Have you ever gone to a website or picked up a business card from a new company only to find yourself dissatisfied or uninterested?

Me too.

Which got me thinking… there’s a lot of talk about what you need to do to create a killer website, or a great logo. But why does good design even matter? Why do you need it?

I’ll tell you why.

There’s an intangible value to good graphic design.

It’s more than getting potential customers to remember your name, or even lowering your bounce rate.

It’s about being someone worth talking to and getting your clients and prospects excited and inspired to work with you.

It’s about passion.

Which would you rather have…a customer or client who uses you just because you were there, or would you rather have someone excited to use your services because they’re inspired about what you have to offer?

I know which one I’d choose.

In fact, I regularly turn down prospects who don’t seem very passionate about their own business. Because the fact is, if they don’t care about what they do, how can they possibly get excited about what I have to offer them?

When it comes to your company, your design is what speaks for you when you can’t talk with the customer yourself. Basically, it’s your first date.

Your company’s design=first impressions

Remember that saying, that there aren’t any second first impressions? Everything you have that was designed essentially is your first impression. It sets the tone for the kind of relationship you’re building with your prospects.

You can have the best descriptions of your services and features you want. You can have the best products, or even the best prices.

But none of that matters if your design sucks.

It’s true: people will be less likely to take the time to actually review your information and engage with you if your materials aren’t visually engaging or inviting. When a customer sees your brochure or visits your website, everything they see impacts how they feel about your business. Which ultimately leads to how they respond to your business.

So, if you’re still asking yourself:

“Why does how my customers feel about my logo/business card/website matter so much?”

I mean, as long as they are buying your products or services now anyways, why should it matter if your materials are underwhelming?

Right?

Wrong.

It’s simple, and let me tell you why.

People do business with those they like, know, and trust

It matters because how people feel about your company’s graphic design determines if they want to do business with you or not. It’s the difference between making the sale, and not making the sale.

The overall look, design, and consistency of your marketing and informational materials says more about your company than all the text, images, and links can ever say alone.

Call me old-fashioned, but like many people, I only want to work with companies that I know, like, and trust. And, it just so happens that those are some of the intangible feelings you can build with good design.

Now, the good news is that it’s not rocket science.

You can start building trust and confidence from the moment a prospect receives your business card, or enters your site. But, you’ve got to have an appealing design that sends the message that you’re trustworthy and capable.

So, how do you send the right message?

You pay attention to your design. That’s how.

You have moments to capture a prospect’s attention or keep a client engaged. Do you want to rely on words alone to do all the work?

Yes, speak to them with your content; that’s a given, but also speak with your graphics, your colors, and other aspects of your design. Leverage the value of good design to show your clients that what you provide is the same as what they want, including the experience.

Next week, we’ll talk about how to incorporate all this good design into your small business.

Your turn

Does your company’s graphic design show your prospects that you’re capable and trustworthy? How? Have you ever experienced or witnessed a businesses’ graphic design not working?

Sheila

Sheila Patterson is the owner and Creative Director behind Apex Creative. GCU professor by day, brand identity expert by night, she loves all things related to design. When she's not creating amazing logos and websites, you can find Sheila tormenting her husband and two feline furbabies, catching the latest Game of Thrones episode, or reading a good book. Naps are nice too.