Why we don’t “design by committee”

If you want it blue, do this!

If you design a logo or label by committee, you will likely end up with a design that is 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 best, most cost-effective path to great design is to have one—yes, one—decision maker!

But we get along so well!

Even a married couple should decide in advance who will be calling the final shots. It’s better for their 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. In fact, our project agreement form requires that a client specify the one. point of contact that we’ll take information and feedback from. If that person wants to share the designs options and collect and curate the comments with their business partners, spouse, or whoever else they speak to, that’s great!

But we won’t. We don’t have the same 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 all said, it is important to seek the input of your ideal clients because, after all, they are the people your design needs to resonate with. We ask that you seek comments from members of that group without asking leading questions, then collect and curate the comments before sharing them with us.

Don’t be afraid to ask your ideal clients for their thoughts. When you involve them in important decisions like this, they develop a sense of ownership, and—hopefully—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?”