As the holiday season begins, it’s always nice to take time to reflect on all the things you’re thankful for this year. As an individual, you think about family, friends, a warm place to live and food to eat. But when it comes to your business, do you really think about what you are thankful for? Well, if you haven’t, you really should. And one thing that you may not think about is how good design is good for your business, and that is something you really should be thankful for.
Good design means a good first impression.
The ad slogan goes “You never get a second chance to make a first impression,” and that’s true with your company’s design too. People who don’t know your business and come to your website or see your ad in a magazine can fall in love with—or be driven away from—your company just by looking at the design of the ad or website. Good design should be aesthetically pleasing, follow the vision and mission of your corporate brand, and be easy to read and use. If your website is hard to use or content users need takes 10 clicks to reach, prospective customers likely are going to move on to another site that works for them, which means you may lose business to a competitor using better design.
People will remember you.
Aside from making a good first impression, having a good design can make people remember your business. Brand recognition can be very important when it comes to your business, especially if you get recommendations from existing clients. Companies like Apple and Starbucks spend a great deal of time and money to make sure they have a memorable logo and consistent branding across all media. When you think of electronics or coffee, those two companies will definitely be at the top of the list every time.
It’s not all about pretty pictures.
Sure, you can find plenty of places that can design well, but there is more to good design than pretty pictures and nice colors. The strategy and research behind the design is just as important as the design itself. If your design doesn’t convey the right message or talk to the right markets, it’s not going to do a good job of making people remember your business—or choosing it, when they think of the products or services your business provides.
Good design doesn’t guarantee good business, but it certainly helps people remember your business—and can be the deciding factor when choosing where to do business. So, if you can’t be thankful for good design this year, maybe it’s time to think about changing that.
