Throughout my career working with management teams and boards, I’ve seen firsthand how great creative ideas can be derailed by a common problem: design by committee. One recurring challenge is that key stakeholders, especially those without clear marketing or branding expertise, often offer opinions that can derail a campaign—even when they don’t fully understand the strategy.

As a consultant and owner of a creative studio deeply involved in rebranding efforts, I frequently work with project leads from the companies we partner with. Together, we navigate the complexities of ensuring a strong, cohesive brand vision while avoiding the common pitfalls of design by committee. In this blog, I’ll explain why branding developed by a committee often leads to uninspired results and why the collaboration between the creative studio and the company’s project lead is crucial. We’ll also explore how collaboration is essential for maintaining brand integrity and delivering successful results. Finally, we’ll cover why getting the brand right from the start sets the foundation for more efficient and effective marketing across various customer segments.

The Importance of Clear Leadership and Decision-Making

In large organizations, managing brand strategy and rebranding efforts can be incredibly complex. Unlike startups, where the CEO and CMO might drive decisions, larger organizations often have to juggle input from various departments, including legal, marketing, finance, and the board of directors. Without clear leadership and strong decision-making, the project can be derailed by competing opinions.

This is why it’s essential that leadership appoints a clear project lead for the branding initiative. This individual must have full decision-making authority, ensuring the branding strategy stays aligned with the long-term goals of the organization and isn’t subject to constant changes based on differing opinions from various stakeholders.

Why the Project Lead Must Have Full Authority

Once the leadership has aligned on a brand strategy, the project lead must be empowered to make final decisions. This prevents strategic drift caused by unnecessary input from executives or board members who might not fully understand the creative or branding vision.

A single person with full authority ensures that the brand’s integrity is protected and that the process stays on track. The project lead, with full backing from leadership, can navigate the complexities of aligning different departments without diluting the creative vision or slowing down the process.

However, if the project lead fails to assert their authority or struggles to manage competing voices, it becomes the responsibility of the branding studio to step up and shepherd the process. The branding studio must then guide the project back on course, ensuring that the vision remains intact and preventing further delays or dilution of the brand’s identity. By taking a leadership role, the studio can act as a guardian of the creative strategy, steering the project through potential pitfalls.

Guarding Against Strategic Misalignment: An Example of Disruption

In large organizations, months of alignment can be undone when new voices enter the conversation. For example, in a recent project we worked on, the leadership team had spent months agreeing on a strategic direction focused on positioning the company in a particular area of expertise. This was a major decision that reflected the company’s long-term vision.

However, when a new executive joined the leadership team, they immediately pushed for a shift in the company’s identity, insisting that the company should focus on a different core strength, which caused confusion and delay. This didn’t just question the work done—it was a direct attempt to shift the brand’s entire messaging. This caused confusion and forced the project lead to navigate an unexpected debate over the company’s fundamental identity.

This example demonstrates the risks of strategic misalignment. It shows why it’s essential for leadership to stay committed to the long-term brand strategy and ensure that new leadership voices don’t derail the work that’s already been aligned upon.

Consensus Dilutes Creativity

Brand by committee often leads to diluted ideas and weak creative outcomes. Non-experts, especially those without marketing or branding experience, may unintentionally derail the project by pushing for changes based on personal preferences or unrelated business goals. This is particularly problematic when executives, focused on metrics or technical accuracy, get involved in the creative process without understanding the brand strategy.

Similarly, striving for consensus tends to water down the boldness of creative work. While it’s natural for executives to want to contribute, seeking to please everyone typically results in safe, uninspired messaging. Great branding requires boldness and alignment with the brand’s vision, even if it means not everyone is fully pleased with the final decision.

In both cases, the collaboration between the company’s project lead and the creative studio plays a vital role in protecting the creative vision. Together, they ensure that decisions are made based on strategic priorities, not individual preferences.

Decision-Making Matrix: Filtering Strategic vs. Personal Feedback

To ensure that branding decisions are made strategically and not based on personal preference, the project lead and creative studio can use a decision-making matrix. This matrix helps filter out feedback that could derail the process:

• Is this feedback based on a personal preference or taste? Do not implement.

