Designers, How many concepts or samples do you provide?
This post has been translated into Spanish by Diana at Artegami.
When you work a design job you will at some point have to present a concept or a sample of the design to the client for their consideration. At various places that I have worked and as a freelancer I have presented anywhere from 1 to 5 concepts at a time. The reasoning behind the different numbers seems to go like this:
One concept:
We’re the experts, we know what is best. Don’t confuse the client.
Two-Three concepts:
The client needs choice. It is their project so they need some level of control.
Four-Five concepts:
The client should be getting value for their money.
In the end I settled on three concepts for most jobs but somehow always felt like I was making up extra rubbish to add in when the ‘real’ concept was the first one. So my question is how many concepts do you provide? And do you see any benefits or drawbacks to it? Answer in the poll and/or leave a comment…
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I’ve always felt that two to three concepts is the way to go on most project, you’re giving the client a fair number of choices for the project at hand. On some projects, such as with strategic marketing campaigns, one design concept may be adapted to many different magazine ads, but I’d say the client would have been given different choices before the campaign was started.
More than three choices can be too many ideas for a client, or lead to the client getting into a “design by committee” mindset where additional people are brought in that weren’t involved in the decision making process or weren’t present at any designer-client meetings. This can lead to a strained relationship between the designer and client.
Three seems to be the magic number, not too much, not too little. You should be able to present three well developed concepts based on a good client discovery process.
Personally I’ve never provided more than one site design concept unless specifically requested in the brief. My client survey gathers enough information for me to determine what the client needs, and as a result my designs are often spot-on.
Sure, the client will often suggest that I make the logo 500% bigger, but that’s about the extent of changes I ever have to make.
Also it helps to be a truly amazing designer such as I
Most of the time I make one or two, simply because I as a designer, as you say “know best” – just the thing is, while most people may have their own opinion and their own visions for the project, 9 out of 10 customers doesn’t know what he or she is even talking about; they tend to just grab ideas from a dozen different places and think that by throwing a bunch of random ideas together they’ll get something great looking.
However you have to be careful when giving the customer very little choice because if you’re not, the customer just gets the idea that you’re slacking off and are just too lazy to do what they want you to do. Basically what I’m saying is that when presenting something, having a good product is only half of what’s needed to please the customer; the other half is being able to effectively communicate your ideas and to get the customer thinking in the way that you want them to.
And as Collis said, the first concept usually is the “right” one, and the rest you’re doing just for the sake of doing them. In ways its all like the computer industry, where most companies give you a hundred different choices and the customer just ends up confused.
Go to a Dell or hp website for instance, say you want a desktop… which desktop to get; A100, A110, A122, A500 or Z3000 – plus 10 more categories with 10 more models in each with only minor differences like CPU speed difference between the models. Then take Apple and its as simple as it can get; you pick what you want; a pro machine, a consumer machine, or a basic machine and if you want, all the secondary options like the processor speed is after you make your initial decision.
So as I was saying I’d rather present the customer with one or two “perfect” products and make minor adjustments to them after they make their initial choice, then give them a choice of a dozen products each with below average quality, ending up confusing the customer and then trying to work out all the bugs…
I usually give the client one concept and then some variations on that concept. Designing with web standards in xhtml + css (+ dom scripting where needed, but not generally present in the concept phase), it’s somewhat simpler to work up an alternate style sheet for the other concepts. I rarely just show photoshop/illustrator comps, but usually design a complete page or two to start. The design often gets changed through several iterations, but (so far, knock on wood) the original concept or a close variation have hit the mark 90% of the time for me.
Just to continue Ink Master’s analogy, Ford has been critisized for just that. They have too many models and as a result they are loosing their share of the market. Not only are consumers overwhelmed by too many choices, the car plants have to build all of different types of cars which puts a lot of stress on them.
I only ever offer two concepts (web design) and usually one of them will be the right direction. I may then provide a few iterations, but most clients seem to be happy with this process.
Making more than one concept only adds to the perception that what we do as designers is easy and disposable. Design is a precision job, and if a designer has done the preliminary work well (interviewing the client, researching their needs, etc), then one concept should be enough. I would never provide more than one concept, unless it was specifically requested by the client, and even then I would try to discourage it and explain why it’s superfluous and a waste of time/resources.
Sometimes if busy i only give 2 concept, but if kinda free give 3 concept.
Making more than one concept can make the clients has more choices and they can mix and match between the concept. So, i can give my clients suggestion about what part is the best of the each concept. In the end me and my client will have a full agreement about the design.
