Good design, great value, better business
An inside perspective from a creative agency
An inside perspective from a creative agency
It’s no surprise that a lot is changing in the current climate—many things that were once forgotten in the shadows, are now having their moment in the light. We’re talking banana bread, early morning walks, and that creaking door you’ve been meaning to fix since Christmas (of 2017).
There is something else that has been left forgotten for too long, and it’s time for it to see the light of day once again, and gain the recognition it truly deserves.
No, we aren’t talking about cereal box prizes (though we don’t oppose them being brought back either).
We’re talking about Professional Design.
The word design encompasses a lot, trust us we know. But we aren’t talking about what you see on the runway during New York Fashion Week or what the judges on The Block are discussing. We’re talking about Graphic Design.
If you aren’t exactly sure what Graphic Design encapsulates, or you just appreciate a good educational video, here’s a short explanation from the good folk at LinkedIn Learning. Put simply, Graphic Design is the process of combining symbols, images, and text to create visual content that communicates key ideas and messages. But, to our Brand Design Agency in Brisbane it is much much more.
Graphic Design is an art form that offers many opportunities to organisations and can mean the difference between standing out or blending in. Despite the changing times one thing has remained consistent and that is the need for good organisations to have good design—not just good logo design and colours, but good creative packaging design, brand design, and everything in between.
Want specifics? Well, we’ve got specifics.
From online shopping to Insta feed aesthetics, we are choosing, more and more, products and services based on looks. Design works hand in hand with all aspects of your business, elevating your entire brand. Successful businesses get this.
The amount of value that design can deliver to your businesses is extensive, so let’s focus on the basics.
Design helps your business stand out from competitors, and boost credibility whilst establishing brand awareness and communicating your value (to your customer).
According to our friends at Adobe, businesses who invested in strong design outperformed companies who didn’t by 219% on the Stock Market Index. And this isn’t just a fling. This happened over a span of ten years! Good design is tied not only to success, but also trust. As Tyton Media discovered, 48% of people claim that website design was the number one factor in deciding if the business they were investigating was credible (or not).
When you read the words McDonald’s, Nike and Apple, we bet you can instantly picture their logos, colour palettes, and maybe even their unique typefaces. These are great examples of great brand design. See, a great brand design agency has utilised design techniques to capture their brand’s essence in one image, curating an exceptional brand identity design. When a business invests in good design, they ensure their success, because they’re communicating their brand image to their customer, in the best way.
Many organisations do understand the value of good design and an effective identity, however it is not always prioritised. Design should not be viewed as an indulgence, rather a vital asset to your business.
If one thing is for certain in these uncertain times, it’s that things will never fully return to “business as usual”. There will be changes, like a larger transition to online platforms and increased competition within markets. So maybe instead of asking “what can design do for me?” it’s time to ask “what could I lose without good design?”.
Good design is a direct signal to a customer that they should buy from you. Making sure you grab your customers attention and nail the crucial first impression can hinge on just how much your business has valued design. If you could increase your business’s value, boost sales, and put your business in a better financial situation, why wouldn’t you?
Now, more than ever, the importance and value of design as an integral part of creating a successful business must be realised. Moving forward into the unknown, it is vital to rely on what we do know;
Good design is good business.
So now you understand the value of good design, there are a few things to note before you jump headfirst into the world of layouts, colour pallets, and fonts galore.
Lucky for you, we’ve got exclusive access to a Graphic Design expert in Brisbane, Australia, who’s willing to share some important points you should consider before investing in design.
It didn't take Michelangelo 5-10 business days to produce the Sistine Chapel. Without doubting his talents, it’s fair to assume that it wouldn’t have turned out to be the masterpiece it is today if he wasn’t granted the necessary time to execute it. Don’t get us wrong, a good design shouldn’t take four years, but just a little something to keep in mind—a 10-minute design probably isn’t going to be the quality your business deserves. This is especially true when it comes to Brand Design—the foundation of your business.
Much similar to the time you allow for design, the budget you allocate to your local design agency also impacts the final product. If you pay a low rate, you can bet your tabi boots you’re probably going to get a low quality result.
Good designs are not made with yours, or your designer’s preferences in mind. Good designs are made with your customer in mind—remember that they’re supposed to appeal to your target demographic. Nesquik’s smiling bunny might not make their CEO yearn for chocolate flavoured milk, but a young child on the other hand, they’re going to nag their parents to take that happy bunny home.
Once you have a good design, that doesn't necessarily mean you’re done. Take Instagram for example, the ten year-old photo sharing app, has constantly redeveloped itself, its layout and its design, and evolved its logo three times already. Just because your logo design worked well for your organisation years ago, doesn’t mean it will always work. Times change my friend. Change shouldn’t be feared, and it doesn’t mean the original design choices weren’t right in their time. But, it is worth considering if they work just as well during the present.
Investing blindly in design will not give you results, unless you’re really lucky (we’d like 2 lotto tickets please). To create something that makes people feel something, you need to be informed by a strategy (typically a marketing or brand design strategy). Purpose by definition means to have a reason for being, so it makes sense that all designs need to be purposeful.
The digital world is becoming increasingly overcrowded as companies compete for the shortening attention spans of their customers. Having an exceptional design—from your logo design to your packaging design, and everything in between—could be your business’s best option to differentiate itself. At the end of the day, make sure you’re valuing what truly is important and making sure your business understands and appreciates exactly what a design centred approach can offer you.
Invest in your design now and thank us, and yourself, later.
If you’re keen to learn more about brand design, logo design, packaging design, or really any kind of design, then reach out to our friendly team at By Ninja. We’re a Brisbane Branding and Creative Design Agency, and we can help you get the best results when it comes to all things design. Plus, we love to chat!