• Does this feedback align with the defined brand strategy? Consider implementing.

• Will this decision enhance the clarity of our message? Implement.

• Will this feedback dilute the core brand message? Do not implement.

• Does this input improve alignment with our target audience? Consider implementing.

By using this matrix, the project lead and creative studio can ensure that only feedback aligned with the brand strategy is passed on to the creative team, safeguarding the campaign’s integrity.

The Role of the Project Lead: Taking Authority to Avoid Delays

In rebranding, the project lead’s role extends beyond managing feedback. They must also be willing to take complete authority at times, especially when decisions threaten to slow down the process. Too many voices can create confusion and lead to a slower pace, potentially derailing the momentum of a rebrand.

By stepping in and making decisive calls, the project lead ensures the brand remains focused and consistent, avoiding the trap of moving at a snail’s pace due to conflicting input. This authority is crucial for keeping the project on track and ensuring that the rebranding effort doesn’t lose steam.

Getting the Brand Right for More Efficient Marketing

When the brand is clearly defined and aligned with a strong creative vision, it provides a solid foundation for marketing efforts. A cohesive brand streamlines decision-making across marketing channels, ensuring consistency in messaging, design, and tone. This leads to more efficient marketing campaigns because less time is spent on back-and-forth approvals when the brand guidelines are clear. The creative team can focus on executing bold and impactful ideas rather than continuously adapting to conflicting feedback. Customer-facing messaging becomes more focused and effective, ensuring that marketing resonates deeply with the target audience.

In addition, getting the branding right from the start allows the company to create tailored messages for different customer segments without diluting the overall brand. When there is clarity in the brand identity, it becomes much easier to adjust messaging for each target market, ensuring consistency across segments while allowing for adaptation to each group’s specific needs.

In contrast, when a brand’s identity is fragmented by multiple opinions or unclear directives, marketing efforts become scattered, leading to wasted resources and inconsistent messaging. This further underscores the importance of collaboration between the company’s project lead and the creative studio to safeguard the brand’s integrity and ensure that marketing builds on a strong foundation.

Real-Life Example: Gap Logo Redesign (2010)

Gap’s attempt to rebrand its logo in 2010 serves as a classic example of how involving too many voices without branding expertise can lead to poor outcomes. The new logo, created by a committee, was met with immediate backlash due to its generic design. Within just a week, Gap reverted to its old logo after facing massive public outrage. This shows how misaligned input from non-experts can harm a brand’s image and lead to costly mistakes.

Real-Life Example: Apple’s Branding Success

In contrast, Apple is a strong example of a brand that consistently resists the pitfalls of design by committee. By maintaining a small, highly strategic group of decision-makers with deep branding expertise, Apple has cultivated a strong, cohesive brand that resonates across its entire product line. The company’s laser focus on clarity and consistency has helped it maintain its leadership position in the market for decades.

The Importance of Collaboration Between the Project Lead and Creative Studio

From my experience working with companies undergoing rebranding, I’ve seen how design by committee can lead to diluted, uninspired outcomes. Successful branding comes from a clear, unified vision—guided by strategic collaboration between the company’s project lead and a creative studio with the necessary branding expertise.

When too many voices are involved—especially from those without a deep understanding of branding or marketing—the brand’s message can become fragmented, diluting its potential impact. Ensuring that feedback aligns with strategic objectives and protecting the integrity of the creative process is essential to achieving a brand that resonates with the intended audience.

Ultimately, branding is about more than just aesthetics. It’s about shaping how a company is perceived in the marketplace, ensuring that its mission connects with both customers and stakeholders. The collaboration between the company’s leadership and the creative studio ensures that the brand remains focused, consistent, and effective in conveying its core message.

Conclusion: Let’s Collaborate to Build a Cohesive Brand

Are you exploring a rebrand? Reach out to discuss how we can support you in ensuring a strong, cohesive brand strategy. Together, we can avoid the pitfalls of design by committee and create a brand that resonates with your audience—while staying bold, clear, and aligned with your strategic goals.