Be identified

Often, a prospect’s first contact with your business is through a website, trade show, business card or advertisement. They leave a first impression, presenting your business as caring and quality-conscious. Conversely, if these crucial materials appear outdated or unconvincing, prospects notice that too. In fact, brand design doesn’t just get companies noticed ; it helps establish trust with customers and partners. People tend to judge the credibility of an organization in a split second, and this quick judgment is often based on design. When an expectation of quality and care is established from the start, it lays the foundation for a strong relationship.

A Lever of Commercial Development

Investing in a strong brand identity, supported by a strategic promotional approach, can turn into a real engine of commercial development. Positioning yourself as a thought leader and expert in your field while embodying these values attracts qualified prospects effortlessly. Whether through paid advertising, a thought leadership program, or clever SEO optimization, investing in branding and promotion attracts prospects, asserting your position as an expert and attracting the right targets.

A Talent Magnet

In the same way that an attractive design attracts customers, it also qualifies your business as a cutting-edge employer. Whether your company’s first impression on top talent is made at a career fair or via a LinkedIn ad, these prospects will certainly search your website to evaluate you as an employer. Projecting professionalism, quality and values through design is essential to attracting the right talent — and repelling the less suitable.

Design and Customer Experience

User experience is more crucial than ever for success. Whether through your website, mobile app, digital brochure or training materials, successful design is at the heart of the user experience. Well-designed interactions can save your customers and employees time, making them more productive and, by extension, more satisfied.

Every interaction with your brand, whether online, print or in-person, counts. Businesses with outdated websites are missing out on a huge opportunity to engage their customers and prospects and add value to their experience. By providing an excellent user experience through strategic design, you enhance your business and your brand.

Some numbers…

A study of more than 300 companies showed that design-focused companies report 41% more market share and 50% more customer loyalty compared to their peers. Another study found that design-focused companies performed 211% higher than the S&P 500. Among these companies, naturally, are Apple, Coca-Cola, Ford, Nike, IBM, and Procter & Gamble.

Nike is an example of a company that has leveraged design to improve its bottom line. Former CEO Mark Parker had a design team reporting directly to him, and no decisions were made without their input. By interacting directly with athletes, the team develops authentic performance innovations and stylistic updates. Under Mark Parker’s leadership for 14 years, Nike’s market capitalization increased by 1000%.

This intentional elevation of design to an executive-level priority not only influenced the Nike brand, but created a competitive advantage, allowing the company to command higher price premiums for its products. Thanks to this design-centric strategy, Nike ranked 16th on Interbrand’s Best Global Brands list in 2019.

Design is an Investment

Design is an investment in innovative thinking, branding and communication, creating value through differentiation, competitive advantage, customer trust, and ultimately market share and customer loyalty.

Good design is strategic, engaging, functional and impactful. It embodies your brand, tells your story and allows you to stand out from the competition. It adds perceived value, both internally and externally, allowing you to benefit from higher margins than your competitors. Demonstrating that you value your brand by investing in good design can pay significant dividends that are hard to ignore.