A clean, modern wordmark. A three-word tagline. A product name. Why is it that the cleanest, clearest elements often require the most heavy lifting? These projects may look deceptively straightforward, but they’re actually some of the most challenging assignments we get.

Seeing a name or logo set free in the wild is an amazing experience. No more second guessing and worrying about whether it’s perfect—it’s out there, doing its job. And, because you did your homework, it’ll serve you well for years to come.

Concentrating a brand’s essence into something that communicates everything you want to say in an instant, differentiate from competitors, and strike the right tone for your audiences—all while feeling natural—is really fun and rewarding, but it’s definitely not simple.

When you’re working with a limited canvas, every decision is magnified. Which of Pantone’s 15,000 colors is the right one? Are you elevating, amplifying, or accelerating? Unlike this 600-word blog post, there’s nowhere to hide imperfections.

The good news is that these constraints actually fuel creativity. When you can’t rely on lengthy explanations or complex designs, you’re forced to think more deeply about what really matters. So what’s the answer—and how do you keep your timelines and costs from spiraling? Start with (and return often to) strategy.

How to make “simple” projects simpler

Before putting virtual pen to paper, spell out what you need this element to accomplish. Clear parameters help narrow your focus and create a decision framework that can tell you when you’ve achieved your goals and you’re ready to introduce your new name/logo/position/banner ad to the world.

What should your decision framework look like? For a recent naming project, we considered:

• Does it reflect the simplicity of the product?
• Is it memorable and motivating?
• Is it easy to read, spell and pronounce? Does the rhythm feel right?
• Does it speak to what the audience wants, rather than what we want?
• Does it unintentionally suggest ideas we want to stay away from?
• What URLs are available?

Note that we didn’t include “does everyone love it?” or “are they wowed?” Because, frankly, wowing everyone on an extended marketing and decision making team isn’t a thing any logo or name or phrase can do.

Embrace the process

First ideas are terrible. Ann Handley talks (wisely) about the ugly first draft. Leonard Cohen said he wrote 80 or more verses for Hallelujah over four years, before settling on the simply perfect song that immortalized Jeff Buckley.

Over time, creatives get better at keeping their terrible ideas to themselves, so you can skip ahead on the journey, and the likelihood of a first-round presentation hitting the mark is a lot higher.

Just be careful about loving the process too much. There are always more options—it’s like Bumble or Tinder for logos and names. But different isn’t necessarily better. Once you’ve achieved the brief and satisfied the decision framework, be done. After a few rounds, as ideas get floated to new groups of stakeholders, it’s easy to get mired in circular discussions or start moving the goal posts. Remember that not everyone has bought into (or even seen) the strategy, so reviewing the brief with each new cohort can help.

The joy of getting it right

Seeing a name or logo set free in the wild is an amazing experience. No more second guessing and worrying about whether it’s perfect—it’s out there, doing its job. And, because you did your homework, it’ll serve you well for years to come.

Bottom line, the best minimal marketing elements look simple because they’re built on solid strategy. You can’t see all the work behind the scenes, but you can feel them in an elegant solution that works. Talk to FATFREE to see how easy and enjoyable the process can be.