“You have to spend money to make money” may not be something you particularly want to hear in what has recently been named as the worst recession since the 1950s. But design alone can be enough to secure your position in the marketplace, drive your business forward and kick start the end of the recession for your business.
A Design Council report has recently been published which shows how design can make the difference between success or failure for your business in what are clearly trying times. The stats make for interesting reading, with “over half (54%) of the firms surveyed thinking design would contribute to a large or great extent in helping maintain their competitive edge in the current economic climate.” Similarly, “53% thought that design had become more important in helping the firm to achieve its business objectives over the last three years.”
This is all very well and good, but given that this is a report from the design council and you’re reading about it on a design agencies Blog you wouldn’t expect it to say anything negative, would you? How does this work in the real world? How can you realistically expect design to make the difference? How is spending money on design going to effect the way you do business? Allow us to explain;
First of all, apologies for this, but we’re going to be blunt and get down to the basics here. If you have badly designed stationery, that you print yourself using generic photocopier paper on your inkjet printer then chances are you are going to look unprofessional in the marketplace. Bad design is every bit as damaging to your business as good design can be beneficial. This applies to everything from your business cards (the first ‘design’ impression you are likely make with a potential client) and your letterhead and comp slips, right through to your marketing materials and advertising. Just a simple aspect like this can make such as massive difference to the way your business is perceived and can certainly be the difference between making a sale, winning a contract, receiving an enquiry or just being passed by.
The same can be said for your website. The number of people we’ve come across who’ve had someone say “I’ve got a mate who can build you a website for £50’ only for them to realise 2 years down the line that they haven’t ever had a single enquiry via their website is quite scary. There are no shortage of people out there who can build you a website, but that doesn’t mean they can design you a website. The same way as there are plenty of people who could cut your hair, but you wouldn’t necessarily let them…
The public are more design savvy now than they’ve ever been. Several companies have led the way, shown the rest how it’s done and it’s forced everyone else to take notice. For years Apple made the computers that were used by designers and the creative industry, but their products didn’t reflect this. Then the iMac came along, followed by the G3, the iPod, iTunes, the G4 and G5 and now the iPhone. Design completely changed the companies fortunes and the public suddenly realised that design was something they wanted in their lives. Now people don’t own an MP3 player, they have an iPod. For the last 50 years nobody owned a vacuum cleaner either, they had a Hoover. But then Dyson out designed them and now people go out to buy a Dyson – and they really mean a Dyson, not a Hoover!
There is absolutely no reason why your company can’t make design work for them in the same way. Take this case study from the Design Council for one. Quirky design, clever typography and a completely design led approach to the whole way the business thinks has created an instantly recognisable brand. Recognisable is the keyword here, as recognisable leads to memorable, memorable then means it’s your company people think of when they want a particular product or service. By presenting people with something that raises a smile or an eyebrow you can cement your place in your customers minds and become the company that people want to deal with. This is the power of design and it might just be your key to waving goodbye to the recession.
If you want to get together for a free, no obligation chat to see how design could be made to work for your business then give us a call or drop us an email.
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