You don't get a second chance to make a first impression.
The average consumer is so much more aware of good branding, design and the overall aesthetic of a company these days. As humans, we buy with our eyes. Great design has never been more important - especially when it comes to the success of your business.
You can thank companies like Nike, Apple & Tesla who have made design a top priority, resulting in consumer awareness for branding & design to be at an all time high.
Successful companies know the power of great branding and you should too. So if you're on the fence about quality design for your start-up or small business... you need to keep reading!
We Have Very Short Attention Spans
First impressions are EVERYTHING!
Us humans are judgmental creatures, and whether we like it or not - a lot of us make our minds up about whether we like something almost instantly. Brands included.
Is it attractive?
Do I like this?
Does it seem trustworthy?
If the initial reaction was a good one - this will continue with consistent exposure. Equally, if the initial reaction was a bad one, and nothing has changed, you will most likely cause a negative effect. Even with all of the exposure that money can buy... it all comes down to that first impression.
If you are thinking of creating a brand or already have one, think about what kind of impression you want to leave on your target market. How do you want to appear and how you want them to feel?
A good business can have great content, but with really poor design - it's just going to fall flat.
With good design you can appeal to a much wider market and come across like you know what you're doing (even if you don't... and let's be honest... no-one ever does)!
You Need to Stand Out
We are served thousands of advertisements every single day. While scrolling on your phone, while driving in the car, while walking down the street... They're in everything you read & everything you watch. There is no escaping!
Do you remember them all? No.
You only remember the really good... or the really bad! The memorable ones.
A very low percent of brands actually stand out and make an impact on peoples lives. You want to be in that low percent of brands with effective, attractive, eye catching design.
When consumers are faced with making a decision between similar products or services, they are going to either go with what looks better to them, or one they recognise and trust.
Steven Bradley from Smashing Magazine explained it well:
"Human beings have an attractiveness bias; we perceive beautiful things as being better, regardless of whether they actually are better. All else being equal, we prefer beautiful things, and we believe beautiful things function better. As in nature, function can follow form."
In the above imagery you'll see that both forms have exactly the same content. The only difference is the design.
The one on the right is broken down more with colours and it 'seems' easier to navigate and less clunky.
Research has shown that the more attractive the design, the more appealing it is for you customer. And most importantly, the more likely they are to use it and have a better overall user experience.
So when you're thinking about creating branding, assets, social media, websites, or anything that your customers will visually see - make sure you are using established design principles. Because creating great design is going to be a huge help to help your business stand out and stick in your customers minds! And if you don't have the knowledge, hire an expert!
Connect, Connect, Connect! Connection is KEY!
The difference between good design and great design comes down to the connection between the business and the consumer. It can be as simple as a change of colour, a different layout or a smarter font choice.
Connecting with your customers is THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOUR BUSINESS CAN DO! (Sorry for yelling... but we can't stress this enough)!
You want your customer to feel something when they look at your brand. You want to be memorable. You want to have an impact on them.
Your visual appearance is what the world will see and it is the only way to show the world who your brand is! Your branding & design is literally the foundation of that emotional connection with your customer.
So if you're tossing up whether or not branding for your business is worth the investment... the answer is YES!
You've already taken the leap to just press go... so why not give your business the BEST start possible!
You wouldn't push a baby back down when they're learning to walk. You'd cheer them on and then go and buy them some shoes.
