Ten
years ago internet startup companies were growing faster than
weeds in my back yard. Many first time entrepreneurs spent
many dollars developing the latest and greatest services with
little thought to design and branding. However, history has
shown us that many of these “dot-comers” were
lost in the internet bubble bust of the late 90’s and
early 2000’s.
Create
a brand that can stand out amongst the weeds.
Whether
your company has a 10-month history, 10 year grounding or
100 year legacy, design matters. In any industry you can find,
good design is critical to consumer confidence. The design
of your branding, website and advertising lends itself to
your brands credibility and differentiates you from your competitors.
Dress
for success, putting on a great brand
You
may struggle on this, yes, but your designer is there to help,
and it’s worth every effort. The most notable brands
carry a certain element, a certain lifestyle or more importantly
an attitude. A common rule you will find across all industries
is that successful companies are supported by great brands.
And likewise, many businesses fail due to poorly conceived
brands. You know who the successful companies are in your
industry and I’m sure that they dress for the part.
Branding
is, of course, a lifetime pursuit, but it begins on a smaller
scale. Invest heavily into the development of a good solid
logo. One which communicates the essence of your organization.
This detail is often overlooked by companies with focus on
speed to the market. But this detail is not small, this detail
is on everything your company has, owns and will ever be.
Your business cards, letterhead, t-shirts, work trucks, advertising,
and website to name a few.
There
are few things more important to a successful website than
it’ design.
Websites
busy with too many elements fail in that they confuse visitors
and attempt to show too much. Opposite to that, those too
sparse and empty fail to build trust or have purpose with
their users. Is there a middle ground? Is there a happy medium
that allows a company’s website to supply its material
without being too busy or too barren?
The
answer is yes. A
good designers job is to build a website to fulfill their
clients goals and requirements that also enhances the existing
brand. But some brands are already established, what can be
done to draw customer interaction and perception of these
brands? Clearly, this can be challenging for designers, but
a designer must try to create a balance between staying true
to the brand and creating an appealing presence while entertaining
the websites viewers. The goal is to keep users on your site
as long as possible and have them return again.
The
goal of good design is to strike a potential customer with
a good impression of your company. On your website, the user
is there to find information or potentially purchase something
from you. Make sure your website guides visitors to what they
are looking for – a goal common
to all parties involved.
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