The Business of Design

Fonts and color schemes… Slogans and catch-phrases… Bilboards or Social Media Widgets… What do these things mean, and how are these aspects of branding and design relevant to business. The fundamental object of the game of business is the sale of goods and services. The concerns that I get often as a designer are how do the design choices we make impact the bottom line? I.E. How is this going to help me make more money? 

Contrary to popular belief about design, and art in general, design is an integral part of the business-customer relationship, but this relationship seems to happen at such a subtle level that it is hardly noticed by businesses and consumers alike. Logos, color schematics, visual identity systems, user experience and interactions, and other design components in business help shape what will fundamentally set your business apart from others, and that is value. 

Why do customers value one business over another? Perception of Value plays a critical component in influencing consumer decisions. It isn’t always a factor of how much value a product, service, or company actually has, but instead how well has the brand value of said product, service, or company been communicated to the consumer? In this case, actual value isn’t so much important as perceived value. Logo designs, website configurations, bilboard ads, commercials, all play a critical role in managing perception by communicating value. 

In the reptilian minds of consumers, companies that take the time to communicate value though design must be better than the ones that don’t. As paradoxical as it sounds, a company does not necessarily have to be valuable in actuality to have value. Apple, for example,—since 2001—has become one of the worlds most valuable consumer tech companies. Is it because they use special components? No, in fact most of the technical components apple uses in their mobile phones and personal computers are also used by competitors like Samsung and google. If this is true? What makes Apple a more valuable company on the stock market? I would argue that it has been—through the painstaking creativity and ingenuity of Steve Jobs—Apple’s ability to package and brand itself in such a way that people associate heightened value with the Apple brand. 

Nike, Apple, Polo Ralph Lauren, Gucci, Versace, and many other brands command the ability to create gold out of whatever product or service they slap their logo on. That is the power of design; it is a beautiful and complex alchemy of manifesting value where there would otherwise be none.

Fundamentally, it is this kind of alchemy that every designer hopes to achieve in every creative endeavor. Working together with our clients, through design and design principles, to create value where none exists and putting their businesses in a position to compete and thrive in an ever growing marketplace.