Brand Stimulus Package

I've been thinking about the last comment in my previous blog entry, "Who knows, maybe good communication design is what we need to stimulate the economy... " Sure, it is a little stretch, but maybe there is something to it. It was only last year that a well-executed brand campaign for Barack Obama changed political history, so why can't a well-designed branding program stimulate economic growth?

Consider these three points to why a re-branding or a new communication strategy is profitable in a down economy:

1) A good brand establishes trust.
The problem in our financial and political arena right now is that no one trusts anyone... But they could trust brands. John Quelch in, How Better Marketing Elected Barack Obama, writes, "Like any great brand, Obama has built up a bond of trust with the American people" (the article is pretty good, read it's entirety at http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/quelch/2008/11/how_better_marketing_elected_b.html).
If you want your brand to appear trust-worthy, start with good positioning, understand who your target is and focus on them, not you. Design your communication to let them know you are a legitimate business and will be in business long enough to see the next generations of tax-payers pay back the Wall-Street bail-out.

2) Change is exciting.
A gloomy season is a great time to make a colorful statement. While consumers are feeling stuck in a rut, and competitors are buckling down for safety, a new brand identity can really make an impact. Once again, we can look at Mr. Obama for proof of the effectiveness of a "change" platform. So, if your business card design was designed by a book on the Kinkos counter, and your retail signage has not been updated since the 80's, you may want to think of getting an updated, professional look. Something that makes the statement, "We're not scared of the recession because our product is superior". A small investment in a fresh look could translate into a lot of new customers.

3) Invest in a positive message.
According to HOW Magazine (http://www.howdesign.com/GeneralMenu/), an article published by American Marketing Association in 1993, following the 1991-1992 recession, reported that companies that invested marketing dollars during the down economy gained, and kept, market share. I don't know for sure, but I bet those companies were not spreading messages of defeat. Are you spending enough money on your marketing/communication to let people know that you are still in business and ready to provide for them? Are you thinking about the contribution you can make to their economic struggles? Think about our shopping behaviors, when shopping for a new vehicle, do you want the brand that might not be in business in 6 months or the brand that assures that you will be able to get parts and repair 10 years from now? Let's face it, no one wants to be associated with yesterday's dying brand. And a stagnant brand is not much better. What products are new and refreshing? What companies are coming up with new ideas? Those are the brands we get excited about in down times. Sometimes it's not about the product that you are offering, but how you are presenting it. Get with a professional marketing consultant, make a plan, and communicate how great you really are.

Perhaps our economic leaders should take some notes from brand consultants. Give us something to trust, get us excited about something new, and spread a positive message. We'll call it America's Brand Stimulus Package, give it a cool logo, and the world will be good again.

Design Matters

Everything around us is designed - some designed well, others not so well. Every product, every system, every organization, every piece of communication reveals some level of design. I'm going to bet you never even thought about it. Why? You don't have to. Design surrounds us. Design is part of who we are. How we live. What we buy, drive, eat, read, watch. Design helps us decide whether to turn left or right, go in or stay out. We make thousands of decisions every day at the mercy of a designer. The speed that we make decisions is only rivaled by our G3 networks. So why should you think about design? There is no need to think - just react.

Thinking about design is our job. We are the ones who lie awake at night thinking about the effects of color, the shape of letters, the size of the words. We consider the way things feel when you touch it or what happens when you click. Our hours are spent asking if the product is too heavy, too big or too awkward. Is the communication easy to understand and does it convey the right message? We are constant critics. A simple drive to the grocery store can drive a designer insane - constantly studying the signage, product packaging and floor layout. Ask my wife, everywhere we go becomes a critique.

This is what a designer's life is. Seeing things, analyzing things, creating things. Product designers, fashion designers, interior and building designers, we are all the same. But I am a communication designer - more commonly known as a graphic designer (I'm more inclined to think of it as experience design, but we'll cover that later) - so the majority of my blogging will be related to that focus. My goal is to not just point out good design from bad design, or to simply promote the talents within our studio. What I'm really hoping to accomplish is to inspire the non-designer to understand and appreciate why design matters.

Throughout my career, I've seen many businesses approach graphic designers as if they are simply arrogant artists employing their talents in order to profit from basic business needs. "I just need a logo - nothing too fancy", "just a rack brochure is fine, nothing too complicated". What they are really saying is that, "I am willing to stake my business on mediocracy." What they fail to realize is that good communication design is not just about colors and composition, it is a study of the effects that those design elements have on human behavior. As Americans, we are a visual society, first impressions are lasting impressions. Good design moves people, and when people are moved, products begin to move, and when products move, business begins to move in a positive direction.

Who knows, maybe good communication design is what we need to stimulate the economy...