Design

Whether that content is a Logo, a website, a brochure, business cards, packaging, signage, or an advertisement design, the key, is for us to figure out how we want the user (or viewer) to engage with the content and also try to determine how they will react and respond to it – in a positive way.

Why invest in graphic design?

Like any great marketing or advertising which is driven by a plan, we believe all design and content must serve a purpose – and it must serve it well. Having something created from a plan with a goal in mind means the results are more likely to be achieved and the design aspect is an investment. Design for design’s sake can risk becoming impractical and difficult to use, resulting in goals not being achieved. In a commercial sense, if a design does not serve a purpose, it is not the best use of resources to have it made in the first place.

So how can we avoid this common mistake?

It’s simple really. Ultimately you need to know what your overall marketing goals are. Not sure where to start- well you’re not alone. This is where the importance of Starting Smart comes into play, knowing WHY you’re in business in the first place and having this articulated will help with this. Knowing where you come from and what you want to achieve is half the battle.

The following quote by NZ celebrity chef Al Brown sums this idea up perfectly in Depot, The biography of a restaurant: “Underestimate the importance of creating a brand for a product or service at your own peril.

I see this everyday: people think if they have a great product, the work has been done and it will literally sell itself.

Anyone can make a great product; it’s the love, vibe, story and the feeling you portray around that product that will sell it.

Time and time again people skimp in this area, then wonder why the product is not successful. They don’t understand that you can’t stand next to your product 24/7 extolling the passion behind it to every potential customer. The product or project must stand on its own two feet and tell

the story itself. This is WHY the brand Identity, design, backstory and all the collateral around the product are equally if not more important than the product itself.

This is the X-factor which is often hard to pinpoint or explain – It’s just there.”