When it comes to launching a business, first impressions really count. Before your customer even knows what service or product you provide – maybe even before they know your company name – they will first experience your design. Whether you’re choosing the perfect logo to represent your company, designing stationery, or giving your website a complete overhaul, you always need to keep in mind the impact of your own design choices on your customers. To make things a little easier, we’ve compiled this essential list of do’s and don’ts to implement in your business design strategy for now and the coming future.
DO: Opt for Simplicity
When it comes to communicating your brand values, you need your visuals to be as crisp, clean and simple as possible. Whether it’s your logo, colour scheme, infographics or web design, clarity is essential for grabbing and holding your audience’s attention.
DON’T: Overcomplicate Things
Throwing tons of different colours, fonts and images into your design won’t have the desired effect of informing your customer; if anything, it will appear cluttered and confused.
DO: Showcase Your Differences
You need to stand out from the crowd. Look to competitors for inspiration, and then do something that shows off your uniqueness. Your USP is what sets you apart from everyone else, and your design should showcase this in every line.
DON’T: Play It Safe
It can be tempting to see what’s working for other companies and simply follow suit, but true business success comes from getting noticed and standing out – not blending in. Find your niche and be very proud to show it off to everyone.
DO: Keep Things Consistent
An attractive logo and a great selection of graphics are only effective if they follow the same design theme. Every element of your design strategy needs to be consistent, making it instantly obvious that they all belong to the same unique and powerful brand.
DON’T: Forget Your Core Values
Graphic design is simply art with a purpose. Beautiful visuals are all very nice, but they also unanimously need to communicate what your business is all about to be successful. Ensure every design choice you make is motivated by your business’ core values.
DO: Choose a Local Design Business
A local design agency provides a more approachable and personalised service than a larger corporate agency can. With professional, friendly experts on hand, you’ll get that point of difference you’ve been looking for, as well as attention to detail at every stage of your project – and you won’t just be a number on a list.
DON’T: Opt for a Large Corporate Agency
It can be tempting to simply get a big design agency to do everything for you, but what you gain in convenience you will lose in exclusivity. Many big agencies rarely have the time or resources to deliver a personalised service, and so churn out the same product in various disguises. If you want to stand out from the crowd, then choose a business who will work closely with you to achieve just that design you’ve been searching for.
