There are services out there that give business owners looking for a logo the chance to receive and review dozens or even hundreds of logo options at little cost. I'm not here to say much about those services (right now), but I will say: I get it. I get that this is your business. I get that you may not have the budget for a fully custom brand with a designer like myself. I get that you may want or even need to get your brand up and running as quickly as possible and a four to six week timeline for an identity sounds ridiculous. Or that only getting three options sounds insane, let alone one. I get that you want to walk away feeling like you've left no stone unturned in the search for the perfect logo, so having seemingly endless options to choose from seems a smart route, yes?

And it's because of that mentality existing in this world (and my own) that I have always felt it's the least I could do to provide three options (and even that was hard to come down to). And I do in my Standard Branding Offer. But here's where we switch gears.

Here she comes with the quality over quantity bit

Years ago, we would tell clients their initial delivery would include a minimum of three concepts. Oftentimes, it would amount to many more than that. I'd create the first few, feeling confident; but in my desire to overdeliver, I'd keep churning out options, with the concepts dipping in quality the more I made. We also weren't providing responsive logo families at the time, so different layouts and variations were included as individual options. The client would get a nice fat PDF, but it was almost always met with two things: 1. a comment about how they felt they couldn't choose and 2. when they did it was (often) the "wrong" one.

Too many choices can backfire

This isn't a new concept: sometimes people simply don't do well with more options. Take a dinner I just planned with my bowling team. There were four of us trying to decide where to eat and we were all "open to whatever" (low growl). My friend mentioned in our first discussion that she wanted steak. I say, "Great, let's find somewhere with a good steak." She says we didn't have to get steak, to which I responded, "No, it'll keep us focused. You're getting steak." Fast forward to a couple days ago when she threw out four restaurant options and, after a little back and forth, she does the I'll eat anywhere thing again and throws out two more options that are less steak-centric. Now we were up to six. We did eventually make a decision, but it took days.

When it comes to your brand identity: get the steak.

And while you're at it, go for the best cut. (I genuinely had no idea a steak analogy was going to be part of this... sorry to the vegans reading this). I'm also not trying to make the connection that steak = more expensive—she could have wanted pasta or a burger or whatever. The point is: her desire for steak was the foundation. It gave us a purpose and helped to narrow our focus from the onset.

When we come back to design (finally), your strategy is the foundation. It is the purpose and the focus. And when you are faced with too many design options, it can hinder both the process and the outcome. It's overwhelming and can lead you in a direction that doesn't make sense.

So how does the One Concept Method come into play and more importantly, what's in it for my clients?

Putting it simply: with the OCM, you get one concept. Not one logo, one concept. For me (and many others), that means one complete responsive logo family with your primary logo, secondary logos, monograms and/or brand marks. Now, how is this beneficial to you?

1. Less expensive.

Let's call a spade a spade: at least in my business, it's the less expensive option. That first round includes only one fleshed out concept instead of three. That's going to cost less.

2. Faster turnaround time.

Something else from a practicality point of view: less concepts means less time to create, meaning a faster turnaround time. I can't say this is always the case, but I know that's how it's looked for my business most of the time.

3. It ends up being a more comprehensive option.

Without having to pivot and create more concepts, I'm able to offer a bit more to view in that first delivery. I can begin exploring other brand assets like patterns, iconography, other graphics much earlier in the process. This allows me to create a more cohesive experience and leaves you with a more thorough look at your new identity. Then we can spend more time fine tuning the concept instead of spending additional time on the others.

4. You're getting the best concept.

When you hire a professional designer, you are (hopefully) hiring an expert. If they are great at what they do, they will provide you with the option that is going to be most beneficial to your business's future. There is no "padding the presentation" for the sake of more options. They should be taking your strategy, their additional research, their ideas and sketches, exploring the viable options, and settling on the one that best matches your business's strategy and goals for the future.

5. It's less overwhelming.

I'll be blunt: establishing your brand identity is a big deal. There is a lot riding on these initial, foundational steps and as I mentioned before, you may want to feel like you've left no stone unturned before making final choices. But if you are someone that struggles to make a decision, having too many can be overwhelming and may actually work against your natural instincts. Even if you choose a direction from a larger selection, there may come a time when you ask, "Did I choose the right one?"

Some final thoughts

Now let me be clear, I don't solely operate with the One Concept Method (yet), as some designers do. It may change in the future, but I am not against options. What you choose to move forward with depends on the kind of decision-maker you are, the budget you have, the time you have, and the kind of experience you want. It also depends on what level of strategy work you've decided on. Honestly, the more honed strategy we have, the less options we should need.

What it requires beyond all else is something I talk about a lot: trust. If you are reading this in your search for a designer, what I will stress above all else is finding someone that you trust. I'll have more to say on this topic in future blog posts, but I want to leave it here because to some people, the idea of one choice may seem intimidating. That's partially why I still have the option for additional concepts, but I recognize the importance of stressing trust in your designer.

I hope this post was helpful in understanding more about the One Concept Method and it's benefits. If you have any other questions, please shoot me a note and ask away!