Why invest in design?

By Sarah-Jayne Shine

Why invest in design?

 

Design is as solid an investment as you could ever make. Particularly in uncertain times. Designers tell your story. We know how your market will react to a design. We’re translators. We often hear ‘it’s not rocket science!’ Well actually it kind of is. There is a science behind perception and how people absorb and retain information. Design is an aesthetic that relies on psychology, design principles, trends, preferences, biases, perceptions, clarity of message. If that all sounds a bit daunting then you probably need a designer. A good one.

That’s where we can help.

Allow us to elaborate.

Clever businesses know that investing in their brand doesn’t cost – quite the opposite; it pays.

 

Strangely though, when it comes to investing in design there is often a reluctance to find the budget. – despite the overwhelming importance of presenting your marketing collateral with great design. It is so often the case that when times get tough or when savings need to be made, it’s the creative budget that faces the first cuts, understandable perhaps when you think of  small businesses and start-ups with limited resources. Larger and more established businesses also often have selective vision when it comes to design too and the problem is that business owners and directors often only see value in a small handful of activities such as operations, customer acquisition and retention. These all have a simple and measurable ROI (return on investment), and so budgets can be more easily justified

And of course, improving margins. Ah yes, the bottom line.

Design (and its impact) however, is much harder to measure. The difference between “mediocre” and “great” is vast when it comes to design, and companies often fail to see how making an investment in design will feed into those other top priority metrics they care so much about.

During lockdown Lemonface Design remained busy. And this made us both thankful and grateful. But also vindicated. Why? Because we remained visible, front of mind, always open, always receptive and always there. Why? Because if you can get through the fallow times you can reap the rewards when the good times return. We coined a phrase that we used and urged our clients to take on board – ‘don’t hide- seek.’

Bootstrap all you want, but if your business isn’t investing in design, you’re going to end in the forgotten pile. Sorry. Not sorry.

Businesses today have to battle for an increasingly more connected and discerning customer. A customer that has choices.  With limited time and so much competition, how can a business adequately explain the need their brand is offering? Through design, that’s how!

Design can be applied to everything from product development to marketing strategies to delivery. And before you know it, right through the culture of a business.

And a business with a good culture is a good business.

We got asked once, ‘OK tell me one good reason why > insert business name here < should invest in design?’

But why stop at one good reason when there are so many:

  1. First impressions matter and;
  2. Great design makes your brand more memorable
  3. Great design allows you to visually communicate with your customer
  4. Great design makes you stand out from the competition
  5. Great design increases profit
  6. Great design will save you money
  7. Great design improves customer loyalty

We mentioned rocket science at the start of the blog, so for all the nerds out there;

According to Adobe, over the span of 10 years, companies with strong designs outperformed those with weak designs by 219% on the S&P 500 Index (a stock market index).

So the numbers truly are in, design sells.

Invest now or pay later.