We live in an era of endless Social Media, Advertising and constant visual noise. The need to stand out becomes increasingly valuable to your businesses, good graphic design helps to leverage this. Successful businesses appreciate and understand the value of high-quality design.
Businesses who don’t take design seriously run the risk of being lost in the shuffle, or not taken seriously by potential customers. In this article, we will try to explain why using design to stand out from your competitors is vital. Remember that a huge percentage of individuals remember what they see far better than what they read or hear. With that in mind, enlisting the skills of a quality graphic designer is a crucial step in the process of establishing a successful business.
To illustrate the the importance of high-quality graphic design, we’ve listed 6 key benefits below:
1) Good graphic design can help to Increase profits
- The average design investment will multiply the turnover by 2.25 when compared with the invested resources (UK Design Council)
- The design value index shows a 228% increase in value for listed companies rated as design led (US Design Management Institute)
- In Denmark, companies investing in design gained a growth 22% greater than companies that didn’t invest (designbusinesscouncil.com)
We’ll start with the big one. When it comes down to it, we’re all in business to make a profit right? So wherever you are in the world, choosing a good designer, will likely get a solid return on your investment. A compelling thought right?
Take a look at the graph above. it is no coincidence that all of these design led businesses are behemoths in their own particular industries.
Also, consider the cost of NOT investing in design. If you ignore the design needs of your business, it can negatively impact both employees and customers, which, in turn, could result in lower profits. People begin to form the impression that your business either can’t afford good design, or just doesn’t care enough. This in turn will cast an unfavourable light on your company. Therefore, investing in graphic design can actually save you money in the long run.
2) Good graphic design provides the platform to make a great first impression
A potential customer will make a judgement on a company in just a few seconds based on visual impression alone. Great graphic design provides instant credibility and makes a lasting impression – and that is priceless. Make a bad first impression, and selling your products or services becomes an infinitely more difficult task. As the saying goes “You never get a second chance to make a first impression”.
3) Great design can influence purchasing decisions
Effective graphic design should persuade and entice. Done well, design can deliver great results for companies. A smart design can influence potential clients to take positive action, making it easier for them to buy your product.
4) Creativity = Standout
Customers with an unpleasant experience on your website are 88% less likely to return. (Adobe)
All businesses face competition, especially the smaller ones. Creativity can become the great equaliser and help even the smallest of companies create stand out and demand attention. Used effectively, graphic design is a tool that can make any business appear outstanding and unique.
In a marketplace where you compete against companies selling similar products or services, how do you create standout? How do you establish your own distinguished tone, style, and identity? You want people to recognise your company and find comfort that you offer what they want. This is where design comes in.
Take companies like Nike and Adidas and compare them to New Balance for example. The companies offer similar ranges of products and have the same potential customer base. In a sports store, the brain takes less than a second to identify and be drawn to these bigger brands compared to New Balance. Not to say New Balance is necessarily inferior, but these logos have meanings and connotations. They conjure emotions and purchasing impulses and this in part due to the effect of good design. Graphic design becomes the connection between your brand and your clients and prospects. It helps them identify you among hundreds or thousands of others.
5) Good design can increase brand recognition
Graphic design can help create brand consistency across every customer-facing touchpoint that a company has. In turn, this helps the business become memorable and easy recognisable. Remember, consistency means professionalism, and professionalism means you’re seen as being reliable. Customers will always return to a reliable supplier.
We’ve all heard the saying “A picture is worth a thousand words” right? Yes its probably become a little clichéd, but its undeniably true. Take the Apple logo for example. You see it on your iPhone, your Airpods, your iPad, MacBook, your Apple watch, on the TV ads, its everywhere. Just an Apple, no words, no name, no sign of a mission or value statement, not even a tagline. Yet for all of its simplicity, it is the world’s most valuable brand – we all instinctively know what it stands for. Innovation (see the Think Different ads of the 80s), design led, high quality, expensive, fashionable, desirable, easy to use. The humungous advertising budget does little harm, but its use of graphic design has become intrinsically linked to these values.
In those terms, it quickly becomes apparent that when it comes to promoting your business, the design comes first. We’re visual people, first impressions count, good design will speak louder, clearer, and better than words ever could.
6) It can bring your workforce together and provide unity
Not so much of a direct financial benefit, more indirect, but no less important. Good graphic design can strengthen the sense of commitment of the staff and create a sense of unity and direction in your team. As your business identity begins to form, your team should become committed to your brand. Benefits to your business can include increased motivation and productivity.
So, to summarise…
Put simply, good graphic design makes your company look good. The graphics help to draw people to the product or service you offer. It can help you to communicate better with your target audience and increase your sales. Bob’s experienced design experts have each been in the industry over 20 years and with that experience are perfectly placed with the knowledge and experience to provide your company with great graphic design which can really give your whole company a boost.