When it comes to graphic design and other agency work, it is essential to understand the pitfalls of design by committee and the importance of having a confident and sophisticated, lead marketing individual on the client side take charge of the process.

To avoid “frankensteining” and sabotaging the creative process, we will highlight the benefits of empowering a trusted decision-maker who collaborates with the agency, expedites the review and approval process, and safeguards the original vision and strategy.

Less is More

Design by committee occurs when too many individuals are involved in the decision-making process, leading to conflicting opinions, diluted ideas, and compromised outcomes. The adage “a camel is a horse designed by committee” often rings true, as the result becomes a mishmash of compromises rather than a cohesive and effective solution.

Designers require clarity and a focused vision to bring their expertise to the table. When subjected to the opinions of a large group lacking design experience and expertise, the project can quickly veer off track.

Confidence & Bold Leadership

Having a strong “head of marketing” with leadership skills and experience working with internal and external resources brings numerous benefits to the review and approval process. This individual should also be entrusted by the company’s executive leadership team with making final executive decisions in collaboration with and following the agency’s lead.

Having a confident and bold marketeer who understands the company’s short- and longer-term objectives, brand identity, and target audience aids in the ability to execute with excellence. In short, they possess the necessary expertise to evaluate the agency’s work and provide valuable feedback while aligning it with the company’s strategic goals.

Streamlining the Process

How many individuals and layers of management does your review/approval process include? How long, on average, do design elements take for feedback and/or approval? Smaller companies should be able to turn items around within 2-4+ business days, while larger organizations can take upwards of 5-10+ business days. Beyond this, we feel there’s room for improvement.
By empowering marketing to take the lead in the review and approval process, companies can expedite the timeline and ensure efficiency. Instead of involving multiple decision-makers, each with their own opinions and preferences, the designated marketing point person can consolidate feedback and provide clear and concise direction to the agency. This streamlined approach saves valuable time, prevents unnecessary back-and-forth, and keeps the project on track.

Safeguarding the Original Vision and Strategy

When design decisions are left to a committee, the original vision and strategy can easily be hijacked. Too many opinions dilute the essence of the project, leading to compromised outcomes that “miss the mark” or fail to resonate with the target audience.

By entrusting marketing to make final executive decisions in collaboration with the agency, the original vision and strategy remain intact. The head of marketing can also evaluate the agency’s work, provide constructive feedback, and track the effectiveness of a campaign against pre-defined success metrics or key performance indicators.

In Summary

A design by committee approach is often dysfunctional, leading to a loss of time, money, missed opportunities, and compromised creative solutions. By empowering a confident and sophisticated CMO, VP or marketing director to collaborate with the agency, companies can avoid this pitfall.

A more streamlined and focused decision-making process ensures the agency’s expertise is respected, the project stays on track, and the outcome is aligned with the company’s vision, mission and values. Additionally, this approach reduces extra costs and maximizes profitability by delivering effective and cohesive creative solutions that add brand value and positive perception and culture within and outside a company, not to mention improve heart share, mind share and market share longer term.