Skip to main content
Out of Scope

is an extra concept out of scope when the count was set?

Yes — if your agreement specified how many initial concepts you'd present, producing more is additional creative work beyond what was priced. The exception is when the contract used open language like 'concepts to explore' without naming a number, leaving more room to negotiate.

Why this answer

The concept count caps the most expensive, least bounded part of creative work: the divergent thinking that happens before anyone narrows down. Each initial concept is a separate creative starting point — its own research, its own exploration, its own execution to a presentable state. When you agreed to present three directions, you priced three distinct creative investments, not one idea shown three ways. A request for additional concepts asks you to generate fresh directions from scratch, which is the costliest kind of design time precisely because there's no convergence yet to constrain it. Clients ask for 'a couple more options' because each feels like a small ask, but every new direction restarts the open-ended part of the process. The count exists to bound that open-endedness; without it, concept rounds can expand indefinitely as the client keeps hoping the next batch contains the winner. Producing concepts beyond the agreed number is new creative work, not a refinement of work already delivered.

When the answer flips

It softens toward Ambiguous when your contract used unbounded language — 'we'll explore several directions' without a number — in which case 'one more' may sit within a reasonable reading of the brief. It can also be fair to absorb an extra concept if the agreed set genuinely missed the mark because of a brief you misunderstood; that's closer to correcting your own work than expanding scope. The verdict holds firmly Out of Scope when a specific number was named and the delivered concepts met the brief, but the client simply wants more shots on goal. A subtle case: distinguish a new concept from a variation on an existing one. Showing the client a different color treatment of a presented direction is a revision; generating a wholly new direction is a concept. The count governs new directions, not tweaks to the ones already on the table.

What to do next

Name the count and frame the extra as additional creative work. Refer to the concept number in your agreement, note how many you've presented, and offer more as a priced addition: 'We scoped three directions and I've shown all three — happy to develop additional concepts at [fee] each if none of these is landing.' Pricing per concept keeps the cost legible and signals that each new direction is real work. Resist the urge to keep adding free concepts in hope of a hit; it trains the client to expect endless options and erodes the value of the ones you did deliver. If none of the presented directions works, that's worth a conversation about why — a misaligned brief is a different problem than a client wanting more lottery tickets. Offer to refine the strongest existing direction within the agreed revisions before generating new concepts, since refinement is often what's actually needed.

Settled reads your contract and gives you the exact verdict for this situation — try it free →

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between an extra concept and a revision?+

A concept is a distinct creative direction with its own starting point; a revision adjusts a direction you've already presented. Showing a new layout philosophy or visual approach is a concept. Changing the color, swapping a font, or tweaking spacing on a direction already on the table is a revision. The concept count governs new directions; the revisions clause governs changes to chosen ones. Knowing which you're being asked for tells you which clause applies.

How should I price an additional concept?+

Charge per concept, priced to reflect that each new direction is a fresh creative investment — research, exploration, and execution to a presentable state. It shouldn't be cheap, because concept work is the most open-ended and valuable part of the process. A clear per-concept rate also makes the client weigh whether they genuinely need another direction or would be better served refining one they've seen.

The client doesn't like any of the concepts I presented. Do I owe them more for free?+

Not automatically — but figure out why first. If you delivered concepts that met the brief and the client simply wants more options, that's additional paid work. If the miss came from a brief you misread or didn't clarify, absorbing a correction is fair and good practice. Have the conversation before generating more: often the real need is refining the closest existing direction, not starting over with new ones.

Why can't I just show a few more options to keep the client happy?+

Because it teaches the client that the concept count is negotiable, and the next request arrives with the same expectation. Endless free options also devalue the directions you did present — if more are always coming, none feels final. If you want to be generous, do it once and name it as a courtesy, making clear further concepts are quoted. Unlimited free exploration is a fast route to an unprofitable, never-ending project.

Is asking for more concepts a sign of a deeper problem?+

Often, yes. A client who wants more directions after seeing the agreed set may be reacting to a fuzzy brief, an unclear decision-maker, or shifting goals upstream of your work. Before quoting more concepts, probe what's missing — sometimes the fix is alignment on direction, not more visuals. Generating more options against an unclear brief tends to produce more options the client also rejects.

How do I scope concepts to avoid this?+

State the number of initial concepts explicitly in the contract, define what a concept is versus a revision, and add a per-concept rate for additions. Naming the count gives both sides a hard figure, and distinguishing concepts from revisions prevents the client from reframing 'a new direction' as 'just a tweak.' A specific concept clause paired with a clear revisions clause closes the two most common gaps creative scope disputes slip through.

Related reading

Answer scope creep from your actual contract — not a template.

Settled reads your contract and the client's request, gives you a verdict (In Scope / Out of Scope / Ambiguous), and drafts the email grounded in your specific clause.

Try it free →Read the scope creep guide