Can using design add value and improve business?

It isn’t just about your ‘branding’. A report by the Design Council analysed the statistics on how design affects business. Their report found that for every £100 spent on design, it led to an increase in turnover of up to £225.

So, considering design for your business product or service can offer a great ROI.

Examples of Good Design

When it comes to design there are many companies that we can learn lessons from. When a design becomes iconic it helps to make it memorable. Think about the classic Coca-Cola bottle. The design of the bottle is modelled around the cocoa bean itself and is instantly recognisable. Some people say that the drink tastes better from the bottle. This is how Coca-Cola has embedded design in people’s minds over time.

How to handle the design process

Design should be handled like any other business process. Design should be implemented with a strategy first approach. Start with exploration. Do it with the team. Identify the goals. Is it to increase awareness? To improve the product, or perhaps, create a compelling call to action through advertising? Research should be carried out and ideas tested to start the process of design before continual refinement (it never really stops).

Know the audience

Part of any design process should involve engagement with the audience. It’s important to really understand and continuously build for them. We need to understand them and how they might react or engage with the brand. This helps to shape design around their needs.

Continuously monitor

As with any development process continuously monitoring allows us to build better. Referring back to the original brief regularly helps to ensure that the task is being addressed. Any changes that may need to be made should be for the right reasons, and, to improve.

Don’t be too clever

Clever, over-complicated design can interfere with functionality and what needs to be communicated. We should be remembered for having a great design that compliments and importantly, adds value. Bad design choices may attract attention, but not the right response.

Monitor the impact

Once a design is living and breathing in the real world, it’s important to measure its impact. Product growth, brand recognition, and sales growth are key to monitor. It’s important to not be afraid to backtrack on design and make radical changes if they add value going forward in later phases.

Investing in design is not just about aesthetics; it is about creating something that can drive business success. Design fosters trust, credibility, and likeability between the brand and its audience. Businesses that embrace design as a core component of their strategy can often enjoy experience enhanced customer loyalty and a stronger market presence in their industry.

Good design can simplify complex. Design can be the differentiator that sets a brand apart from its competitors.

Design is a key element of any business’s growth strategy.