What Is The Best Way To Present Logo Design Projects?
You’ve come to the right place if you’re wondering how to present logos to your clients.
Before we get into the specifics of how to present logo design work, it’s important to note:
Presenting logos is a science, not an art.
If your logo is the product you sell, then your logo presentation is the product packaging.
We all know that we buy with our eyes, so your logo presentation, as well as your packaging, must be very appealing.
The presentation of your logos is just as important as the logo designs themselves.
Logo Presentation in 5 Easy Steps
- Get your client-ready
- Begin with goals
- Describe your procedure
- Display the logos
- Obtain feedback
Of course, you must first have some logo concepts to show and someone to show them to.
I’m not going to talk about how to design a logo here, but rather about the presentation itself — so let’s assume you already have some logos designed.
First, it’s critical to establish some ground rules — go let’s over the DO’s and DONT’s of logo presentation.
Common blunders made when presenting logos
The first major blunder you can make is to present too many options.
How many logos should you present? — Show only three logos.
I’ve heard of designers presenting as many as 20 to 30 concepts — way too many!
My client recently called to tell me that another designer had presented them with 15 logos.
They didn’t like any of them because they were all terrible.
You may believe that the more logos you present, the more likely it is that your client will like one of them, but in reality, this will only confuse them.
Not to mention the amount of energy and creativity you’d have to dilute over those 15 concepts — you’d most likely end up with mediocre concepts.
It’s far better to limit yourself to just three strong logo concepts!
You can create hundreds of logos behind the scenes; just don’t show them all to your client!
The second biggest mistake you can make is sending them as an attachment via email.
It is preferable to present logo and identity design projects over the phone or in person.
I usually present my logo design work via Zoom video call, and then email the link to that logo presentation to my client.
This gives me the opportunity to describe my logos, explain my ideas, and say what I have to say before allowing the client to express their opinion.
Now, let’s go over some of the best practices for logo presentation.
Best practices for displaying logos
When presenting your logo concepts, the first best practice is, to begin with, a solid strategy session.
This session will provide you with all of the words needed to translate strategy into visual concepts.
This is primarily about gathering vital information from the client, but it is also about involving the client in the process and generating some ideas
The second best practice to follow when presenting your logos to your client is to take smaller steps.
You see, logo and identity design is frequently a long and winding road to the right solution.
It’s not like you design something quickly and then expect to WOW your client with a big reveal.
It’s more of a step-by-step process where you work your way up to the final logo.
Using mood boards or style scapes is one of the best steps you can take.
Smaller steps will confidently point you (and your client) in the right direction.
So, never send your logo presentation via email, and never present more than three concepts.
Tools to help you prepare for your logo presentation
There are numerous methods for successfully presenting your design work.
It could be a high-resolution PDF, a PowerPoint or Keynote presentation, or an online visual board tool like InVision.
First, I create mockups in PSD, which I then embed in Adobe illustrator (one mockup per slide).
So that when I make changes to my mockup in Photoshop, the presentation in Adobe illustrator is automatically updated.
Next, rather than exporting a PDF as you might expect, I publish that PDF to the cloud, so that I can simply send my client a link later on.
So, if I want to change something in my presentation, I simply republish it later, and my client can see the changes.
They can also download the PDF for their own records or simply print it out if desired.
So, with that said, let’s get started on the logo presentation.
1. Get your client-ready
First and foremost, before you show any of your logo work, you must prepare your client for what is to come.
Before you show anything to your client, you must first get them in the right frame of mind.
I like to remind my clients of two things: what a logo is and what characteristics make a good logo.
So I begin my presentation with a quote from one of the great designers:
“A good logo is NOT about what one likes or dislikes, it’s about what works.”
That is simply to remind your client that logo design is NOT about their personal preferences.
A logo does not need to communicate or illustrate everything, so don’t try to say too much with it.
A logo is more like an empty vessel to which meaning can be attached over time through consistent use and fulfillment of the brand promise.
I say this to prevent the client from making the logo appear too busy and thus confusing.
Following that, I present a slide that discusses logo design principles — what distinguishes a good logo from a bad logo.
Clients are often subjective, so you must remind them of some of the fundamental principles of logo design.
