In the 1950’s Paul Rand designed what we graphic designers, or at least this designer here among many others, considers one of the most iconic and paradigm-shifting identity designs. When Paul Rand was asked what was the secret behind the exemplar identity design he had created for IBM, over other things he said that the relationship that he and the then CEO Thomas J. Watson Jr. had as a client and designer was a partnership like no other. Watson understood and appreciated the value and input of design to his business. After all he is the guy who said ‘good design is good business’ back in 1973 during his speech at the University of Pennsylvania. Watson got it and that was 40 years ago. It was during his time as CEO that through clever corporate branding and good design initiatives, IBM became a hub of innovation and style.
Today, not many business owners even realize what design can do for them and their business. Many still believe and think that design is solely about the aesthetics or the veneer of how it looks. Maybe it’s the term ‘design’ that is at fault; maybe it’s the connection to art that makes people perceive it as mere aesthetics and not about how it works. As a designer my pet peeve, even today after 25+ years in the industry, is that client who wants us to just do a ‘simple’ logo for them, or someone who has all these random images and now needs a book simply put together, ‘nothing fancy’ they say.
According to a 2020 McKinsey report [mckinsey.com], 66% of CEOs don’t understand what their senior designers do and the benefit of graphic design for business mostly remains an enigma. The business of design is mainly qualitative and its lack of directly quantifiable consequence, is something business minded individuals do not comprehend.
Actually, design is not just about managing the appearance of your project or business. Design is strategy, it is process; it is where art and business intersect. Good design has research at its core, clearly identifying the purpose and goal of the project at hand. Designers are not just problem-solvers but also problem-identifiers. According to Adobe [https://blogs.adobe.com/creative/design-advantage/], design-driven companies have outperformed the S&P [stock market] Index by 219% over 10 years
The key problem for graphic designers in regards to the service they offer is that design does not have a tangible ROI over and above what client sees. What the client sees is say the square logo that uses a pretty shade of blue, looks cool and probably makes them look good. What they don’t see is the research behind what the stakeholders and consumers want, how competition works and looks, the psychology behind the use of that particular shade of blue, the reason behind using a square over a circle and how this particular blue square can be an exciting mark for the business in terms of brand extension and marketing for years to come. What they see is that logo, or that book or that website, what they see is just the icing on the cake, the cover, the tip of that iceberg. What they don’t see is what lies beneath the surface, the work that has gone behind that ‘simple’ mark and the power it holds to give them that competitive edge and the mileage to their business, when done correctly.
Design as a start, makes a solid first impression. As Buckminster Fuller said,
‘When I am working on a problem, I never think about beauty…. but when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.’
Good design should be good looking design. It will and should give the business a visual edge, but that’s the least of what design can do for your business. But, our world is full of ‘noise’, physical, physiological, psychological, and semantic. It is the job of the designer to keep this interference at a minimum through good solid research and understanding the end receiver of the communication. The conscious use of the visual language is also important. Visual language has impact; every shape, colour, typeface, has a tone attached to it and the effective use of design language streamlines communication.
The way designers are trained to think combines empathy, creativity and rationality. This can not only set the right tone for your business but can in the long run and with collaboration and team work, take you and your business on a fantastic joy ride. So, the next time if you are wondering how to get your new business off the ground, or how to give your 20+ year old business a boost, consider investing in some design intervention.