I think it depends on the client, how long you have for concepts (might be a rush job) etc.
For a website, I usually give them a prototype and then sort out the issues etc
Well said Mave – I totally agree.
I sometimes have situations where in-house print designers will say “I can do better than that!”. They then proceed to design something which is both unusable and totally impossible to build – a great design nonetheless – but not suitable for the web. It’s when I point these issues out that the client realises that I have designed their site in a very specific way the first time because I know what I’m doing.
Sure I could’ve designed a variant with curved navigation and multiple layers of transparent, overlapping graphics, but it would triple your build cost and only 10% of your paying customers would be able to use it.
Client: “We’ll stick with the first version thanks.”
@ Kuswanto
Why not incorporate all of the best parts into the one design?
In the past I would let the clients budget dictate how many concepts they would receive, but now that I have changed my billing structure I will do as many as they want. I put a lot of effort into the wire frame stage in getting the general layout down and when you’re dealing with basic shapes it cuts down the amount of actual design time you have to put forward, leaving more time to conceptualizing the space each area will consume.
I’ve done as many as three in the past, but usually do one or two samples. I agree that most of the time coming up with two or three designs is creating filler and bad ideas just for the sake of variety. Unless the client asks, I try to limit myself to one sample.
It usually depends on the client, budget and how confident I am with the designs I’m presenting for me. I’ll usually aim for two or three, but have had success with just one quite a few times when I think I’ve managed to get it right in one. I don’t think there’s much point in doing extras that you’re not happy with just to ‘fill the numbers’ – whenever I’ve done that the client has always chosen the design I liked least!
I always tried to give the customer a choice of about 3 different concepts. But not more! There is a line you should never cross: “When you give to much choices to the customer, it can happen that he wont be satisfied with any of them and will break anything you present him”.
That is one experience I made when I came up with more than 3 (I think it was 5 or 6) different designs for a website. The client liked all of them, but he just thought, if I could do so many different designs, I could easily come up with another bunch of designs that might please him.
So this became a very dangerous circle where breaking out is almost impossible!
Since then, I always started to ask if there is any concept I should go with (most clients know some other websites of other companies who work in the same domain), and then I present 2-3 different designs which are based on the first input of the client. But I keep design itereations very short, so the client sees the design growing from day to day so he can pull the trigger if its getting out of hands.
Client communication is very important in the beginning!
I use two-three, they need some control because it’s their money, not mine and if they don’t satisfied with my work (the first option), how the heck they going to hire me the second time?
For a person who has none and with very few guidelines, I’d say I would make three to five but for a client that already has something and has very detailed guidelines I make around 10 (sketches.. lol!).
Personally, I agree with the two to three concepts. Although I often deliver multiple concepts, I can agree much of the focus is put into the first.
In my opinion, I don’t think quantity devalues the designers work.
If pricing per design concept is done to scale to the caliber of the work, don’t you maintain the value of that work?
I am presenting around 2-3 designs when it’s the first meeting with new client. But afterwards (since I am into long-term relationship with my clients) I am taking lots of time and brainstorming with my clients to get to know their branding needs which in the end allows me to work very precisely on 1 concept which is always accepted right away.
Well I find after a client meeting, I’ll have a pretty good idea of what they want. I’ll focus on one main concept and present it to them – usually they go for it, and any changes or input they would like included can be made then. Quality over quantity.
For me, this would only work with one strong concept presented. If you presented 3 great designs, they may turn to you and want to take their favourite (not always the best parts) element of each design – which can lead to further problems. I find it best not to bombard the client with ideas – but to guide them…..after all – that is why they hired a designer
Depends upon the client’s budget – I usually give them the choice. Most of the time I get enough information from an early planning meeting to figure out what they want, make appropriate suggestions, and gain their trust in focusing on one concept.
Most would rather spend the money on the planning meeting than on me spending hours on extraneous concepts. Then we remain in close communication through the design process to make sure we end up in the right place. I personally find I have no more ‘back to the drawing board’ instances than when doing multiple concepts, their money just gets spent more efficiently.
If also developing important brand elements like logos, colour schemes and font choices, I _will_ usually provide many concepts, often depending upon how undefined the client’s vision is. Usually three or four rather different concepts, and then three or four closer variations of the one chosen. After that it’s sometimes one or two small tweaks and an approval.
