Take a second and think about your daily routine.

You wake up in the morning, take a shower, brush your teeth, sit down at the table and eat breakfast, make your way to work and see a billboard advertising a new product you would like to try, you get lunch with your coworkers, and when work is done, maybe you go grocery shopping, cook dinner, watch a movie, and then go to sleep. Repeat.

Question: Which part of your day involves design?

The obvious answer  is the billboard – it being the most tangible form of advertisement in your daily routine – but think about it further. That toothpaste, that shampoo, that cereal you ate, that restaurant you chose, even that movie you watched – something about them stuck out to you when another option didn’t. When it comes to purchasing decisions, packaging can make all the difference for consumers.

Hence the importance of design.

Design is everywhere, and as marketers, we witness this concept first hand – websites, print ads, social media, and content all heavily rely on design to convey the brand voice and message of any given product or service. It’s nearly impossible (if not completely impossible) to go throughout a day without experiencing the influence of design in the world around you. And since many of us are are primarily visual learners, a crucial component in any marketing strategy is to present an effective brand design to your consumers, since the right design sets your brand or product apart from the competition.

It’s the first impression you’ll make on your audience – and the timespan in which you have to impress them isn’t very long (seven seconds to be exact!). Every component of a design can be broken down to affect you in its own way. Colors, fonts, and shapes all tap into our emotions, and play a major part in the purchasing process. Does your color set the right tone for the product and reach the audience that you’re aiming for? Does your font have a personality and is it simple to read? Any design you see has been created and planned out long before it ever meets the eye of the consumer, which is why it is such a vital tool in marketing. You want your audience to feel an attachment to your brand, and be able to find a way to relate to it.

Think about your favorite brands – now think about why they are your favorite brands. Design is the first form of communication between a brand and their ideal audience, and when targeted the right way – to different age groups, genders, and cultures – it will make them feel something, whether it’s nostalgic, inspired, motivated, or just plain good. If a website or packaging can immediately boost our moods, we feel a sense of connection to the brand.

Design is a part of your entire day, every day – the way you set up your desk, the way you decorate your house, the outfit you put together in the morning. We all instinctively design our own personal spaces in a way that feels intuitive to us, but we rely on the professionals to create a design that appeals to many different people on many different levels.

Now that you know how critical eye catching and strategic design is, look at your own brand’s design with a critical eye. Is it accomplishing your goals? Do your consumers connect with it? If you’re ready to upgrade your website, marketing, or packaging design, we’d love to help you hit a homerun. We’re design nerds who know exactly how powerful each stroke of the mouse or keyboard can be.