Think about your favorite movie quote or speech. What drew you to it? The words certainly played a part, but more likely it was the emotion, the context that really pulled you in and made you listen. Here at Fresh Ink, we think of design as the emotional context of the presence that your brand creates online.
From websites to videos to print, graphic design can sometimes seem like an afterthought. However, creating good designs can be the lifeblood of your brand identity, establishing you as a distinct presence in the marketplace. Design doesn’t just make your content visually appealing; it establishes trust with your audience. A recent study showed that one of the key factors in whether or not a consumer trusts a website is its design. If a webpage has a cluttered, messy layout and its graphics look dated, a potential customer will find it dated and untrustworthy and will be much more inclined to take his or her business elsewhere.
Consider these screenshots of two hotel websites. Hilton’s design is clean and comes across as trustworthy and professional. The other looks cluttered and extremely dated. It’s pretty clear whose site builds the most trust with consumers.
Additionally, design can be used to guide a customer’s attention to where you’d like it to be. The effective use of design can create a flow through your content that brings the viewer the point or product that you’re working to highlight. By using graphical elements and typography, you can subtly show your audience what content is the most important on the page or the screen.
Design also promotes emotion and action. You want to make your customers feel something when they view your content, whether that’s trust, happiness, comfort, or all of the above. Emotional engages the audience on a very deep level, developing a connection that is deeper than fact alone could provide. Creating that emotion through design can prompt your viewers to action, leading to more leads and sales and bringing your brand or company closer to its goals.
For example, think about Coca-Cola, whose branding efforts are all about happiness. Take a look at this promotional design of theirs. Everything from the warm background colors to the iconic red-and-white of the Coke logo is meant to emanate happiness and warmth. It’s simple, but it’s powerful. It’s easy to imagine being in that field, sitting in the grass, and happily enjoying an ice-cold Coke.
Keep these tips in mind and make sure that your design is always as powerful as your content. To learn more about what makes an effective design, give us a call or send us an email. Be sure to also check out our other blogs and to subscribe to our YouTube series “The Fresh Take” for the latest updates on the world of video marketing!