GOOD DESIGN is GOOD BUSINESS

	A wise man once said,	“	GOOD DESIGN IS GOOD BUSINESS.”
			THOMAS J. WATSON CEO (1977), IBM
	But, was he right?
	IS GOOD DESIGN GOOD BUSINESS?

CAN GOOD DESIGN...

increase sales?	change a mind?	convince someone?	kick-start a venture?
help brand perception?	instigate euphoria?	tell a story?	provide a great ROI?

GOOD DESIGN...

is insightful	is memorable.	soothes the soul.	is aesthetically pleasing.
fulfills its purpose	communicates	inspires	creates a dialogue.
is more than surface.	is palpable.	creates an opportunity.	is often subtle.
amazes.	changes minds.	is consistent.	speaks to human emotion.
is good branding.	is a verb and a noun.	is distinct and different.	tells a story.
cultivates an experience.	innovates.	is a process.	is good business.

“In most people’s vocabularies, design means veneer. It’s interior decorating. It’s the fabric of the curtains and sofa. But to me, nothing could be further from the meaning of design. Design is the fundamental soul of a man-made creation that ends up expressing itself in successive outer layers of the product or service.” Steve Jobs CEO Apple Computer

“GOOD “When most successful, DESIGN design creates an experience IS that is both delightful and INTELLIGENCE relevant to the human being.” MADE Darrel Rhea Partner Cheskin Research VISIBLE.” Le Corbusier Architect 1887-1965

“Really successful design produces a crave-able product.”

GOOD DESIGN IS GOOD BUSINESS

BECAUSE IT...

can start a revolution.	transmits your message.	is culturally valued.	makes you look better.
is a point of differentiation.	creates craving.	makes you stand out.	cultivates a brand culture.
impacts productivity.	is your silent salesman.	completes your goals.	eliminates frustration.
sells more goods.	has a great ROI.	raises awareness.	adds value.
embodies your company.	transform perception.	is used by pack leaders.	creates a sense of pride.
improves intelligence.	meets set objectives.	speaks volumes.	creates desire.

“Design can turn little fellas into high-impact players. Quickly.”

Tom Peters Founder Tom Peters Group “Design is a potent strategy tool that companies can use to gain a substantial advantage. Yet most companies neglect design as a strategy tool. What they don’t realize is that design can enhance products, environments, communications, and corporate identity.” Philip Kotter and G. Alexander Rath Authors “Design: A Powerful but Neglected Strategy Tool”

“Everything from a bag of potato chips to an online web service can generate incremental sales and better utility as a result of smart design.” Seth Godin Author “Purple Cow”

1. Psychological

Don Norman, a psychology expert, says there are three ways that good design brings about happiness.

Visceral It’s an instinctual reaction to beauty. For example liking bright colors because of our hereditary biology, finding fruits and vegetables.

Behavorial It just works. Sometimes with a bit of elegance, or a clever simplicity. You’ll probably only notice it if it doesn’t work properly.

Reflective It’s that little voice in your head. It’s how the design reflects back on you. It’s the car that makes you feel like you’re a tough guy or an environmentalist.

When one, two, or all three of these elements are positively activated, dopamine is released. Dopamine produces pleasure and opens your mind to new experiences and thoughts. When negative aspects are present, neurotransmitters are released into the prefrontal lobe, which causes focus and puts one on edge*.

Are your customers more likely to make a purchase when they feel euphoric or tense and nervous?

*Read more in “Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things,” by Don Norman.

2. Financial

Rob Wallace, managing partner at Wallace Church, is the foremost expert of Return on Design.

In the Design Management Journal*, Wallace sites an example of a business that spent $315,000 on design and had a return of $130,777,800. In other words, for every $1 spent, $415.17 came back. In this case, the only thing that had changed was the packaging, thus it was easily measured.

Wallace then took products from multiple stores, replaced them in only one store with a newly designed package, and observed what happened over an eight-week period. Across all cases studied to date, the average increase in sales has ranged from 28–30%.

Hard data that proves Good Design Is Good Business.

*Design Management Journal, Summer 2001, “Proving Our Value: Measuring Package Design’s Return on Investment,” by Rob Wallace. The methodology used to arrive at these numbers is outlined in the book, “Measuring Brand Communications ROI,” by Don E. Schulz and Jeffrey Walters. The graphs are visual representations only and are not accurate depictions.

Acquiring good design for your business is easy. Just follow these 5 simple steps.

Find a Designer Ask your network, search the web, or contact a professional organization like the AIGA. Be sure to review a candidate’s portfolio. It’s the best way to learn whether or not you’ll be a good match.

Define a Budget Investing money in good design will pay off down the road. Going to your friend’s kid who is a junior in high school and is good with Photoshop may save you some cash, but in the long run, you’ll lose sales.

Seek to Understand Study examples of good design, read a magazine, or flip through some books at the store. Get familiar with the terms and the processes. But remember that you hired a designer for their expertise.

Make It a Priority Commit to GOOD design (not just any old design). Think it, feel it, make it your mantra. Understand that it will change your business for the better. Make it a priority outside the specific objective.

Communication Know your message and communicate it to the designer with precision. The better you communicate to the designer, the better the designer can communicate to your audience.

“Don’t you want materials that represent you and your work to be brilliantly designed and highly sophisticated? Most brochures and flyers that I see...are just plain horrible. They’re usually designed using a Microsoft Publisher or Word template, printed on regular thin copy paper, and...don’t even remotely speak to the talent and professionalism of the brochure’s owner.”

Michael Port, Author, “Book Yourself Solid”

Put it to the test.

Take a day or two and focus on the decisions you made throughout the day.

What brand of toothpaste did you use this morning? Why? What kind of car are you driving to work? What clothes are you wearing? Where did you eat lunch? Did you buy anything today? Why did you buy that particular item? Did anything you saw today affect you negatively? Why?

How did good or bad design inform these decisions and inform your thoughts?

“Everything is design. Everything!”

Now that you understand why good design is good business and have seen the effect good design had on your choices, isn’t it time to make sure that the choices of your customers are affected positively by your designs?