The Necessity of Design

The necessity
of design

“As designers, we do not sell design. We sell the solution that design solves.”

Miriam Isaac

Quoting Miriam Isaac allows me to make a perfect point on what design is. For example, with branding, looking beyond when a client says it’s ‘just a logo.’ Branding is the design solution a company needs to develop its image, it’s the answer to the question of trust, and it is intimately linked to driving sales.

Understanding this concept underpins branding progress. No matter how well you know your product and how much better it is than your competitor’s, you need to make others feel the same. This is the challenge, and this is where the conversation begins.

Everyone judges or has an opinion, no matter what. So, start here. View your brand as a real character and ask yourself the right questions about it, such as:

What do people think of it? How can I make it desirable? What creates a desire for my brand?

With design, you get what you *don’t* pay for. It’s true that people may buy your product with no incorporated brand design. You need to invest in how your business looks and is perceived by others to unleash your product’s true growth potential.

We can argue that the challenge we are facing is about creating emotions. Trust is one of them. Why trust? Because trust means conversion. No one will ever buy something in which they don’t trust or believe. To trigger sales, you need to understand the psychology of your customer. What makes them buy?

A brand is not what you say it is. It’s what they say it is

The brand gap - marty neumeier

People make up their minds in approximately three seconds. Your brand needs to be memorable at ﬁrst sight and then continue to enhance that magical feeling by delivering outstanding experiences.

There is a reason why companies are creating brand departments, with brand designers, brand strategists, and brand research. You should never underestimate the importance of design. Design allows brands to look credible. A company with poor communication and design makes people think it doesn’t invest in its business, product, or communication. So if the company doesn’t invest, why should the consumer?

So, what makes me memorable? You’ve just got the delivery of your new logo, which is lovely; but it’s not enough. It’s just one tree trying to hide a forest.

I repeat: you have to think about your brand as a personality. The product and the service need to be remarkable. You need to have a strategy that reinforces your storytelling. The narrative you work on for your clients is critical. Being a vector of strong values is never a bad idea. Think through every aspect of your business; your tone of voice, the story you sell, and all consumer experience touchpoints along the way, from digital to packaging to support and more.

All these factors influence the perception of trust in your brand.

The importance of stories

« It’s a busy day. You’re stuck in traffic on the way home with rambunctious children in the back.
In other words, it’s a stressful, never-ending day. You need just one moment alone to rest and reset. Sit back and enjoy a well-deserved moment of relaxation! … »

We create stories to which consumers relate by contextualising our product descriptions and hope this wink to their lifestyles will make them smile.

People’s mix of emotions and feelings means you can’t control what they think of your brand. But you can influence their opinions through brand communication. Stories open the door because nowadays, people are not just buying a product but an experience. « I’m ready to pay 25% more for Fairtrade, bio, or non-GM products. » More than ever, we base our choices on symbolic attributes. « What does the product look like? Where is it being sold? Which tribe will I be joining if I buy it? What are other people saying about it? If I can trust the maker, I can buy it now and worry about it later. » (quote from the Brand Gap by Marty Neumeier.)

Disney has been the master of storytelling since 1934, showing how strategy and creativity can build a brand.

Walt Disney said:

“If I can’t ﬁnd a theme, I can’t make a ﬁlm anyone else will feel. I can’t laugh at intellectual humour. I’m just corny enough to like to have a story hit me over the heart…”

A story needs a theme. What makes your brand unique and allows you to build a sustainable competitive advantage? You need to be honest to reach and touch readers; you need to engage your own emotions as you write.

Example of LinkedIn post from Darwin Agency

They contextualise powerful, popular pictures to search for apprentices creatively.

This approach showcases the agency’s ingenuity while increasing the desire to work for them. Well done, guys!

Most brands are poor at storytelling. The ones that master it are the charismatic ones that make everyone’s dreams come true: Coca-Cola, Apple, Nike, and Disney, to name a few. They have become modern icons because they stand for values that people desire.

Brand storytelling is the power of using a narrative to connect your brand to your consumers, focusing on linking what you stand for to the values you share with them.

When done effectively, brand storytelling can be a game-changer to differentiate you from your competitor. It’s a beautiful opportunity to showcase your brand.

The power of aesthetics

« Never forget that you only have one opportunity to make a ﬁrst impression – with investors, with customers, with PR,
and with marketing. »

Dame Natalie Massenet, Chairman of the British Fashion Council

First impressions can be a game-changer for your business. Studies show that people make decisions through judgements based on visual comparisons.

Studies show that some design-led companies like Apple, Coca-Cola, and Nike, outperformed the S&P 500 Index by a whopping 219% between 2004 and 2014.

So, the results are in. Design is a powerful tool that your business should leverage. Brand owners that use design well tend to be more successful. Aesthetic is such a powerful tool that it can turn a classic product into a premium one and vice versa.

Not surprisingly, charismatic brands often claim the dominant position in their categories, with market shares reaching 50% or higher. They also tend to position their prices at the highest premiums — up to 40% more than generic products or services.

Design includes every channel of communication: websites, packaging, advertising, social media, and more. All these elements are part of your brand and your story. They work hand-in-hand to ensure consumers feel engaged with your message.

Good design has the power to translate something complex into something accessible, fun, and remarkable. Design leads clients to brand loyalty; once hooked, consumers tend to become brand lovers.