Why I Use a Single Logo Concept

I’ve been asked several questions recently about my “single logo concept” including what it is, how does it work, and, more importantly, what if a client doesn't like it?

I’ve been using this process since 2019 with great success, so I’m here to clear the air and show you why this is the best approach to branding and to give you a real life example of how this played out with a recent (and exceedingly happy) client.

First, what do I mean by “single logo concept (SLC)?” 

If you’ve ever used a service like Fiverr or Upwork, you’re probably used to getting lots and lots of logos to choose from. How did you feel about all those options? Overwhelmed? Uncertain? Insecure? Confused? Or are you the rare unicorn who looked at that cluttered page and knew exactly which one to pick? It’s possible but highly unlikely, at least that’s what the women I work with tell me.

This “more is better” approach is so common that it’s natural to think every designer works this way. We don’t. Well, some do, but I don’t because it’s not in your best interest. The last thing I want for my clients is overwhelm and uncertainty. After all, that’s why you hired a professional, right? 

SLC is exactly what it sounds like. When I present the very first logo design to my clients, I show them only one logo. And it works every single time, often on the very first round.

But there’s a catch. It ONLY works when 2 other crucial pieces are in place:

1. We’ve already created a solid Brand Strategy.

2. We allow for revisions until it’s just right.

Here’s the deal. When you begin your rebrand with a solid strategy that outlines who you and your clients are, it lays such a strong foundation that the visual pieces come together much easier because we know what our end goal is. It’s not about favorite colors and clever clip art. (Please don’t use clip art.) It’s about communicating the big idea and keywords of your brand.

If I show you a page full of different options, I’m basically asking you to do my job. And I think that’s really unfair to you and lazy of me. I’m asking you to understand color psychology, leading, kerning, negative space, typography, and bezier curves. Wait, what? You don’t know what all those terms mean? Probably not, in the same way I can’t begin to understand, much less master, the nuances of your industry.

Here’s the other secret you should know. An SLC does NOT mean I’ve only created one logo. It means I’ve doodled pages of ideas, researched the perfect fonts, developed 3 or 4 concepts, decided which one fits your business best, and then tweaked it to fit. And then after we discuss it, it gets refined even more.

So what does this look like in real life?

You may remember Erin Thorp’s brand reveal from a couple of months ago. Her logo was a perfect example of this process in action, and she kindly gave me permission to share the full backstory with you. This is also a great example because Erin’s logo went through a bigger transformation from initial concept to final logo than most clients do. You’ll really see the changes here.

As a certified leadership coach, Erin is a unique blend of left-brained, civil engineer and right-brained, intuitive coach and author. We wanted to make sure both of these qualities were captured in her brand which is why her keywords are insightful, ambitious, and curious. Here’s the first draft:

You can probably tell that I was leaning more toward the corporate/engineer vibe than her intuitive coaching strengths, and she could feel it too. In fact, her feedback was that this was “too logical and corporate and not playful enough.” And it is. I was more focused on her technical strengths, and she wanted to embrace more curiosity and fun. This is also why we meet over Zoom (before Zoom was cool) instead of emailing PDFs back and forth. It takes honest feedback and conversation to drill down to what’s most important.

Knowing this, I was able to keep the overall concept and adjust for the missing pieces. Here’s the first revision:

Conceptually, it’s very similar, but with a few edits and softer fonts it FEELS completely different. Erin’s thoughts? “I LOVE THESE! You managed to take all my ideas and make them make sense!” From here, it was just a matter of playing with the icon a bit and tightening up the horizontal spacing (a.k.a. leading). Here’s the final version you saw in the brand reveal:

Her feedback? “Perfection!!! These small tweaks make all the difference! Thank you for helping me work through this. I feel so lost in the creative process and you are proving to be an excellent guide.”

This is the real magic—giving you the best SLC option and guiding you through the revision process. So fun!

So you really can see how a SLC works in our favor when we follow the right steps:

1. Brand strategy

2. Single logo presentation

3. A bit of tweaking to get it just right

Your Brand Strategy should lay such a strong foundation that you’ll not only be floored that the first concept is the right concept, you’ll feel relieved to escape all the hemming and hawing over your brand. It’s much more effective to take one idea and revise it than to play eeny-meeny-miney-moe with a dozen options and hope for the best. Nobody wants that kind of pressure!

I hope this clears up some of your questions around SLCs and why some designers choose this over a multi-logo approach. If you have other questions, I’d love to answer them for you!