Behind Every Finished Design Lies Decisions That Often Go Unseen.
When a client receives their first brand identity presentation, they're usually looking at three carefully developed logo concepts. What they don't see is the considerable amount of work that happened before those three directions were selected. The early ideas, the experiments that didn't work, the concepts that almost made it and the decisions that gradually shaped the final presentation.
I would estimate that around 75% of my actual design process never makes it in front of the client. For a typical identity project, I might explore anywhere between 50 and 100 initial ideas before narrowing them down to just three. Some are rough thoughts, others are more developed concepts, and plenty are ideas that don't go anywhere. But I believe that exploring all those possibilities is necessary to arrive at something genuinely considered.
It's a part of the graphic design process that I think is often overlooked. The finished presentation might appear relatively straightforward, but behind it are hours of research, experimentation, development and questioning. And for me, some of the most important decisions are the ones that never get presented.
Research, exploration and finding the right creative direction.
The Work Before the Presentation
Before I begin designing a logo, I spend a considerable amount of time researching the business and exploring potential creative directions. I believe this is one of the most important stages of any brand identity project because it allows me to establish a clearer understanding of what the client wants to communicate and how we might approach that visually.
My research process involves looking through design books, studying brand identity projects, exploring websites and gathering references from a wide range of sources. Sometimes I'll come across an entire identity system that interests me. Other times, it might be something as small as the shape of a particular letter, an unusual composition or a detail within an unrelated piece of design. All of this research is gathered into a visual document that allows me to explore different possibilities and begin identifying potential directions. Sharing this research with the client is important because it helps align our thinking before the creative development begins. We might both have an understanding of the business and its objectives, but translating those ideas into something visual gives us a clearer picture of where the identity could go.
This is why I place so much importance on brand strategy and research. Without that initial understanding, it's very easy to begin designing something that looks interesting but doesn't necessarily communicate the right message. Establishing a direction early allows the following stages to become more focused, even when the creative exploration itself takes us somewhere unexpected. Once I begin developing concepts, I try not to limit the number of ideas too early. I want to explore as many possibilities as I can before deciding which ones deserve further attention. This can involve experimenting with typography, symbols, letterforms, proportions and different ways of communicating an idea through a simple mark.
Not every concept is going to be good, and I think that's an important part of the process. Some ideas are immediately recognisable as weak directions, while others might have an interesting element that deserves further development. Sometimes one experiment leads directly into another, and a concept that initially seems unsuccessful can reveal an entirely different possibility.
I've learned not to become too attached to the first few ideas I produce. It's tempting to find something promising early and begin refining it immediately, but doing that can mean overlooking stronger directions that haven't yet been explored. I would much rather work through 50 or more possibilities and gradually narrow them down than settle on the first three concepts that appear to work. Eventually, the focus shifts from generating ideas to evaluating them. This is where I begin questioning the strength of each direction and deciding which concepts are worth developing into a complete visual identity.
A logo might look impressive on its own, but how does it work at a much smaller size? Is it still recognisable? Does it sit comfortably alongside typography? Can it work on a business card, a letterhead or a website? Would it remain distinctive when presented on a large billboard or reduced to a small digital icon?
These are all things I consider before deciding whether a concept is strong enough to present. I also look at existing identities to make sure a direction doesn't feel too familiar. Originality matters, particularly when developing something intended to become a recognisable representation of a business.
Perhaps the most important consideration is whether the concept actually relates to the business. Does it communicate something meaningful? Is there a genuine idea behind the design, or is it simply something that looks visually appealing? I've often created designs that I absolutely loved. Some have felt like the strongest work I'd produced at that point, yet I've decided not to present them because the concept behind them wasn't as relevant or meaningful as another direction. That's one of the more difficult decisions to make. As a designer, it's natural to become attached to something you've spent hours developing, particularly when you feel it's visually successful. But the strongest design for a client isn't necessarily the one I personally find most attractive.
For me, the challenge is finding the right balance between appearance, conceptual meaning and functionality. A strong identity needs all three. When one of those elements is missing, even a beautiful design can fall short of what the business actually needs.
Why the strongest ideas aren't always the first ones.
Knowing What to Leave Behind
One of the things I've learned from working independently is the importance of stepping away from a project. There have been plenty of occasions when I've spent hours developing a concept, convinced that it's heading in the right direction, only to return the following morning and realise it isn't nearly as strong as I originally thought. The opposite happens just as often. An idea that I initially overlooked can become much more interesting when I revisit it with a fresh perspective. Sometimes a logo that appears relatively ordinary on its own begins to show real potential when it's developed further through typography, colour, composition and supporting graphic elements.
This is why I don't believe a logo should always be judged in isolation. The wider identity can reveal possibilities that aren't immediately obvious when looking at a single mark. A concept might be simple, but when it's placed within a considered visual system, that simplicity can become its greatest strength. I think this is one of the most interesting parts of brand identity design. You're not simply trying to create an attractive logo. You're developing something that needs to communicate consistently across a wide range of applications, often in situations that haven't even been considered at the beginning of the project.
The process involves constantly questioning your own decisions. Is this concept genuinely strong, or have I just become familiar with it? Am I developing this direction because it's right for the business, or because I personally enjoy the way it looks? Is there another idea sitting in the background that deserves more attention? I don't think these questions ever really disappear. Even when I'm confident in a direction, I find it valuable to challenge that confidence before making a final decision.
Once I've explored the initial concepts, I begin narrowing them down to the strongest three. This isn't simply a matter of choosing the three best-looking logos. Each direction needs to offer something meaningful, demonstrate visual strength and have the potential to develop into a complete identity.
The presentation is where the client finally sees the result of that process. Rather than showing dozens of unfinished ideas, I can present three carefully considered directions, each developed in enough detail to communicate its thinking and potential. I believe this makes the decision-making process clearer for the client. They're not being asked to evaluate every experiment or understand every unsuccessful idea. Much of that work has already been done. What they receive is a more focused selection of concepts that have been researched, questioned and tested before reaching the presentation stage.
Of course, that doesn't mean the creative process ends there. Client feedback can introduce new perspectives, challenge assumptions and sometimes push a concept further than I originally imagined. But the initial exploration gives us a stronger foundation from which to have those conversations.
As for the concepts that don't make it, I never consider them wasted work. I archive unused directions because they can still hold value. An idea that wasn't appropriate for one business might contain an interesting approach, a particular form or an experiment worth revisiting in a completely different context. More importantly, those unused concepts contributed to the final result. Without exploring them, I wouldn't necessarily have the same confidence in the three directions I eventually selected. Sometimes understanding why an idea doesn't work is just as useful as discovering one that does.
Looking back at how my process has developed, I think one of the biggest lessons has been learning when to continue exploring and when to leave something behind. I've become more comfortable questioning work that initially feels successful, returning to ideas I've overlooked and accepting that not every good design is the right design.
There is a certain satisfaction in finding a strong concept early, but I've learned not to treat that as the end of the exploration. The first few ideas are rarely the full extent of what's possible. Continuing to experiment, taking time away and returning with a fresh perspective often reveals something that wouldn't otherwise have been discovered.
Ultimately, I think good design is as much about judgement as it is about creativity. Generating ideas is an important skill, but knowing which ones to develop, which ones to question and which ones to leave behind is equally valuable. The client may only ever see three concepts in a presentation. What they don't see is everything that made those three concepts possible. And I think that's where much of the real work happens.
