The importance of good design

The backbone of a company is good design. The biggest companies in today's world are constantly relying on good design to sell their products. While everything has been put on hold this year, having a good design to describe your products has never been so important. Good design creates first impressions, differentiate yourself, and gives the story of your brand/company.

When scrolling through the internet or walking in a mall, a companies design components is what the customer is going to see first. Whether that is the logo, store layout, or a design on a tshirt, it all matters and all goes back to a brands identity. While some brand identities may be boring and straight to the point, the brands that are excelling all have great design. Take a look at apple for example, Apple’s logo and brand identity is very modern and plain. However, with it being so clean and organized, consumers know apples brand identity right away and can verify it in a matter of seconds. Another great example is Mcdonalds. Whenever someone sees that red box with the yellow arches, people know it is McDonalds. Mcdonalds has done so much branding and promotion that the logo is recognizable to many people. While designers want a unique brand identity, a basic one can go a long way. Make it easy, recognizable, and something that consumers can find interest in. The first impression goes a long way.

While the world keeps growing and growing, so does design. With so many brands, companies, and places, you see design everywhere. So, how does design stand out? Good question, I am still trying to learn that myself. While some may like plain and bleak brand identities, some might like big, colorful, in your face design. There is no right answer and that’s what makes design so fun. This semester while all receiving the same materials, our classmates made 20 different projects all with the same elements. There was no right or wrong but simply but your design knowledge into a piece. After the assignments were turned in, there were 20+ vastly different projects from one to the next. Showing that design can be successful in many different ways and there is no right or wrong.

A brand's design is what gives off the entire vibe of a company. Colors, fonts, and brand elements are how people verify/recognize companies. With a strong font, color, and elements, a designer can tell a story that relates to the customers. Let's use target as an example. No matter where you are in the country, your local target is going to look exactly like someone else’s target on the other side of the country. Targets used its brand identity so strong throughout their locations that everyone knows target the exact same way. When designers are consistent with their designs, it becomes the norm to people and what they expect.

I am not the best designer, but I am learning. As I get closer and closer to graduation, I find myself looking at so much design. With so much variety it is so hard to say what good design is. Let your mind run free, be creative, and have fun while you design.