successful concept is to become a real solution. The designer needs to capitalize on their intimacy with each concept and clearly explain how they solved the challenge.
Many successful designs are simple. Designers must reveal the intentionality behind these seemingly simple solutions to their clients. Clients need to be shown that a particular typeface, or some other visual treatment, has been chosen because it directly applies to an aspect of the creative brief.
We never share sketches with the client — they contain too many ideas for a targeted, effective presentation. Sketches also typically fail to demonstrate an articulate solution. Instead, we usually share our first round of logo convergence. These ideas are confidently defined, but still offer the client an opportunity to weigh in on the visual design early in the process.
We always table at least 3 logo/identity concepts. This allows us to explore multiple interpretations of the creative brief and can help the client confidently choose a design direction to pursue.
We don’t include any concepts that make us nervous, or that we wouldn’t want to see live in the world. Sometimes a client will ask us which option we prefer personally. We tell the client that we believe in all of the concepts presented, and that it doesn’t really matter which we prefer — they should choose the concept they believe will resonate most powerfully with the audience defined by the brief. Research is extremely valuable, but designers will never have the same degree of audience intimacy as the client. The client is in the unique position to select a design based on their deep understanding of their business, audience, and communication goals.
Tips for murdering a design presentation
1. Review the brief
Every visual identity presentation should begin with a quick recap of the approved creative brief. This will calibrate all parties prior to the assessment of work. Design is the solution to a problem, and each design needs to resonate with a target audience. Referring to the brief before sharing concepts provides a refreshed perspective on the task at hand. And by encouraging all parties to view the work from the audience’s perspective, personal bias is reduced.
2. Review the competitive landscape
Occasionally, our presentations take a quick spin through the competitive landscape before showing design concepts. Sometimes competitive landscapes can be dominated by common themes or colours — we use this as an opportunity to show how specific concepts could be positioned against those existing designs. For clients that live in more saturated or fiercely competitive spaces, this simple positioning step provides a valuable vantage point for assessing the effectiveness of the following concepts.
3. Highlight the details
Each concept needs to be thoroughly explained. Details that may seem obvious to visually-minded designers can be lost on a client who may not have as much experience reviewing and assessing visual nuances. We leave nothing to chance. We feel it’s better to err on the side of thoroughness than to have some valuable strategy or detail go unnoticed. Additionally, each concept should be presented with as little personal bias as possible, allowing the client to assess how each solution meets the needs of the creative brief.
4. Set a comfortable pace
Pacing describes the rate at which concepts and slides are presented. This is highly variable and needs to be adjusted on a per case basis. Our general recommendation is to go slow. Designers spend hours staring at and refining visual concepts. They are intimate with the details, but can forget that clients are seeing the work for the first time. Clients need time to take in the details and assess the work from the perspective of the audience.
In addition to moving slowly between slides in a presentation, we also suggest putting pauses between each concept. Like a bite of pickled ginger between sushi pieces, blank screens between identity concepts can cleanse the visual palate and build anticipation for the next ‘bite.’
5. Show each concept in a standardized way
Present all logos and example applications in a standard format. We strive to establish a consistent visual system to show the components of an identity so the client is better able to focus on the differences between each creative solution, rather than variations in the presentation itself.
In general, we include the following slides for each concept:
- Primary logo design
The logo design should be shown alone on white space at a reasonable size (not comically large) so the client can appreciate the mark’s details and communicative value. - Size reductions
Demonstrate that the logo can be reduced to very small sizes and still retain legibility — if it doesn’t work small, it doesn’t work at all. - 1-colour version
Even if the client has not requested a 1-colour version, include one to demonstrate the versatility of the logo design, and its ability to anticipate any future production requirements. - Alternate versions / lockups
Show any secondary lockup configurations that may be required for specific deliverables, such as square social icons. - Colour palette
Isolating the colour swatches from the logo design helps the client fully consider and appreciate the palette so they can judge its effectiveness. - Type pairing
Choose a sample text setting of relevant content to outline the proposed fonts for headings, subheads, body text, etc. Provide licensing information and costs associated with each proposed typeface. - Basic applications
Choose example applications that are relevant to the client’s business goals or audience expectations. Apply the logo and other identity elements to these applications to demonstrate the viability of each proposed identity system. - Summary
Include the main logo design, size and colour reductions, selected example application, and a short written summary of the approach.
Ideally these summary pages should be printer-friendly (so no solid black backgrounds).
6. Summarize each concept
As mentioned above, it’s important to include a summary slide at the end of each concept before moving to the next. This provides a concise picture of the proposed identity concept and gives the client an idea of the whole system. Each summary should include the logomark, size and colour reductions, a couple of important example collateral applications, and a short written description.
These summary slides can be pulled out of the presentation and delivered in a solo, printable deck for the client’s convenience.
Recipes for a successful identity presentation
Each section of this ebook provides a Good or Awesome approach to a specific part of the logo design process.
Presentation Intro
Good:
- Bullet point notes, audience recap, and key concepts from the creative brief
- List of biggest competitors as a reminder of how the work will be positioned
Awesome:
- Full reiteration of the creative brief details, summarized in bullets points and diagrams
- Audience profiles and summary to remind everyone who the work is trying to reach
- In-depth competitive landscape analysis with visual examples and notes about each competitor — focus on the tone and voice, general art direction, and their approach to copywriting and logo design
Logo & Visual Identity Presentation
Good:
- Present at least 2 concepts to the client
- Each concept should include:
– the logomark
– size reductions of the logo
– 1-colour version of the logo
– an example icon treatment
– basic type pairing
– a simple example application to demonstrate the logo in context (e.g., tshirt design)
– summary
Awesome:
- Present at least 3 concepts to the client
- Each concept should include:
– the logomark
– size reductions of the logo
– 1-colour version of the logo
– alternate lockup versions of the logo
– colour palette in use (swatches and any associated mood images)
– type pairing and licensing info
– example icon treatments in context for various social media uses
– a variety of more complicated sample applications to demonstrate the logo in context (e.g., business card design, print ad, example use in the nav of a web page with proposed type systems)
– summary
Delivery Format
Good:
- Prepare a single flat image for each concept
- Email the presentation with notes to elaborate each design solution or conduct a presentation via screen share
- Request client feedback and revisions by email
Awesome:
- Prepare an annotated, multi-page PDF or presentation web site with all concepts
- Provide written rationales for each aspect of the concept (not just the logomark)
- Schedule a meeting with all stakeholders to walk them through the designs on screen; provide print outs to reference during the presentation
- Capture first blush feedback and answer questions to help validate concepts
- Following the meeting, email the printer-friendly PDF presentation with summary slides of each concept, or leave a copy of the presentation on USB
- Schedule another meeting or call to discuss additional feedback and revisions
- Request client feedback and revisions by email or capture verbal feedback in writing for the client to review and confirm
Read on Medium
1 of 5: The Creative Brief
2 of 5: Logo Design
3 of 5: Visual Identity Design
4 of 5: Notes on Presenting
5 of 5: Revisions & Delivery
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