Graphic design. More than likely, your perception and meaning of what it is is different than the next.
What many don’t realize is that graphic design is everywhere. You couldn’t go anywhere or do anything without viewing some sort of graphic design.
Billboards. Brochures. A book cover. A website. A logo. I could go on for hours, but we don’t have that kind of time — right?! Instead, we need to be spending time improving our business to the best it can possibly get.
One of the most effective ways of taking your brand to the next level is through graphic design. By simply getting a professional logo and website designed, your company/business will earn credibility, trust, and recognition — instantly.
To elaborate, here’s some of the many ways graphic design can make a difference in your business.
Brand recognition
When you apply graphic design to all brand materials and collateral, you gain instant recognition. Maintaining consistency to have a cohesive look and feel can take your business to a new visual level.
With your set of design standards for your business in place, there’s no doubt that with good graphic design you’ll stand out from the rest.
Professionalism
Graphic design can easily be used to portray your business a certain way. Whether you want to be fun and quirky or professional and modern, through color selection, design style, and font choice — you dictate how you want to be seen through your design.
On the other hand, be sure you have a clear vision of who you are as a brand, so as not to portray yourself as something you’re not.
Well done graphic design should give credibility and professionalism to any brand, regardless of the style.
Cost effective
We all know budgets, it’s a part of doing business. However, don’t underestimate the power of investing in good graphic design.
Don’t think that you have to put up thousands for good graphic design though — bad graphic design can easily cost you a lot as well. Do your research first to ensure you make the right decision.
As many do have tight budgets, you might defer to those online DIY website builders and design templates. There is nothing wrong with this when you’re just starting out, but in order to scale your business and brand you’ve got to invest in it.
A well executed website is not just how it looks — there’s navigation, layout, functionality, usability, and so on. On your own, without the expertise, there’s no way you’d be able to carry this out properly.
Investing in graphic design is just that, an investment — but it’s not one you’ll regret. Save the time trying to do it yourself, and concentrate on building your business and growing revenue.
Communication
Graphic design many times is also referred to as visual communication. It’s the representation of your brand, that speaks to your audience and viewers.
A well thought out graphic design should be clear and concise. If someone looks at your logo, and says, “What is that?,” well, then, the designer didn’t do their job very well.
Deliver your message, on brand, and to the right audience. This is what good graphic design can do for you.
Boost sales
As a (biased) graphic designer myself, a business with really good graphic design intrigues me and I instantly become more interested in what they do.
Take for example Warby Parker. As a fellow spectacle wearer (glasses in layman’s terms), I was in search of a new pair a couple years ago and came across WP. Through their exquisite graphic design and easy to navigate website, they created one of the most enjoyable experiences for me as a customer. It was visually appealing, I was never lost, and I wanted to buy those glasses now. To make it even better, their glasses were of excellent quality, and affordable, so for that I’ll more than likely be a return customer.
Now let’s think of the opposite, I’ll use GlassesUSA. Same industry, same type of products. Initially going to their website it’s cluttered, there’s pop-ups, and completely overwhelming. Although their main navigation is fairly straightforward, their added navigation bars above and over-populated homepage make for a frazzled first impression.
Like the example above explains, good graphic design can easily influence your customers to buy from you (or not). It’s imperative you take the look of your brand seriously, otherwise how could you expect anyone else to?
