Logo Design is not a Democracy

Sometimes a little monarchy is OK

There are not many startup management topics where I have extremely strong opinions. Given the wide variety of management styles and organizational structures across successful early-stage companies, it’s clear that almost anything can work as long as it’s a good fit with the people and the culture.

But there is one very specific topic about which I am passionate and a bit tyrannical: picking a company logo.

Choosing a logo is one of those fun early activities at a company. It feels important (although in truth it often isn’t), and it doesn’t require anyone (other than the logo designers themselves) to do any real work.

As a result, the common logo process is: a designer produces a bunch of options, the CEO shares them with the company, and everyone gives their opinion.

Don’t do this! All you’ll end up with is a bunch of wasted time, and a big chunk of employees who are grumpy that you didn’t pick the logo they preferred.

There are only two constituencies with opinions that matter: the founders and the designers. Everyone else may have a personal preference, but it’s essentially uninformed, and it’s not like the founders are going to substitute it for their own preferences.

So, founders: get some candidate logos from your designers, perhaps solicit input from any other team members that may have actual design experience, and pick your favorite. Then unveil the logo to the rest of the company and move on to decisions where a little more democracy might be useful.