The One-Concept Approach to Brand Identity Design

Presenting multiple logo concepts has been the industry standard for brand identity design but lately, the one-concept approach is taking over.

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One Vs Many

In the multi-concept approach, clients are presented with a variety of logo designs often based on subpar, diluted ideas, and tasked to choose their favorite before the rest of the brand is designed. Since clients are not brand design experts, the difficult choice is often based on personal preference and not on the strategy that is the foundation of the brand. This leads to a brand identity that doesn’t resonate with the target audience and has to be redesigned in the future. With the one-concept approach, a single strategic solution is created by emphasizing brand strategy and quality over quantity. 

Think of it like going to the doctor. What if, after listening to your concerns, the doctor suggested various operations and left the decision entirely up to you? You’d feel confused, overwhelmed, and upset, right? You chose this doctor based on their superior skills and extensive experience. You want their best professional recommendation for your particular problem, not multiple options that you aren’t even sure will give you the results you need. Brand identity design should be approached the same way.

Strategy

The key to the one-concept approach is brand strategy. The brand strategy includes defining your brand’s mission and values, developing your brand’s personality and messaging, researching your target audience and competition, and clarifying your offerings and differentiators. The information collected acts as a guide and leads to a single successful solution.

Design

The design phase begins after analyzing the information in the brand strategy. “One concept” doesn’t mean working with a single idea. At the beginning of the project, we explore many ideas continually refining and dismissing the less effective ones, until the best solution remains. From that single solution, the design expands outward to the various elements that make up a complete brand identity such as secondary logos, submarks, font recommendations, color palettes, patterns, and icons. All of which are presented at the same time. 

A brand is much more than a logo – it’s an experience. To help visualize the brand identity in the real world, we create mockups of items like business cards, social media pages, packaging, and storefronts. It’s essential to see every element of the brand, not just the logo, in action to determine if it’s the right fit.

Refinement

From there, you’ll provide feedback from the perspective of your target audience referring back to the brand strategy as needed. It’s important to remember that we’re designing for your audience, not ourselves. It’s essential to think strategically about how the concept will best connect with your audience rather than get caught up in personal preferences. Together we will refine the concept until it’s the perfect solution to your branding needs.

You might be wondering what happens if you don’t like the initial concept. We would never force a client to accept a concept they aren’t confident in. If you believe the initial concept isn’t right for your brand and audience, we’ll go back to the brand strategy to see what we missed in our research and start again with a stronger understanding of the project.

Now that you know how the one-concept approach works, are you ready to get started?