This should keep you from hearing pointless suggestions later on that could detract from your excellent work.
As designers, we have a keen sense of aesthetics and understand why one logo is superior to another.
However, it is not always easy to explain this to our clients.
As a result, I use the following slide, which contains three logo design principles.
I also explain how I use these rules to determine which logos might work (I use it as a checklist).
With those two opening slides, I’m not going to show off the logos just yet.
2. Begin with goals
Before you show any of your logo design concepts, you should first establish some fundamental facts.
Begin by saying something like this:
“Our goal is to create a new identity for Milogo that is more appealing to our customers…”
Your goal here is to remind the client of the project’s goals and objectives, as well as the types of problems we’re attempting to solve.
Here are some examples of why people require a new brand identity.
- repositions you to gain more sales
- increase your revenue
- connect with your target audience more effectively
This should have been worked out long before you started working — during your first sales call, for example.
By reminding your client of the goals for designing the logo, you will put them back in the buying mode, which can be very effective when it comes to approvals.
This is also an excellent way to reassure the client that you understand the issue and genuinely want to see them succeed.
Aside from that, it will assist you in removing your own or your clients’ design preferences from the equation.
They are more likely to settle on a logo that they may not love, but that they know will work well for their company.
3. Describe your procedure
After I’ve started the project’s objectives, I tell them about the strategy we used to achieve these goals.
Simply summarise what you’ve done thus far — I usually say something like:
“Before I show you the work, let’s take a step back and go over the process up to this point.”
I simply refer back to our strategy session and the brief that resulted from it.
I first show them the words we chose to describe the brand, and then I show them the mood boards we created to visually express these words.
I just want to remind them of everything we’ve gone through together, from the first phone call, to brand strategy, to brand brief with mood boards.
I do this because it is much more difficult to disagree with yourself than it is to disagree with others.
As a result, if you remind them of something they said earlier in the process (for example, during the strategy session), they are unlikely to refute the outcomes of those decisions.
For example, if they chose the word “credible” to describe their brand during the strategy session, and then I use colors or fonts to reflect that “credibility,” it makes explaining my designs much easier.
This entire summary should take no more than 5 minutes to complete — just it’s a good way to get everyone on the same page.
This will assist your client in remaining objective when you begin to show them your logos.
4. Display the logos
It’s finally time to reveal your logos and explain your reasoning behind each concept.
For instance, here’s how I presented my first logo concept:
“We used a minimalist sans-serif font in the first logo to convey the ease of use and clarity of our courses.”
First, as I show the first slide, which is just the logo centered on a white background, I say this.
The second slide is typically the logo on a dark background with a photograph behind it.
So, as I continue to go through the slides, I’ll describe my work as follows:
“To distinguish the logo, we replaced the dot over the I with a leaflet, which represents nature and the natural treatment that cannabis provides.”
The third slide is a split-screen with the logo on the left on a white background and the logo on the right on a black background.
As I move through the slides (3–5 seconds per slide), I say a few words about the designs and decisions I’ve made.
For example, when I get to the slide with the pattern, I say something like this:
“I created a geometric leaflet that can serve as an identity element as well as an extension of the simple wordmark.”
Then, as I move on to the next slide, I say:
“This leaflet gives us a lot of leeway in terms of expression; it can be used as a unifying graphic element across all applications.”
Remember that your ability to articulate your design choices is an important part of delivering a successful presentation (the style, fonts, and colors you picked).
This will help you improve your design literacy, making it easier to describe your work.
Of course, whatever you say must be supported by previous strategies and decisions you’ve made with your client.
So the next few slides are a collection of various mockups relevant to your client.
However, typical mockups would include items such as business cards, envelopes, stationery, possibly a website, possibly a social media graphic, signage, and so on.
Everything your client expects to see the logo on.
It’s important to include a few small format mockups such as pins, icons, pencils, and cufflinks, as well as large-format mockups such as signage, way-finding, interior graphics, billboards, and so on.
Your client should be able to see how the logo will look in small and large sizes.
You can even go above and beyond what they would normally use the logo on by including a couple of extra mockups.
This way, you can truly assist them in visualizing this logo in action.
