Design doesn’t add value
When creating a website, a packaging, or writing a piece of copy about a company—we tend to embellish: add cool modern animation on a website, or use a fancy avant-garde font for a text.
Embellishing might actually harm a project. It might divert attention from a product. Then the effect is negative, clients will buy the product less often.
Should we embellish, or we shouldn’t? Here is the rule that helps get it right:
Design doesn’t add value
If design adds value by itself, it will distract clients. If design helps show a product’s value—it’s useful.
Let’s say there is an online store. On that website there is an animation: every product jumps from a corner, backflips and lands on the screen.
If this website sells laptops, the animation is out of place. Its value isn’t related to laptops—it’s just cool-looking, an embellishment. The third notebook-acrobat will probably annoy a client.
If that is the website of an animation studio, cool-looking animation fits right in. It shows how the animation studio does its job. It makes sense to go even further and make a different animation for every website section—one more impressive than another.
An example: design studio portfolio
The web portfolio of “Push” looks brutal. The text and the pictures harshly overlap with each other:
This website is beautiful in its own way, it gives an avant-garde look. It was probably the goal—the website has 7 nominations in unconventional design. But is the goal is for clients to visit the website and order—the client won’t understand how this company can help them.
“And Walsh” is an example of a comprehensible portfolio:
The main objects on the page are pictures of design works. If you click on one, you can read what the project was about and how the design functions in real life:
There are no effects on the “And Walsh” website. It is beautiful because the content is beautiful.
Instagram page
In 2018 the so-called infinite Instagram profiles became popular. On these profiles posts flow into each other:
The reason for these “infinite profiles” is to be different from competitors and impress a new follower. It does work—the page makes an impression when you see it the first time.
The problem is that an infinite profile doesn’t invite you to read the content. The pictures don’t give any clue about what the post is about. The second picture only exists to join adjacent posts—it consists of pieces of the pictures on the right and left. If you click on it, there is no text beneath it.
A tattoo artist Lilac Cinema doesn’t use an “infinite profile”:
Every post is a close-up picture of Lilac’s tattoos. Lilac differs from other tattoo artists not by decorations but by the style of the tattoos.
Here is an account of a photographer Coco Capitan:
The design of the profile splits the content into two parts: photos and quotes.
Followers read Coco not because the profile is organized creatively. They are curious about what Coco does. The design helps them navigate through the page and consume content they like.
Illustrations for articles
An example from a project where I’ve participated. The illustrations are for articles that explain how to manage one’s finances:
At some point, someone suggested making our posts more unique—to paint them in pink, the color of our media. It would look like this:
A pink background would make it more difficult to look at the content. We rejected the idea.
How to not add value with design
Sometimes it is difficult to find when something pretty helps share a product’s value and when it distracts from it.
The perfect touch method helps not to add value with design:
1. Find why clients want to buy a product
2. Think of how to tell about it with design
This way of thinking helps only share value that is already in the product.
How to attract customers transparently: the perfect touch method
Do you agree that design shouldn’t add value? What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments!
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