Why subjective decision-making slows progress—and how strong organizations move from taste to clarity.
There’s a phrase that shows up in almost every brand conversation at some point:
“I’ll know it when I see it.”
It sounds harmless. Even intuitive.
But in practice?
It’s one of the fastest ways to stall progress, frustrate teams, and derail good strategy.
What That Phrase Really Means
“I’ll know it when I see it” usually isn’t about the logo.
It’s a signal.
It means:
We haven’t fully aligned on what success looks like
We don’t have shared criteria for evaluating decisions
We’re relying on instinct instead of intention
We’re trying to navigate something complex… without a map
So we default to the easiest tool available:
Personal taste.
Why Taste Feels Safer
Taste is immediate.
You don’t need to explain it.
You don’t need to defend it.
You don’t need to align on it.
You just feel it.
And in organizations—especially those with multiple stakeholders or boards—that can feel like the safest path forward.
But here’s the problem:
What feels safe in the moment creates chaos over time.
Because everyone has taste.
And not all taste points in the same direction.
When “I’ll Know It When I See It” Takes Over
You’ll start to notice patterns:
Endless rounds of revisions
Conflicting feedback
Good ideas getting watered down
Teams feeling frustrated or stuck
Leaders struggling to build consensus
It’s not because people don’t care.
It’s because there’s no shared framework for decision-making.
So the work gets pulled in different directions—again and again.
This Isn’t a Design Problem
It’s a leadership problem.
More specifically:
It’s a governance problem.
Because strong organizations don’t just decide what they like.
They decide how they will decide.
The Shift: From Taste to Criteria
The most effective teams we work with do something different.
Before they ever look at design, they align on:
What are we solving for?
What does success look like?
What criteria will we use to evaluate options?
What trade-offs are we willing to make?
Now when work is presented, the conversation shifts from:
“I like this one.”
to:
“Does this meet the criteria we agreed on?”
That’s a completely different conversation.
And it’s one that builds momentum instead of slowing it down.
Where Brand Therapy Comes In
This is exactly where most organizations need support.
Not more design.
Not more options.
More clarity. More alignment. More structure.
What we’ve found is that teams often jump straight into creative execution before doing the deeper work:
Aligning leadership
Defining positioning
Establishing decision frameworks
Creating a shared language for evaluating work
That’s the work we do in Brand Therapy.
Because once that foundation is in place, everything downstream—design, messaging, campaigns—gets easier.
Not effortless.
But aligned.
Inside Out vs Outside In
When organizations operate “outside in,” decisions are reactive:
What do we like?
What will others think?
What will the board approve?
When they operate “inside out,” decisions are grounded:
Who are we?
What do we stand for?
What are we building toward?
How will we evaluate what supports that?
That shift—from reactive to intentional—is where real progress happens.
The Leadership Move
If you’re leading a brand conversation right now, here’s the simplest move you can make:
Before reviewing any creative, ask:
“How are we going to decide?”
Not just what are we deciding.
But how.
That one question can save weeks (or months) of circular conversations.
The Bottom Line
“I’ll know it when I see it” feels intuitive.
But it’s not a strategy.
And it’s not a system.
The organizations that move faster, align better, and build stronger brands don’t rely on instinct alone.
They build the structure to support it.
Next in the series:
Taste vs Strategy
Why one is personal—and the other is what actually builds enduring brands.
