Although good design is still very reasonably priced and accessible, many small business owners overlook it as a key piece of their marketing plan. In today’s world, good graphic design is not a luxury; it is a necessity. Good designs help companies around the world cultivate an image and turn their brands into iconic symbols. This makes it one of the most important investments for businesses competing in an environment dominated by large chains and too much information.

The Abundance of Good Graphic Design

Many of the most competitive markets consist of people who were raised in a world abundant with great design. These customers have come to expect solid design, and won’t give businesses without it a second look. Giants like Target have successfully combined a group of designer collaborations for clothing, accessories and more. Luxury brand designers such as Zac Posen, Anna Sui and Thakoon have all helped to make Target successful.

Successful businesses have learned to leverage good design into portraying high-value goods at affordable prices. When given the choice between two different products in the same price range, consumers will almost always choose the great design over the mediocre one. Good design at an affordable price is essential to the future brand awareness of your products.

How a Design Can Build a Business

One of the major signs of a strong brand is an effective design. Apple built a multi-billion dollar empire on its clean-looking, modern silhouette dancers and brightly coloured back grounds. The iPod’s visually appealing user-friendly interface also had a huge role in the company’s enormous success. Apple is a great example of how a design and brand image can dominate the competition in the business world. While you may not intend to revolutionise the music industry, you should always remember that a thoughtfully created design will make your business appear bigger than it really is.

How Designs Build Trust with Consumers

Consumers like buying from companies they can trust. They want to feel confident that, when they call a local plumbing company and make an appointment, someone will show up on time. They won’t buy a product online from a company they don’t trust. How do you get your customers to believe in your company and trust your products or services?

It begins with branding and good design. The fundamental goal of brand design is actually to create trust. All consumers are emotional beings that can be swayed by effective branding and good design. So your brand design must evoke a positive emotionally founded reaction. Trust and brand loyalty are emotional “gut” feelings that change depending on this emotional reaction. Emotion is the key to getting your customers to buy your products or services, so your design must hit the emotional target as often as possible with your target market.

Although the costs of running a business can sometimes make you pay less attention to your marketing and design, your business cannot exist without sales. Good sales come from great branding and customer loyalty, which in turn, come from good design!