You’ve carefully studied the client’s brief, examined their industry standards and competitors’ brand identity, brainstormed and sketched several logo variations, A/B tested them with your team, and designed the final logotype concept.
Your journey to client satisfaction has only begun.
However illogical that may sound, the way you pitch your design idea to a client is sometimes a more decisive factor in selling your logo than the quality of the work you’ve done.
Whether you’re a freelance graphic designer or part of a creative agency, brushing up on your presentation skills is important in client relationship building.
Knowing how to sell your logo design will help you establish long-term partnerships, improve acceptance rates for your work and build a better portfolio.
We’ve reached out to experts from a leading Chicago web design agency, for their top tips on presenting logo concepts and getting clients excited about your work.
- #1 Always Present Your Logo Designs Live
The number one mistake in presenting your logo design to clients is sending it via email. No matter how well-written your email may be, clients will probably skip it all and head down to download the attachment to see the logo proposal.
Presenting your design live instead, whether in person or in a conference call, will allow you to explain the logic behind your creative process.
As it is done in the top logo design agencies, live presentation is perfect for storytelling. You can explain why you opted for a particular style, the symbolic meaning behind the logo elements, and how the logo relates to their business. It also allows you to educate the client on the best practices in logo design.
Summary: Don’t send any design previews prior to your meeting to prevent clients from forming any judgments about your work prematurely.
Source: Turbologo Logo Maker
- #2 Practice Your Presentation
Your presentation is arguably the most important part of the process – even more important than the design itself. Why? Because your presentation is what will truly sell your logo design and ideas to the client.
To perfect your presentation, it’s important to speak your client’s language. Put yourself in their shoes. What are they looking for? What is it that they might need to see or hear in order to be confident about their decision?
As a designer, you are focused on designing a memorable, meaningful, and engaging symbol of your client’s business. Your client, on the other hand, may be more focused on their competition, target audiences, and revenue.
The solution? Practice your pitch until its perfect. Explain your design with passion, share your ideas and communicate your vision. And – present some data that backs up that vision. Explain to the client how you believe your logo design will connect with their target audience, which in turn, will achieve results, from boosting brand visibility to increasing conversion.
It’s up to you to go that extra mile and present your logo design in a way your client wants to hear. While describing your work, take on your client’s perspective by focusing on your logo’s benefits to the client’s brand and detailing how their brief led your design-making.
By acknowledging and adopting your client’s point of view, you will be able to craft a logo design presentation that hits home.
- #3 Showcase Logo Designs In Real World Applications
In reality, the logo is rarely a stand-alone element, placed on a white background without any surrounding distractions. Instead, we interact with brand logos in an abundance of situations: on product packaging, business cards, corporate materials, social media and more.
That’s why placing your logo in context is essential to your presentation. Creating mockups that present the logo’s application across branding and digital marketing elements can help your client visualize a better idea of how the logo will look in real world applications.
Seeing the logo fit perfectly on a business card, in-store branding elements, website and social profiles, and promotional materials will assure your client they’re making the right choice.
Source: WebFX
- #4 Design Three Logos And Present Them One At A Time
Even though your creative process may include dozens of ideas swirling around your head, it’s best to stick to a maximum of three logo concepts to present to the client.
On one hand, limiting the number of concepts allows you to entirely focus on each idea, develop each design and story to the fullest, and dedicate time to planning a presentation.
Conversely, three design concepts represent a perfect balance between providing your client with just enough options to choose from yet preventing them from slipping into a choice overload.
Drawing from experience, you can expect one of the designs to be discarded instantly. As for the other two, your client will probably need to sleep on them before making the big decision.
- #5 Keep The Conversation Going
Let’s say you do everything by the book — elaborately present your logo designs, explain their narratives, and showcase the concepts across brand collaterals; however, the client is brief in their feedback, whether good or bad.
The key in this situation is to keep the conversation going.
Ask specific questions, like, “Are there certain elements you like,” “How do you feel about the colors?” “Did you have something more or less modern in mind?” etc. The chances are the client needs these questions to determine how exactly they feel about the design. If they’re not sure how to articulate their thoughts, continuing the conversation with questions can help you come to an agreement on elements that may need to be adjusted.
- #6 Set A Limit For Changes
On very rare occasions, your client will be so satisfied with your logo concept that they won’t ask for any changes. But in most cases, you’ll need to tweak your logo before finalizing the collaboration.
However, some clients get too carried away in the process of perfecting their logo. You’ve probably seen it: the client requests moderate alternations, one after another, until the final design looks nothing like the initial concept.
Continual changes of the logo design are not beneficial for you nor your client, as the frustration over lost time and energy will take its toll on your creativity, and therefore, the overall quality and ingenuity of the final logo design, along with your relationship with the client.
At the very beginning of your collaboration, openly tell your client how many iterations they’re able to make. In each iteration, try to obtain as much feedback as possible to ensure your next logo version seals the deal.
Last but definitely not least: after each meeting with the client, summarize the main conclusions in an email so that you have written proof of everything you and your client agreed upon. Maintaining the conversation within the formal and official communication channels could save you plenty of time, money, and frustration.
Wrapping Up
Creating and presenting a logo design to a client can be nerve-wracking, and too much back-and-forth can cause frustration. To maintain a respectful relationship with your client and help them see your vision for the logo:
- Always present your designs live
- Practice your presentation
- Showcase logo designs in real-world applications
- Design three logos and present them one at a time
- Keep the conversation going
- Set a limit for changes
