IBM’s chief executive Watson Jr. once said, “Good design is good business.” Design is a critical aspect of business strategy and marketing which connects your brand with your customers. Not only will it create a first impression of who you are, but it will also distinguish your company from the competition.

When a potential customer first encounters your brand through your logo, website, or product, companies or brands have only a few seconds to leave a lasting impression with their customers. Studies have shown that when landing on a website, people can make a decision regarding an organization or brand in as little as 1/20 of a second—and that judgment of credibility is largely based on design. This is a critical stage of development, and companies that consider design as part of their business strategy have an advantage among the competition.

Brands… We desire them, we want to become them, and we look up to them. They are idealizations created by founding beliefs that we identify and associate with. We connect with brands because we see an image of ourselves in them and want to be part of a culture we relate to. Branding allows organizations to express their mission, values and culture visually. From Apple’s iPhone and Starbucks’ in-store experience to Disney’s entertainment venues, we connect with brands because they resonate with who we are and what we believe in by first connecting visually.

As a society, we are visually stimulated and motivated, and first impressions are based on visual connection.The saying that “A picture speaks a thousand words” can be seen in the impact that Instagram has had in the social media world… an environment that is built on visual communication. Between the Internet, constant connection to social media and the overwhelming competition of products and services, we live in a world of information overload. Whether it’s on our drive to work, on public transportation, on our smartphones or in stores, branding is promoted everywhere making it more challenging to stand out from the noise.

We perceive the world we live in through our sense of sight. Our visual awareness associates symbols, colors and shapes with products and services that have become a part of our lives. Visual communication begins the moment we wake up. The products we see in our bathroom, the colors we interpret in our food, the information we see when we drive, the products that persuade us to buy, the clothes we decide to wear and the vacation places we travel to all rely on visual communication.

From the Lascaux painting to the hieroglyphics on the Egyptian pyramids, design has always been used to communicate our history and stories. Through time it has influenced fashion, architecture, products, services, art and innovative ideas. Everything that surrounds us is influenced by design. Design is driven by the same human intuition and inner connection that is used for survival. It determines how successfully things look, work and function. There is not one thing created by man that has not been influenced by design.

Brands are like people. We dress, speak, have core beliefs and personalities, partake in activities we like, and desire attention. As individuals, we work hard to create an image of how we want to be perceived and the impressions we want to leave on our social and professional interactions. We gravitate toward cultural groups, trends and belief systems to which we relate. People brand themselves as a culmination of all the things that we enjoy, believe, and are passionate about. So let’s create an image that accurately and successfully represents your company’s vision.

If you ask yourself why design is important and why it should be part of a business strategy, it is because design unlocks better business by ensuring that your message and visual brand are clear and consistently applied across all communication channels to drive positive sentiment and trust.

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