I usually put all my effort into building up one strong concept that works and that I am personally happy with, and present it to client along with a few variations if needed. It’s always good to communicate with the client during the design stage too, to keep them informed and recieve feedback on your progress so you can tweak and change the work.
I would join the camp of “two to three designs”, but I would add that probably the most valuable part the process is the (potentially) painful “client interview”, that helps whittle down the stray debris that clients think look great or want to incorporate into their design, but doesn’t work with the overall concept. I actually say that very clearly up front, that until we have agreed clearly on the purpose/audience, it doesn’t make much sense to put pen to paper, stylus to touchpad or whichever method you use to start the layout. And a second or third design, (usually the less favored in sequencial order) does give the client some kind of comfort that I am flexible. Sometimes I use those designs to demonstrate what the client thought would work, as opposed to what really does what they want. As long as I show them I’m listening, we all walk away from the table with a good experience and, usually, a successful project.
I’m from India and this reminds me of a pack re-design assignment for a large tea brand. The job was outsourced to a designer I used to work with and the primary focus of the brief was : We want more options.
The designer actually worked on and presented 50 pack designs. Yes, 50.
I found that totally illogical. How could the client ever bring into perspective or review 50 pack designs ? A better option would have been to brief the designer on the key objectives behind the need to re-design the pack and then review three or four designs, to see if they met these objectives.
According to me, design goes along an evolution curve, where it is fine tuned by constructive feedback and creative judgment
I only do one concept unless stated in the brief that they would like more. Then they pay for that extra time.
Providing three designs is just going to make the whole process more drawn out and confuse the client in most cases. I also strongly agree with “Making more than one concept only adds to the perception that what we do as designers is easy and disposable.”
Another vote for 2-3. My general rule is 2 well-formed designs, but it all depends. If the client is on a tight budget, I’ll offer to do only 1 for a slightly reduced fee. Or sometimes 3 strong ideas will come out of brainstorming, so I’ll show all 3. I present the 2 designs as starting points, though, and encourage an initial feedback stage after the presentation so the client can feel like they aren’t locked in to something. The client will almost always be happier if they feel like they’ve played some part in the process, and it actually almost always leads to a better design n the end–it keeps me from being stubbornly locked in to my initial ideas.
Also, for some long-term clients that I have a good relationship with, I’ll usually just show 1, and if they absolutely hate it, I’ll work up another. But having worked on many projects together means I can usually nail it the first time.
I’m a writer, not a visual designer, but I’d like to point out that I get better results when I make myself give the client 2 options.
Usually, I quickly land on an idea that seems strong, and I write a quick pitch for it. Then I try to come up with an equally strong second idea that’s substantially different. As a result, my first idea usually gets strengthened, plus I end up with a second idea that might be just as effective and sometimes replaces the first as my favorite. This is more than quick brainstorming; it’s forcing myself to fully develop at least two strong but clearly different ideas.
Yes, this takes longer, which is reflected in my fee. But the client gets better ideas as a result and thinks I’m creative, which is supposedly why they hired me in the first place. And I learn more about my client when they discuss what they like or dislike about each idea.
In the past I’ve offered clients 3 comps for consideration. But as others have stated there was really only one I felt strongly about and the other two were more or less “fillers”. Plus it tended to confuse clients and they usually ended up wanting me to combine elements from each into yet a fourth composition.
Recently I’ve switched to offering one focused comp and this has worked well so far. It reduces confusion and allows the client to hone in on what they like and don’t like. Plus it’s not set in stone, so we are still able to make edits and allow the design to evolve.
I usually go with 1-3 samples.
I find that having a design discussion with the client helps me to hone in on that one great design. I show them a color swatch book, have them show me several sites that they like the design of, and on top of that I ask them what they don’t like. I then come up with one concept and when I present it, I always let them know that anything can be adjusted on it if they like. I’ve only run into one client who did not like the initial design, but they ended up being picky about a lot things… but that’s another story.
I think that having that design conversation makes the client feel like they have helped in the design process, and when you present the comp that shows their ideas and yours together, it’s almost like magic… and we both feel confident about the decision.
I’ve also done experiments with several clients… ranging from a full photoshop comp that i adjust until it is ready to be sliced and diced, to actually just building the site in Dreamweaver and presenting that to the client. Both worked out well, with the client approving the initial design. That makes me feel safe in coming up with one concept and presenting it.
I usually show 2. One that is close in line with what the client specifically asked for and another to give them an “option”.
