My client's logo had 12 fonts and they wouldn't budge. I made a grayscale version and that finally convinced them.

So I have this client who runs a local bakery chain here in Denver. They hired me to clean up their brand identity but they were super attached to this logo they made themselves. It had like 12 different fonts, drop shadows, gradients, the whole mess. I tried explaining hierarchy and simplicity for 3 meetings, nothing worked. Then I just printed their logo in black and white on a piece of paper and showed them how nothing stood out. The text was all competing. I offered to try one clean font with just a shape and they said yes. That one trick actually got them to trust me. Has anyone else had luck using grayscale to sell minimalism to stubborn clients?

3 comments

3 Comments

nina_harris2mo ago

Grayscale is a handy tool because it mimics how people actually scan content before they read it. Most folks will glance at a logo or layout and process contrast and shape before they even register the words. Showing a client the monochrome version strips away all the flashy distractions and forces them to see the structure underneath.

cameron_craig5d ago

One study I saw said the brain processes shapes in about 13 milliseconds, but words take way longer to register. @sarah_johnson46, that's probably why you were skeptical but Nina is right about how quick that first glance really is. Have you ever tried showing a client a grayscale version of their own logo to prove how the structure holds up on its own?

sarah_johnson462mo ago

Wait, are you actually saying people don't see the words at all when they first look at something? That can't be right, can it?