Does Design Matter?

Founder and MD of Deep Blue Sky, Jim Morrison, led this week's 'design matters' event. The discussion itself was largely focused on what matters to us as consumers and how we, as an agency, create the brands we do. Also addressed, was the broader issue of whether the creative spark still matters when designing for a commercial brand.

Jim first asked the floor if anyone actively sets goals for their creatives, to dictate how the final design piece will be assessed. He then asked if any creatives set goals by which they expect their work to be judged. In a business context, design isn't judged by subjective rules as in the case of art, but by a set of objective rules. These objective rules are often set out prior to the commencement of works by both the client and the creative/s, collectively. 

Set goals

When we consider what a business might be trying to achieve, we arrive at three common goals. 
 
1. To sell more of product/service
2. To reduce the cost of sales
3. To secure repeat custom (a solution to the first two goals)

How does the design process aid in achieving these three common goals? 

A brand itself is an expression of a company's personality. It is not the features of the products it sells, but rather the emotional connection that is made between the brand and the consumer. We are ultimately very sensitive beings, which results in an instant bond being made when we see a brand or design piece. It is after this that the cognitive side of our brain catches up with that response, and it is rationalised. Depending on the brand and the level of connectedness achieved, we will then vote for or against the emotional response we've had. 

If we consider that an effective brand is essentially an organisation or person in which we, as consumers, hold some degree of confidence and with whom we feel connected, those who manage to achieve this, see an increase in sales to both new and returning customers and thus a reduction in the cost of sales is achieved. 

The big players

If we look at big brands such as LEGO, Apple, Volvo and Nike, we can see this in action. Take Apple for example. We tend to have a huge degree of confidence that Apple thinks differently about the problems we face, because they come up with innovative solutions that they've clearly thought through to the nth degree. Emotionally, we are bound to buy that Apple product; we buy it based on the emotional response we've had, not the specific features of the product. 

Volvo used advertising to evoke a positive emotional reaction to their cars by showing said cars crashing into brick walls. An odd way to sell a car, yes, but the outcome is an instant feeling of trust in the product. We trust the cars are safe, and so we assume our family will be safe.

Brands are often quite empathetic. Nike is very successful in selling its products due to consumers being under the impression that the brand is there with them, every step of the way while they exercise.  As a consumer watches Nike's latest TV advert, a message is conveyed that a pair of Nike shoes will help them improve and achieve their personal goals. This is because the design of that advert has successfully demonstrated a clear understanding of what we, as consumers, are trying to achieve. 

What about us little ones?

We don't all deal with big brands, however, so the question is, do these rules also apply to us smaller brands? A cafe, a local shop or a digital agency for example? The answer to this is yes; they do, but it's not about having the budget to spend on TV ads or smashing things into brick walls. However large or small your brand is, you can apply the same rigour that big brands apply to design work and in building an emotional connection, to achieve the same common goals. 

We can apply this same rigour by ensuring clarity and purpose from the outset of every project. It's not about the subjective outcomes of the project, but the objective outcomes. This translates to a clear articulation of who the audience is, how we might connect with that audience, and what is it they're looking for in a brand.

In a commercial space, we define a clear set of goals for creative work, which we set out before work commences. It is in doing so that once the project has been completed; there's something against which that work can be judged, which is not subjective. We can distill these goals down into very quick split-second tests by understanding what the goal of the audience is when they see a piece of design work. If you can distill down what it is you want the consumer to feel when they see something, it makes it easier to judge a piece of work objectively. 

When considering what our audience desires and, more specifically, what our audience is trying to achieve when they find our product or service, there is usually one thing every consumer is trying to achieve.  If you understand that, you can judge whether any piece of work articulates that sense of achievement. Questions to consider are, 'how will the audience judge our product or service?', 'what are the criteria with which they will then ratify that emotional response to our product or service?' and 'what does the audience consider a risk?' In the case of Volvo, the risk factor is whether the car is safe is not. By addressing the issue of safety first, Volvo has become a brand that takes the issue of safety completely off the table.

So, does design matter? 

Great design is less about a creative spark or a subjective idea, and more about producing a design that will result in consumers believing in the brand. Great design builds aspiration in a viewer. An aspiration to feel like the model, running in those Nikes. Yes, design matters, but only when it is rationally thought out. In a commercial sense, design matters far less when it is simply subjective and 'design for the sake of beautiful design'. 

Design that matters to us is the design that builds confidence in brands, builds trust and empathises, thus building an important and powerful emotional connection.

img: business2community.com