A client wants three free logo concepts first. How do I say no?

Why designers turn this down

Asking for concepts before a contract is the textbook case of spec work. AIGA's Raleigh chapter, in its local perspective on spec work (September 2018), quotes AIGA National's list of unpaid work and defines spec work as "work done for free, in hopes of getting paid for it", separate from competitions, volunteer work, internships and pro bono work. The same page sets out the costs: designers usually lose control of the rights because there is no contract, and the quality suffers because there has been no time to learn the client's business.

The Graphic Artists Guild's Code of Fair Practice puts the business risk plainly in Article 29: artists who accept speculative assignments "risk losing anticipated fees, expenses, and the potential opportunity to pursue other, rewarding assignments." It also leaves the decision with each designer. Both organizations describe the choice as yours. This answer assumes you have already decided to say no and want to keep the conversation alive.

What the client is really asking for

A request for free concepts is usually a request for reassurance. The client wants to know that you understand their business and that they will like what they pay for. You can meet that need without handing over unpaid design.

• Proof of skill: a short portfolio selection that matches their sector or problem.
• Proof of process: a one page outline of how you go from brief to finished mark, including where they give feedback.
• Proof of fit: a short call where you ask about their customers, competitors and goals. Good questions often reassure a client more than sketches do.

A reply you can adapt

Thanks for thinking of me for this. I don't produce concepts before a project starts, because the strongest logo comes out of what I learn about your business in the first stage of the work, and sketches made without that are guesses. What I can do is send you three projects close to yours, with a note on how each one developed, and we can book a call to talk through your goals. If you'd like to see thinking specific to your brand before committing to the full project, I offer a paid discovery stage that ends with a short brief and one direction. That fee is credited to the full project if we go ahead.

Keep it short, friendly and specific. Do not lecture the client about spec work, and do not apologize for being paid.

If they push back

1. "Other designers will do it." Some will. You can say that you understand and that your process starts with paid research. You are not trying to win every lead.
2. "Just one rough sketch." A rough sketch is still a concept. Offer the paid discovery stage again, or offer a smaller paid exploration with a clear fee.
3. "We'll pay the winner well." That makes it a competition, which has its own trade offs. The contest thread in this forum covers them.
4. "Can you show us how you'd approach it?" Yes, in words. Describe the questions you would ask and the research you would do. That is pitching your process, not giving away the solution.

Pricing the paid first step

Price the discovery stage from your hourly floor, worked out as in the thread on how to work out a minimum hourly rate, and put it in writing with what the client receives and who owns it. A small signed agreement at this stage also tests whether the client is willing to commit to anything at all.

For the longer argument about why free concepts cost both sides, see what spec work is, and what it is not on no-spec.com.