“Good design is good business.” – Thomas Watson Jr., 2nd President of IBM

Historically, companies that put an emphasis on design out perform those that don’t. In fact, design-driven companies have outperformed the S&P Index by 219 percent over 10 years, and companies with a focus on design enjoy 1.5x greater market share. Visual information is easier for your audience to consume. It communicates the point quicker, generates word-of-mouth, and increases favorable opinions of your brand.

But what is good design?

Steve Jobs once said, “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” Most people believe that design is all about aesthetics, the way it looks. But good design is about function, communication, how it works. And then how it looks.

Good design tells a story. The story your brand tells is communicated through every aspect of your business, if your brand puts design second, potential customers might feel you will put them second too. Poor design drives away visitors. But good design communicates your brand story; how you can help solve customer’s problems to help them reach their goals.

Good Design Provides a Competitive Advantage

Design is a powerful tool for differentiation that can set you apart and increase your competitive advantage. Think of a time where you bought something over another simply because it looked better? Design can be the deciding factor between whether a client decides to work with your or go to a competitor.

Good Design Helps Win New Customers

“46.1 percent of people say that a website’s design is the number one criterion for discerning the credibility of a brand.” (Source: Hubspot) Design is that first introductory handshake. It’s the first impression people get of your brand. “Visual appeal can be assessed within 50 milliseconds, suggesting that web designers have about 50 milliseconds to make a good impression.” (Source: ProBlogger) Whether it’s through your website or social media, the overall brand image portrayed is the first thing consumers see and it can be the factor that determines whether they read on or turned away. Design helps you put your best foot forward to leave a stronger first impression.

Good Design Drives Engagement

Visual content drives engagement. Tweets with images received 150 percent more clicks than those without. One month after the introduction of Facebook timeline for brands, visual content saw a 65 percent increase in engagement. People respond better to visual information than plain text. Good design motivates people to take action, driving conversions and ROI.

Good Design Makes Your Brand Memorable

Think about some successful brands: Nike, McDonald’s, Starbucks … you can picture their logos, colors, and even fonts. “90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual, and visuals are processed 60,000X faster in the brain than text.” (Source: Hubspot) This means you can paint a better picture of your brand through actual visuals. Brand expression isn’t just about what a company says, but what it does, and how it makes the customer feel. These visuals help your brand be remembered by representing your company in a meaningful way and communicating your brand values.

Design an End-to-End Experience

When you align your design with your strategy, it can have a strong impact on how your business is perceived. Good design can be a game-changer for your business, but only when creative vision and business strategy work together. Design should be used to help craft experiences at every stage of the customer journey from first impression to purchase. The experiences should be crafted around your target audience and strategy to drive growth and differentiation.

50% of companies claim that design plays a huge role in how they achieve success. Companies that focus purely on data-driven strategies, without considering how design influences consumers’ impressions, run the risk of turning people away.” – Steve Gustavson, Executive Creative Director at Adobe

Investing in design is a good business decision.

Aligning your creative vision with your business strategy helps your business gain a competitive advantage, creates great first impressions and increases engagement. So, why not put your best foot forward. Contact Artio Designs today to align your creative vision with your business strategy.

 

Contact Artio Designs Top Buffalo Freelancer

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *