What You Should Expect (And Demand) From A Good Logo Design Presentation

You’ve heard the stories, or have even experienced it yourself, about stellar logo design presentations but the logo falls apart in execution. Everything looks great in a presentation but when the logo is applied to your website, business cards and other marketing material, you’re suddenly faced with a host of logistical problems. So what should you look for in a comprehensive logo design presentation?

Beware Of Photoshop-y Logo Designs

Anyone can take a poorly designed logo, add a few drop shadows, color the heck out of it, then make it spin, sing & dance, and end up with a deceptively good logo design. To ensure your logo stands the test of time, review your logo design without all the frills.

Colorful Interpretations

Any good logo design worth it’s weight in salt will always work in black & white. And depending on what marketing mediums you use in the future, all those frills probably will not work in every medium. Always ask to see your top design choices rendered in black & white, without any added renderings, to ensure the design stands on it’s own.

Size Does Matter

During an initial logo design presentation it’s easy to be swept away with large presentation boards or monitor-sized logo designs. Though bigger is generally better, your logo will never be used at 8” tall on your business card and you should always ask to see significant reductions of your final design choices.

Tag, You’re It

Many people confuse logo designs and taglines. Taglines are used to further define your marketing message and will (and should) change over time as your marketing campaigns evolve. Be wary of logo designs which incorporate a tagline as an integral design element. Ask to see your final design choice with and without the tagline. And imagine what may happen next year when your tagline evolves from three words to an eight-word sentence.

Keep Your Perspective

I’ve had a fair percentage of clients over the years get caught up in the exuberance of a logo design presentation and, with looming deadlines, insist on making a final choice at the completion of an initial presentation. I always recommend sitting with your favorite two or three design choices. Print them out, tape them to the wall by your desk, and you will be amazed what happens when you least expect it. A day or two later you’ll look up at the design you were intent on approving yesterday and it will not give you the love you had during the presentation.