You’re finally going to show clients the logo you’ve been working on. Maybe they won’t love it at first, but you’ll be able to show them how much thought and effort went into creating it. Presenting a logo is part of the logo design process that many people don’t think about.
Just like every other creative endeavor, marketing is an art. It can’t be measured in the same way science can because it’s not a scientific process. It’s an intuitive one.
That means the most important thing you’ll need to market your business effectively is a healthy dose of creativity and lots of research—and you’ll be able to get plenty of that by looking into similar businesses and what they’ve done to promote themselves.
Once you have a logo or some other design idea in mind, it’s time to think about presenting it to clients! Here we will cover the five steps in this post so you can plan for it — and walk away with a better client relationship.
Know the client’s needs and goals.
There’s a lot to consider before presenting a logo to clients. You may be tempted to think that they need something cool, but you have to dig deeper to understand what they want and need.
The first step in presenting your logo is understanding their needs and goals. That entails determining things like:
- What their brand is
- Who will see the logo and what it says about the brand to that audience
- How the logo will be used (e.g., on social media, billboards, etc.)
- Their budget Other things you’ll want to know to include what colors mean for their industry/brand, how much of the design process they plan to oversee, and how quickly this project needs to be done?
Consider their target audience.
Before you even start creating a logo, consider your client’s target audience. When you do this, you can make sure that your design will appeal to them and get the message they want.
Think about things like their demographics and values or needs for your client’s business. These are all factors that should help shape your logo concept. It’s also important to note how they might perceive a brand and what they want from said brand.
If you focus on how their target audience perceives their business instead of how you or another designer perceives it, it will be easier to create something they’ll love.
Understand their brand voice.
To truly understand a client’s brand voice, you must also consider their personality, audience, and competitors. To do this, here are some key questions to ask:
- What is the company’s mission?
- Who are they targeting? (a specific age group or demographic?)
- Are they looking for something traditional, modern, or unique?
- Do they have any strong preferences or guidelines regarding color, style, and layout?
Come up with a preliminary design.
The first step to presenting a logo is to develop a preliminary design. Even if your client has a clear idea of what they want, it’s still important for them to see some initial ideas from you as the designer. After all, you’re the expert here!
Start by doing some solid research about the business and its target audience. The more familiar you are with the brand, the better you can align them with their desired customers through design.
Then, create a design brief that explains the elements of your concept and delivers value to the client.
Next, come up with some drafts based on everything you know so far. It doesn’t have to be perfect—it just needs to communicate your concept enough for feedback.
Once you have that covered, present your draft designs to clients alongside your design brief and ask them what they think! This gives them some options while also making sure they understand why certain elements are included or excluded.
Create a presentation.
Before you present anything to your clients, you must have a few things prepared. First, you need to make sure your presentation is visually appealing and easy for the client to read and understand.
You can use a presentation tool like Keynote or PowerPoint to create your presentation. Using the template, add your modern logo design mockups where indicated and replace the text with details about your design process.
Care steps while preparing a logo:
A logo is a highly important part of a company’s identity. It not only represents the brand but can help build it up and make a great impression on anybody who sees it or interacts with it in one way or another. If a person feels good about the company, then there is a possibility that he will buy from or order from that company. Being the front-runner of an organization means much responsibility. So, you have to ensure that all aspects, such as logos, are taken care of because it is not just an element; it is a representation.
1. Make sure your logo is for the business and not just about you.
There are a few unwritten rules that every designer must follow when it comes to logo design. There’s only one rule: Make sure your logo is for the business and not just about you.
It’s easy to get caught up in your own portfolio needs and what you think looks good. A logo isn’t supposed to be an award-winning art piece, but it does need to meet the objectives from which it was derived.
There are two kinds of creative logos:
1) those that are all about themselves and
2) those who pay attention to the client and their business. In case you’re wondering which category your logo falls into, here are some guidelines:
2. Logos About Themselves
• Are more concerned with being clever than being effective
• Are usually wordmarks or letter marks (just text) instead of symbols or icons (a graphic image) that convey what the business does
3. Logos About Businesses They Represent
• Reflect the company they represent in some way—through name, imagery, or message—in a simple way that can be understood by everyone who sees them
4. Set a clear goal for your logo.
To do this, it’s helpful to answer some preliminary questions: Who is your target audience? What are their goals? What problems does your product/service help them solve?
Once you’ve clarified the purpose and goals of your logo, keep these guidelines in mind:
- Simple logos are easier to remember. This is key because people can’t buy from you if they don’t remember who you are!
- Logos should stand the test of time. Avoid trendy elements that will make the design look dated in a year or two.
- Design for reproduction. Your logo needs to adapt to be used on print, signage, websites, and social media channels.
- Make sure it’s easy to understand. The best logos communicate something about what a company does at first glance.
- Don’t copy someone else’s logo! You want yours to be unique, so avoid imitating other businesses in your industry or making blatant references to their designs.
5. Don’t rush through the process.
Do not rush through the process. A logo plays a very important role in your brand. It will be used throughout your company’s website and marketing materials; therefore, you want to ensure that your logo is designed correctly. If you rush the process of creating a logo, chances are it will not completely represent your business and brand. Creating a logo is also an excellent opportunity for you to reflect on your business and brand.
To do this correctly, you need time to think about what should be included in the design and time for the evolution of the design itself (to make sure it changes when needed).
6. Stay away from clip art.
Stay away from clip art. If you use clip art in your logo, it would be unoriginal and not custom to you or your business. Your logo should reflect who you are and what you do, and clip art does not fit in with that message. The clip art is also very dated, making users think your company is outdated.
Conclusion
Come up with a couple of versions. While having an overly free and open-ended logo can be a good thing, if you don’t come up with any constraints, your client may not like anything you present. So rather than wasting any time creating a logo that your client will hate, it’s better to set parameters and present just a few options that fit those parameters.
The best logos are timeless and versatile, so it is so important to test your custom logo design. Ask everyone you can before presenting a final logo design to your client – coworkers, family, friends, even the local barista. This process shouldn’t be taken lightly, as it can make or break a design project. You want the best possible logo for your client’s brand to help them grow. Therefore it is equally important that they love your design!