I always try to include at least one or two realistic photos, such as a billboard on the side of a building or on the street.
I’m not asking for feedback as I go through these slides — I’m just leading the presentation and navigating through slides while describing the designs.
If a client interrupts me, I simply tell them to stop by saying:
“Please allow me to go over all of the concepts first, and then we can talk about them.”
After I finish presenting the first concept, I move on to the second.
As previously stated, the ideal number of logos to present is three.
Furthermore, each of the three logo concepts should be explained in the same slide sequence.
That is, you should use the same mockups for each concept in order to make the comparison fair.
Your client will most likely reject one of them before leaning toward one of the other two.
Rarely will a client make a decision on the spot — which is fine; that’s why we’ve prepared such a lovely logo presentation.
That way, the client can think about it, show it to others, and get back to you with feedback.
Do the same for the other two concepts — you should have 5 to 10 slides per concept.
Again, as you’re creating those mockups, try to describe your thought process behind each concept.
For instance, here’s how I described my third logo concept:
“This concept was inspired by crests, which are frequently used in university logos.”
Then, as I go through the slides, I add:
“This identity, when combined with the prestigious-looking color palette, portrays Milogo as a well-established and respected educational organization.”
When I get to the slide with the mark, I add:
“Here, we retained the serpent-entwined rod (symbol of health) from the previous logo, but we refined the shape to fit nicely inside the university-like crest.”
When I’m showing the book covers on the slide, I talk about typography:
“Using classic, traditional serifs as the primary font adds to the heritage and complements the sans serif wordmark set in all caps well.”
So I just gave you a few examples of what I say when presenting logos to my clients, and I hope they help you think about how to describe your logos.
Remember that having a story behind each piece makes it easier to sell.
Finally, you’ll need to add one more slide at the end to compare all three options.
When I get to this comparison slide, I ask a question to break the tension.
A good question to ask at the end of your logo presentation is:
“Did we make a positive step toward better connecting with our customers?”
After all, I’ve been presenting for a few minutes and haven’t yet allowed them to speak.
It’s now time to get some feedback.
5. Obtain feedback
Allow your client to speak after you’ve finished your presentation, but don’t press them to make a decision just yet.
In the end, the worst you could say is:
“What are your thoughts?” or “Which concept do you prefer?”
Instead, refer back to the strategy and ask them to put themselves in the shoes of the customer.
I usually say something like this:
“What do you think John’s reaction would be to each of those concepts?”
This will assist you in removing the client from subjectivity (again) and allowing them to see it through the eyes of customers.
Help your clients get back into the right mindset whenever they say something like “I don’t like this” or “I like that.”
Simply remind them that, while you understand that they are paying and that they must “like” the new identity, we should really focus on the target audience because it is ultimately for them.
When evaluating these logo concepts, we should consider how potential customers would react.
Even if your client has a favorite right away, they won’t tell you right away, and you shouldn’t either.
Following up with something like this is a much better way:
“Is there one path that we should definitely avoid right now?”
Typically, clients will agree on one concept to remove from the list.
Clients may give you immediate feedback such as “I’m leaning toward the first concept.”
However, I usually want to give them some time to think about it and then invite them to have an internal discussion about it.
I usually say something like this:
“I know it’s a lot to take in, and you probably want to show it off — how about we meet up in three days?”
By saying this, you will relieve your client of some of the pressure and give them more time to make their final decision.
Just don’t leave the meeting without agreeing on a time to talk.
Ask them when they might be ready, whether by phone or email.
Conclusions
When presenting your work as a designer, you may feel nervous and insecure, but this is normal.
Only you know how much time and effort you’ve put into designing these logos, so it’s natural to be concerned that the client will reject them all.
Consider your client “not getting it” or demanding changes that will undo all of your hard work.
Does this ring a bell?
It happened to me numerous times when I was just starting out as a designer.
From the initial discovery call to the strategy session, execution, and presentation, my process enables me to be extremely effective and efficient.
And that’s it. I hope you followed the steps and were successful with your next logo design project.
Do you require a custom logo? Simply send me an email.
I hope you learned how to prepare a successful logo design presentation from my tutorial.
Do you present logos in the same way? Let me know below.
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