It also just kind of depends on the client: sometimes they know exactly what they want, and other times they don’t know what they want until the “see it”. In either case, I think it’s important to show 2, and occasionally 3 options. More than that and there is too much room for confusion and overload, and as the designer, talk about which design I like best for them and why. The dialogue with the client, I think is so important, before, and during the design process. They need to know that I am listening and vice versa, when done well, and when there is good client/designer chemistry, it can be a really wonderful experience… then there is the other side, but I’ll leave that alone…
I give them one.
My clients are smaller and tend to be a little more clueless and non-tech savvy, so I find teh best approach is to grow it organically and slowly with them involved. Kind of like software prototyping but for web-design. I do half of the design and get feedback and change or continue etc. Works well and they feel involved in the design process which they love.
Also, I don’t have many new creative ideas, so the idea of giving a client 3 designs is close to agonising!
If I had it my way I’d only do one but at work my boss makes me do four or five. I do print design.
Honestly, I think any more than one is a waste of time because when I’m designing I pick the best colors, best composition, best typeface etc etc and how can I justify showing other designs when i’ve already distilled the solution down to the best answer.
Wow, some really interesting points here!! I can’t get over the 50 packaging designs, that’s crazy!
50??? uhm… that is kinda over the top
We do one concept… though, since we deal mostly in websites we show that concept very early on. Also, I will say, that we will scrap it and do 100 more if need be (thank you Lord that’s never happened). Our ideas are worth nothing if they don’t 1) work for the client (i.e. get them business) and 2) make them happy (i.e. recommend us to others). But… in the beginning it’s one concept… and, blessedly, that usually works.
I’m happy to offer a client as many concepts as they want, but I make sure they understand the cost difference. I’ll try to narrow down the genre of design they need/want based on the requirements of the project. If a client specifically asks for multiple concepts (3 would be my sane suggested limit) then I’ll present them all together, however if a client isn’t sure then I’ll show each concept as I’ve done it and in some cases a budget-conscious client will be happy with the 1st they see.
Where possible, the concepts themselves are fairly generic, using lipsum text, and based around an agreed information architecture. In many cases the final design is a with dashes of b and c, or b with that idea from a, or yada yada.
Its interesting to hear what others do to try and get as much information as possible from the client for the design brief, and I’ve already ‘borrowed’ one idea (colour swatches, thanks Jon
Great for the logo-less project), so thanks for that!
Great discussion, it’s really interesting reading everyone’s views on this one. I’ve had many chats with colleagues over the years regarding this subject.
Up until a year ago I’d produce, on average, three concepts but now I only ever produce one. Like others – I get as much information from the client as possible, go through their ideas, do plenty of research and 9 times out of 10…they love the first concept I produce.
My experiences with producing three or more concepts have been awful. It’s easy to try and impress new clients by providing lots of options and ideas, but I have found this raises expectations too high for the rest of the project and often devalues what you produce. Clients start to think your job is easy and that it doesn’t take long to produce designs or make changes.
Giving a client too much choice is a bad idea and it’s all too easy to end up giving up and going with what they think ‘is best’. As designers/writers/photographers we shouldn’t do this – the client is employing us…not themselves.
Learning to say no and explain why their ideas or fusion of concepts (shudder) won’t work has been one of the hardest skills I’ve had to learn – I wish I had learned it years ago as it would have saved me and my clients a lot of time and money.
Depending on the clients budget and what is agreed on before I start working on the commissioned work, I usually give the client 3 options at least but I am happy to show more if they are willing to pay for it.
I do agree, though, that sometimes it is hard to know where to draw the line on how many ideas one should show.
Typically, I’ve found that customers already know what they want, they just lack the ability to articulate it effectively enough to a designer.
I usually offer only one concept with my vision; this starts a dialog that gets the customer talking about what they really want. The concept I offer is usually heavily modified as I work with the customer in learning what things they feel are important to embodying their message.
While this does add time to the front of project that ends up as unbillable, I usually make it back through referrals and repeat work from those customers as they grow and change.
I’m interested in providing long-term value to my customers, not foisting my design preferences upon unsuspecting folk. Anyone that presents more than two concepts to a potential customer isn’t paying enough attention to them. I’ve found while choice is good, too much choice will cripple your customer. They’ll defer to your design sense in the end, leaving critical choices up to you and diluting their marketing as a result.
