Presentation

The first major design presentation is the decisive moment. A design team has worked hard to get to this point, and it is the culmination of months of work. The expectations and stakes are high. Clients are usually impatient during the planning and analysis phase since they are so focused on the end goal, which is their new brand identity. There is usually a sense of urgency around scheduling this meeting. Everyone is ready to hit the ground running, even though the implementation phase of the work is not imminent.

Careful planning is essential to ensure the successful outcome of the meeting. The smartest, most appropriate, and most creative solutions can get annihilated in a mismanaged presentation. The larger the group of decision makers, the more difficult the meeting and the decision are to manage. Even presenting to one decision maker alone demands planning in advance.

Delivering a good presentation is something that a professional learns through experience and observation. The best presentations stay focused on the agenda, keep the meeting moving within the scheduled time, set out clear and reasonable expectations, and are based on a decision-making process that has been predetermined. The best presenters are well prepared and have practiced in advance. They are prepared to deal with any objections and can discuss the design solutions strategically, aligning them with the overall brand goals of the company. Larger projects routinely involve more than one presentation and numerous levels of building consensus.

Don’t expect the work to speak for itself. Even the most ingenious solutions must be sold.

Suzanne Young

Communications Strategist

Showing your concepts in a field of super brands helps decision makers make better decisions. Pentagram used this slide when they were designing Citi’s identity.

Citi: Pentagram

Presentation basics Presentation strategies

PowerPoint is dead.

Blake Deutsch Agree in advance about the agenda and the decision-making process.

Clarify who will attend the meeting and the role they will play. Individuals who have not participated in the early part of the process may derail the process.

Circulate the agenda in advance. Be sure to include the overall goals of the meeting.

Create an in-depth outline of your presentation and practice in advance. Create a handout if appropriate.

Look at the room’s physical layout in advance to decide where you want to present from and where you want others to sit.

Arrive well in advance to set up the room and be there to greet all the attendees.

If the company is going to provide any equipment for the meeting, test it in advance. Familiarize yourself with the lighting and temperature controls in the room.

Web 2.0 applications have revolutionized the way we present our ideas and work collaboratively with our clients. Creating, sharing, rebranding and building brand consistency is facilitated by real-time online presentations. Dan Marcolina

Creative Director Marcolina Design Begin the meeting with a review of the decisions made to date, including overall brand identity goals, definition of target audience, and positioning statement.

Present each approach as a strategy with a unique positioning concept. Talk about meaning, not aesthetics. Each strategy should be presented within several actual contexts (ad, home page, business card, etc.), as well as juxtaposed with the competition.

Always have a point of view. When presenting numerous solutions (never more than three), be ready to explain which one you would choose and why.

Be prepared to deal with objections: steer the conversation away from aesthetic criticism and toward functional and marketing criteria.

Never present anything that you do not believe in.

Never allow voting.

Be prepared to present next steps, including design development, trademarking, and application design.

Follow up the presentation with a memo outlining all decisions that were made.