September 5, 2018

8 Ways Graphic Design Can Elevate Your Small Business | Simplemachine

Graphic Design plays a major role in the development of your company, as well as it’s growth and the perception potential customers have of the business. It is tremendously important to pay close attention to all the details, including Graphic Design. The vitality of Graphic Design is unknown with some businesses, to understand the significance of it validates how Graphic Design directly impacts not only company appearances but also the ability to attract new clients. As one of the first aspects a customer sees, Graphic Design can elevate your small business in many ways. Listed below are eight of the top reasons why you need to invest in quality graphic design.  1. You Only Get One Chance At First Impressions First impressions should be done through advertisements, posts on social media, the sign outside of your storefront and through business cards. When having a business there is always one constant: Graphic Design. If your logo and marketing material is anything less than impressive it leaves a failed first impression. Graphic Design helps demonstrate to your target audience that you take your business more than seriously and that you would be honored to do business with them. When you have a business in a sea of millions of other businesses it is truly salient to have a remarkable design that stands out uniquely.   2. Saves You Money Long Term Even if you fail to take advantage of proper design up front, as your business grows you will want to put money into upgrading your look. When you do this after your business has already started to expand it costs more. You will need to spend money to have your store sign replaced, you'll pay a second team to upgrade your website and to change out all of your marketing material so that it fits the new look of your design material. This turns it into an ongoing expense that could have been a one-time expense when your business started up. So not only will quality graphic design help bring business in but it will save you money.  3. Brand Recognition You want people to instantly recognize your brand, without quality design nobody will make the connection. Brand recognition is critical when connecting with customers, especially because client to business relationships are paramount. People need to see your logo, your color palette and your choice of design and to instantly connect it with your business. Chances are, even if you have never purchased a product from Apple or Nike or Ford you know the business by its logo and the way it presents itself in advertisements. You want the same kind of recognition with your target audience. The best way to do this is with design; you should bring in an expert graphic designer to work with your company and come up with a logo as well as anything else design related that can explain what your company is all about.  4. Generates Leads and Converts Into Sales Quality graphic design doesn't just generate potential clients it also converts those leads into sales. Chances are, you've seen a company's logo and storefront appearance and it instantly caught your attention. Perhaps you were impressed that the appearance looked much better than the competition that business faces. By looking up the website or heading off to the store is a strong indication that the design turned you into a lead instead of just a bystander. When the product or service lives up to the original design quality, you convert it into a sale. The business investing in expert Graphic Design is what brings the company recognition and sales.  A grocery store is an example of what kind of competition was discussed above. How often do you pick a product because you like the packaging more than the competition? You may do this every single time you visit the grocery store. Design plays a bigger role in sales generating than nearly any other aspect of your business, it also demonstrates why it is so important to invest in the graphic design services offered by Simplemachine.  5. Stand Out From the Pack There are other businesses offering exactly what you do, which is why it is so essential to be unique and creative. If you're an Internet-only company there are likely hundreds, if not thousands of competitors out there. Even if you run a local brick and mortar store you probably have some regional competition as well. While your services and product need to stand out, the best way to draw in attention and to stand out from other competitors is having an exceptional Graphic Design foundation that stands out.  There is a difference between standing out in a tacky way and standing out in a professional capacity. You've probably seen tacky commercials or ads that create trust issues with the design aspects of your company. You want to only run your business with professional grace and avoid being sloppy. You want the professionalism of the design to instantly set your business apart from other businesses.  6. Customers Want to Align Themselves With Professionals Clients desire only professional businesses and deserve only professionalism as well. Your eye for detail and investment in graphic design instantly proves that you take your business seriously.  7. Tell a Story Marketing is what customers relate to, the story told through marketing is one of the main things that create an understanding and relatable relationship with your client. You can instantly spot an important story through the use of graphic design,  from how your logo appears to the packaging of a specific product. Marketing uses ethos, pathos and logos as significant concepts when creating a story for the customers because it creates a bond and a special relationship with them 8. Psychological Connections Even the smallest touches of graphic design can make a psychological connection with customers. Even if you have a logo you want to keep, making a subtle change to the color might be all the difference between a successful marketing campaign and a failure. Color stimulates certain areas of the brain (which is why most fast food restaurants use red in the logos and restaurant designs). With a professional on hand, you'll have someone who knows how to make these important design changes.  No matter the kind of business you run or the size of the company, graphic design has the potential to play a major role in it’s ability to grow and connect with prospective clients. From telling a meaningful story to helping you make a grand first impression, graphic design can elevate your small business. If you're ready to take graphic design seriously, want to know of other ways design can improve your company's outreach or you have questions about additional services that are offered, Simplemachine is here to help you with all of your design and marketing needs. So feel free to contact the team at Simplemachine at your earliest convenience.