Personally, We have never done a project with more than one initial design sample, unless outlined in the beginning. From our first design, we allow changes to be made. We have made exceptions on this rule though and done 2-3 design samples for clients. It all depends on the client, the needs and how vivid they are in details.
You just need one that you feel is worthy of “running up the flagpole” to see who salutes… Seriously depending on the creative impetus of the project, one good concept is what you as the designer wants. You may create several half-baked ideas in the process. If you present those don’t be surprised at a whole panel of wanna-be designers coming back with a whole new direction for the project. Ahhh now they know what they want, and it might not be what you as the designer preferred as a direction. Aka, be the smartest guy in the room from the “get-go”…
I tend to do three, non-baked concepts. Through a good initial discovery session with the client, I create one that is pretty straight forward, another that may be a little edgy, and then a do a third that is what I would want/do if it were my project.
Regardless of outcome, I end up with 2 in the files that weren’t used that can be used later on.
Granted, there are times the client says “I want this”, so that’s what they get.
More of a pain than concepts is revisions, and I limit that to 1 major revision prior to coding, and 1 minor revision prior to final approval before incurring additional cost.
sometimes client dont want to know… they want much sample and dummy, and sometimes they want design same as they see in internet..
Thanks..this is make me more thing good..
It’s all in the sell my friends. True, we as designers “should” know what’s best. But, there are a lot of people who call themselves designers when in reality, they can’t tell their ass from a hole in the ground. I like to give 2 SOLID designs and let the client choose. If you do one concept, you could be looked upon as someone who only has one good idea in them at a time. Not good. There’s never anything wrong with giving 3, but it can muddy up the water. You know your client, or at least you should, if you can sell them with one concept, more power to you. Oh and by the way this quote is THE most stupid thing I’ve read in a long time…. “Making more than one concept only adds to the perception that what we do as designers is easy and disposable.”
Slightly OT – but funny nonetheless…
http://www.underconsideration.com/MaketheLogoBigger.mp3
I usually stick to one design concept. Where am from, website development is not sooo popular and as such clients can’t tell exactly what they want…I do agree that taking that first step to meet up with a client and discuss the project goes along way in helping you come up with a better concept.
Over here 3 is definitely a crowd….giving a I-don’t-have-a-clue-what-is-going-on client options is just inviting trouble into your territory.
Very interesting article.
In terms of website design I usually try to present 2 designs. But doing the second design is mostly a struggle, I can’t get out of the ‘flow’ of the first design.
What I found out is this: I always explain my design, not sell my design saying how good it is, but explaining what my concept is, why I use certain colors/shapes, why this design is suitable etc. It helps!
Not saying anything and show them the design mostly end up with the client giving a negative feedback. Because they don’t see what we see!
I thinking showing the client too much designs or variations will only confuse the client and make your work harder. But experimention is good though, to make a lot of designs for yourself, but not show them all.
I agree: we designers “should” know what works best. But still it would be arrogant to think the client would like our design, only because we like it ourselfs. Different tastes. Communication is key. xD
I work with small costumers and as Steve said : “I do half of the design and get feedback and change or continue etc. Works well and they feel involved in the design process which they love.” is also the way i work.
One question, and if someone can help here, how and when do you charge for presenting layouts and variations ?
I mean, do you charge some % parte before the prototype, and how much of the whole estimated work price ? Sometimes i do not know how to handle this part. I’m afraid costumer runs away if i do not present a scratch of what i propose in terms of design. In the other side i will spend time on that, so think costumer need to pay a minimum for this.
Some tips in how to deal with this before-after dilemma will just be great.
Ty,
Pedro
Only 1. If you’re designing more, you don’t really understand the client’s specific needs and requirements. Spend more time getting to know what they’re looking for, then make one sweet, spot-on design. Don’t waste your time with others that you know you don’t even like as well.
I think most of the designers doing their best in their first scribble, so my suggestion is think a lot before u start the work, then execute it. dehenetely it will be a good one and u dont need more than this one scribble
Can depend upon the quality and consideration of information gathered for the project, ideally if you have good solid information you should be able to focus on creating one design to fulfill the design brief (Im talking about web design here, logo design is another kettle of fish).
Within presenting that one concept there is the flexibility to alter/fine tune aspects of the design.
If a project is more abstract with a broader audience then in cases like this more concepts are needed to flesh out the direction to take the final design.
Generally though with some discussion with the client you can come to an agreement on what you both feel is necessary to get the job done right.
When providing concepts to a client I normally range around the 2-3 mark of what I feel are the strongest ideas.