5 Ways to Present Your Design Work, Better

“I love it!”

That’s what you want to hear each time you present your graphic design work — either to your boss, teacher, teammate, or client. We all know that in reality, this won’t be the response every time; nonetheless, we always strive for it anyway. Sometimes it’s the simplest things that help us grow and develop as designers. As you create for others, here are five simple tips to implement to present your concepts more effectively:

1. Limit your concepts

3–4 concepts are enough. Seriously! Many designers, especially newer ones, have a tendency to think that more is better. But that’s not always true. When it comes to presenting initial concepts to someone (let’s say a logo design), there needs to be a focus. 3–4 quality concepts are enough options to show variety. Anything more might overwhelm the client because there are now too many options to choose from. If you find yourself not being able to narrow down to 3 or 4 of your best concepts, then that means there could be a gap in clarity (maybe you didn’t do enough discovery and you’re guessing) or you haven’t taken heed to the next two tips below.

2. Make them distinct

Concepts should be easily differentiated. If you are sending 3 initial logo concepts for someone to review, then they…