If you want it blue, do this!
The same thing happen every time you design a logo or label by committee. You end up with blue (because everyone can agree on blue) and “safe”. Extraordinary concepts will be “revisioned” into mediocrity by well-meaning people. And—sadly—it will cost three times more than it should have.
We have been through this before. And we learned early on that the most cost-effective path to great design is to have a single decision maker. Yes. One.
But we get along so well!
Even a married couple should decide in advance who will call the final shots. It’s better for the marriage. It’s better for the impact of the design. And it’s better for your wallet!
We always ask that one person from your organization be appointed as the decision maker. Ideally, that person is the owner. Our project agreements requires clients to specify one point of contact, from whom we take information and feedback. If they opt to share design options, then collect/curate comments from business partners, spouses, or whoever else, that’s great! But we won’t. We don’t have the relationships with these people that you do. We don’t know who is full of hot air and who is to be taken quite seriously. You do!
The audience that really matters…
With that said, it is important to seek input from your ideal clients. They are the people your design needs to resonate with. We suggest that you seek comments from members of that group without asking leading questions. Collect and curate the comments, then share them with us.
Don’t be afraid to ask your ideal clients for their thoughts. When you involve them in important decisions, they develop a sense of ownership. Hopefully that translates into loyalty to your brand. It’s not uncommon for us to hear that the ideal clients follow their comments with questions like “How soon can we buy your wine?”