As a branding expert it is often extremely hard for me to bite my tongue when I see brands that are being damaged by poor design execution, cheesy tag lines and atrocious spelling. I often see campaigns for events or products where the client has clearly cut design costs in favour of a more prolific approach to their campaign.
Spend a bit more getting professional design and be rewarded with better visibility, recognition and impact.
Here are 5 reasons why you should invest in design when marketing:
1. Quality over quantity
Lets say that you have decided to do a big marketing push and flyers being letterbox dropped to strategic area’s is your strategy. If the flyer looks terrible and the message isn’t clear then it doesn’t matter how may flyers you print, you will never get the return on investment that you had hoped for. I personally favour quality over quantity. Smart design, positioning and placement will always have a far better result than collateral that looks bad and is letter dropped to a myriad of people who will never even look at it.
2. Design sets the scene
I recently saw some collateral for a high price point event where the design was uninspiring, dowdy and to be honest did not look like I should be spending even a third of the cost on a ticket.
In this case the design has set the scene and to be frank I have not been convinced that I should be spending my money on it – even though I have no doubt that it will be a fun and enjoyable experience – the look of the collateral is telling me to buy the cheap seats as the expensive ones seem over priced for what looks to be advertised.
3. Design enhances brand
Marketing campaigns are aimed at encouraging clients to buy or use a brand’s service or product. Through professional design, a company can speak directly to their preferred target audience about their brand – is it fun, flirty, prestigious or affordable? Whether it’s the design of your website, blog, EDM, brochures or social media posts – professional design will ensure that your brand’s integrity is maintained.
Unprofessionally designed material that is not aligned with your core brand message can damage years of hard work, time and money.
4. Design talks
Too often we get clients asking us to help them with promotional material, yet they have no idea what its purpose is. Often they simply want to sell more, but haven’t thought about what exactly they want to sell. We talk to our clients about ‘call to actions’ which allows them the opportunity to drive sales and track their advertising.
When using a design professional you make the most of getting your message across in a clear and defined way.
5. The psychology of design
Even if clients have thought about their call to action, they often only appreciate the psychology of design after they see the result. Designers are trained in colour psychology, how to evoke emotions through imagery and layout, not to mention how the viewer’s eyes fall on the page and read content. Professional design can take a great concept and turn it into a dynamite campaign that talks directly to the target audience.
If you are looking at marketing your business, whether it is in print or online, take the time to consider what a decently designed campaign could do for your business. Don’t be tempted by quick, cheap options – the damage that they can do to your brand in the long run can be far more costly than the design tag in the first place.