Avoid multiple design concepts

Recently I’ve been asked quite a lot by freelance clients and managers of the agency I work for to produce 3 design concepts for the client to pick from, usually a safe design which they’d expect to see, a design which makes them think a little and consider some new ideas and to finish off the collection a really zaney slightly wacky take on the brief that they will have never thought of. When these are put in front of the client they will usually say, ‘oh well we’d like a bit of number 1, a lot of number 2 and perhaps a sprinkling of number 3.’

Now as Paul Boag rightly points out in his 10 steps to getting design approval article, clients like this approach but it can cause confusion and delay in getting a design signed off and I think can be detriment to the projects integrity as an overall package.

I’m not suggesting that anyone should only think of one design concept for each project, whether its web, print or brand projects there should always be an initial creative session that results in a whole host of ideas but I am suggesting that the best concept is cherry picked from the rest designed and worked up and it is only that concept is pitched/presented to the client.

I believe that showing multiple design concepts to a client can display a lack of confidence in the work, and suggests the brief either hasn’t been understood or hasn’t been thought through properly.

Many clients have come to expect the 3 design concept approach, so it is a tough one to talk them out of, but when you explain to them how the time they are paying for will be far better spent developing and refining one concept that has been cherry picked from all the original ideas, they should come round to the idea relatively easily.

Ultimately: Read the brief, understand the brief, emerse yourself in the project, be confident in your designs.