Investing in design has been a steadfast business strategy for many famous and successful brands around the world.

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Share prices of design-led companies out-performed key FTSE indices by over 200% over 10 years. – Design Council UK

Good design is not reserved exclusively for multi-national organisations with deep pockets; good design is available to all businesses. It’s up to business owners and stakeholders to champion the value of design and creativity. Design isn’t just an expense, after-thought or a nice-to-have, but a formidable ally in business growth and revenue.

Here are 3 ways that design plays a part in supporting business growth:

1. Design creates perceptions

How your brand is designed determines how it will be perceived.

A great product wrapped in sub-par packaging is hardly convincing of its greatness – if it’s even noticed at all. Much as we’d like to deny it, people judge a book by its cover before even getting to its content.

Using design to craft positive perceptions improves market positioning, pricing strategies and consumer trust and loyalty. These lead to enhanced sales and revenue for the business.

Take Apple and Microsoft, for instance. Compare your immediate overall perceptions of each of these technology giants.

2. Design strengthens brand recognition

A unique design style, methodology or application,beyond the corporate identity, could potentially become your brand’s iconic signature. One that is recognisable from a mile away and is a priceless IP asset. The design becomes a permanent advertisement in itself. For example, in the automotive world:

Lamborghini’s switch-blade doors; image from Wikipedia

BMW’s kidney grilles; image from Wikipedia

3. Design keeps your business competitive and profitable

Every £100 a design-led business invests in design repays £225 in increased sales. – Design Council UK

Many businesses engage in pricing wars to win customers; competing based on price is a sure race to the bottom, with no winners.

Design-led businesses don’t have to rely solely on prices to be competitive.They have a more powerful ‘weapon’ that meets consumers’ needs and desires, andcreates value and demand in the process.

 

Visit Brew Creative page to find out more about Vicki Lew’s work.

_{Images: www.unsplash.com}

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