Introduction

Many designers equate long hours with better results.

They push pixels late into the night, tweaking endlessly, believing that more effort equals more value.

But what if that belief is flawed?

What if working smarter—not just harder—leads to better logos, greater efficiency, and creative fulfillment?

This article explores The Design Productivity Curve—a framework to help designers understand when their effort is productive and when it becomes counterproductive.

By recognizing the point of diminishing returns, designers can focus their energy where it truly matters.

Key Takeaways

More effort doesn’t always mean better results—knowing when to stop is crucial.
Designers often fall into “The Refinement Trap”—endlessly tweaking without improving the work.
Shifting effort from execution to ideation leads to better logos—strategic thinking matters more than pixel-pushing.
The Lean Matrix helps designers allocate time wisely—focusing on high-impact tasks and reducing waste.
A smarter workflow preserves creative energy and prevents burnout—resulting in higher-quality work and more fulfilling projects.

The Design Productivity Curve

The Design Productivity Curve illustrates the relationship between time and quality in a logo project.

Initially, as time progresses, quality improves—especially during the ideation phase, when fresh ideas and strategic thinking are at their peak.

However, as more time is spent refining and tweaking beyond a certain point, quality starts to plateau and eventually decline.

This is where The Refinement Trap begins—where designers feel the need to keep working just for the sake of it.

Instead of solving problems, they tweak endlessly, making incremental, low-impact changes that don’t significantly improve the final design.

How many times have you gotten toward the end of a project and felt eager to finish just for the sake of being done?

You start making tweaks—not because they add value, but because you feel obligated to keep working. You convince yourself that more effort will make the design better, but the client isn’t getting any happier, and your creative energy is draining fast.

Recognizing this curve helps designers maximize their energy where it counts—early in the project during ideation, when quality gains are at their highest.

By recognizing this curve, designers can work more efficiently—allocating energy where it provides greater quality.

The key is to place deliberate focus within the ideation phase, when creativity is at its peak.

This ensures that every decision moves the project forward, rather than getting stuck in a cycle of overworking and diminishing returns.

The Stuck Car Analogy

Imagine trying to push a stuck car out of deep mud. At first, your effort is productive—you rock the car back and forth, building momentum.

But if the car doesn’t budge, and you keep pushing without adjusting your approach, you’ll exhaust yourself without making progress.

The same applies to logo design. If you’re stuck in the execution phase making endless refinements, you’re burning energy without moving the project forward.

The real progress happens before you get stuck—in the ideation phase, when you have fresh momentum and strategic clarity.

Instead of exhausting yourself with pixel pushing, invest more effort early on in problem-solving and ideation—where it truly matters.

More Effort Doesn’t Guarantee a Great Logo

Many designers believe that clients value hours worked over the actual results.

In the early stages of my career, I felt the need to overcompensate by working long hours.

In some cases, I spent over 80% of my waking hours in a single day on a project, often skipping meals and breaks, only to be told: “This isn’t working.” No matter how much I refined the logo, the work wasn’t improving—and my creative battery was depleting FAST within a single project (Read this blog about your Creative Battery).

This is the false mindset many designers fall into:

“If I just work longer, the client will see the effort.”
“If I tweak this more, it will finally feel complete.”
“I need to add more details to make my work feel valuable.”

The truth? More effort doesn’t always add more value. What matters is focused effort in the right areas.

Once a designer enters The Refinement Trap, their energy shifts from problem-solving to pixel pushing. At this stage:

You start tweaking for the sake of tweaking.
You lose enthusiasm for the project.
You’re no longer solving the client’s problem—you’re just making changes to justify your effort.
The client isn’t any happier with the extra revisions.
Your Creative Battery depletes

This is where quality starts to decline despite continued effort—the hallmark of diminishing returns.

Instead of spending more time refining, spend smarter time thinking.

The earlier you solve the core problem, the fewer unnecessary revisions you’ll face.

My Experience Working in a High-Demand Agency

Early in my career, I worked at a fast-paced design agency where the pressure was intense.

I believed that if I spent moretime on a project, refining every pixel, my work would be more respected.

I regularly worked from 9 AM to 6 PM—without breaks—sometimes even forgetting to eat.

Despite even some days spending over 80% of my waking hours on design, I was often met with responses like “This doesn’t work” or “We need to see more options.”

It didn’t matter how much effort I put in—because I wasn’t directing my energy efficiently.

The more time I spent overworking, the more drained I felt. My creative battery dropped from three bars to two bars in just one project (if you haven’t read my Creative Battery blog, check it out).

This experience taught me a valuable lesson: more time spent in execution does not equal more value created.

The Woodcutter’s Lesson

A young woodcutter was determined to prove himself, so he spent hours chopping trees non-stop.

Despite his effort, he noticed he was cutting fewer trees each day.

An older woodcutter watched and asked:

“When was the last time you sharpened your axe?”

The young woodcutter replied:

“I don’t have time to sharpen it—I’m too busy cutting trees!”

The older woodcutter explained:

“Sharpening your axe will make each swing more effective. Work smart, not just hard.”

This is exactly what happens in design.

More hours on execution doesn’t always mean better results—it’s about focusing effort on what truly moves the project forward.

Conclusion

The key to better logo design isn’t more effort—it’s deliberate effort in the right areas.

The early stages of a project are when you’re at your sharpest—use that energy wisely.
Prioritize deep thinking in ideation, not endless refinement in execution.
Avoid The Refinement Trap, where effort no longer adds value.
Recognize when to stop—knowing when a logo is done is just as important as knowing how to design it.

Instead of grinding away at revisions, spend your energy where it makes the biggest impact.

What’s one project where you felt stuck in The Refinement Trap?

Why more ‘effort’ doesn’t guarantee a great logo.