Why Design is still the KING of marketing.

A headline only works if someone is willing to read it.

Copy only works if you have attracted your customer to your ad long enough for them to skim it.

Design is still the king of everything.

Design is the vehicle your message rides in on.

Is it riding in style, Maybach Benz style, or is it backfiring, putt putting along with the old Datsun and the squeaky brakes?

Design is not just about pretty pictures, it is the combination of EVERYTHING coming together to make a cohesive whole.

Copy is important but bad design negates good copy. Good design enhances everything. A well laid out ad, with proper use of design standards with the SAME copy as a badly designed ad will always do better.

We are attracted to nice looking things. Watch a baby look at a good looking person. The more symmetrical the face (which is a pre requisite for good looks) the longer they usually stare.

Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works. – Steve Jobs

Do not let internet marketers try to lie to you and say it does not matter. They say this usually because they do not understand or have the ability to provide super high quality design. We at Dojo Muscle do.

There is a reason why BMW, Disney, Starbucks, and every big AND small company on the planet invest COPIOUS amounts of money in design development.

Often we get confused by listening to too many people. We treat design as pretty pictures.

Copywriters will tell you that design doesn’t matter. But those that do say this have never used great design. They have a limited vantage point of the world when it comes to everything form and function related.

There is a reason why the handles on the new 4 series BMW are so slicked back to the door. They serve the usual purpose plus they help the lines of the car, and they help it’s mobility (or aerodynamics).

Change is inevitable. We all know that.

Every business sector, market, marketing practice, style and trend changes. The people who prosper the most in business are the ones who have set up companies and practices that are nimble enough to change with the times.

If a tree does not bend in the wind it will snap.

Design excellence and brand building is the future and the way to future proof your business.

Do not become so heavily entrenched with an approach or ideal that you can not bend because overtime your business will snap. Nothing lasts forever.

Every market will become saturated and highly competitive, at that point the ONLY thing that will set you apart after the 1000 slogans and titles, is design. Looking your best will never go out of style. Ever.

Wait I know what you are about to say….. I have heard it a thousand times before. Insert said “guru” who says design does not matter because they have sold x y and z and have the proof… Blah Blah Blah…. Yes sometimes design does not make or break a sale.

Sometimes less than standard practices work. Sometimes. Usually when the people purchasing are new to the game. However parents and students are not new to consumerism in todays world. People are more skeptical than ever. The only thing that relieves some of that skepticism is, strong presentation, strong branding (that has built trust) and a strong message (copy).

When a market isn’t savvy you can do anything and it is better than nothing.

Effectiveness in industries are based on knowing the pulse of it at that time, but ALSO knowing where it is going. Looking unblinded or unbiased to the future so we can navigate turns correctly.

However the more crowded an area gets the more a needed edge to cut through the noise is needed.

We are going through a design renaissance.

Mobile phones and tablets are a way of life, what you say has married how you say it and how it is presented. With the surge of mobile device sales responsive web and mobile sales are increasing. We are doing business differently, the markets are becoming more savvy overtime.

No process lasts forever it is important to understand this as a business owner. Coming out of the gate with the mindset fixed on both marketing and branding, will give you a better chance of survival when the change does happen. And happen it will, it is happening now. Those who refuse to acknowledge it will suffer loss of revenue, if they already haven’t.

The old web was based on design standards born in the newspaper and magazine industries. Today, we’re in the midst of a renaissance that puts the online and mobile experiences first. This ever-growing array of connected devices point to a future where users will understand and appreciate a more cohesive and intuitive interface.

As we’re already beginning to see, companies that innovate their approach to design will be rewarded with new growth opportunities.

That was an excerpt from an amazing article written on Mashable.

http://mashable.com/2012/04/25/web-design-future-content-marketing/

This is another paragraph taken from it:

Graphic design not only makes something look good, it organizes information to help deliver a message in the most impactful way possible. When you combine the right image, a well-written headline, professionally executed in a well-established package, then BOOM! The message hits its target. However, if any one of those parts is missed, the message will likely miss its target too. There’s a misconception that graphic design is just “pretty pictures,” but it’s actually presentation, organization and well-thought-out market concepts that deliver everything in one good-looking package.

So in conclusion. MAKE sure you spend well on what your design looks like because it does very much matter in the consumers mind. Don’t short cut here. Your brand is the most important thing you have. Treat it with the utmost care and concern.

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