Do Strategy first design comes later
What visual designers won’t tell you
I was on a call trying to close a deal with a prospect when he asked me a question.
If I want to make a brand strategy and I’m only able to focus on one aspect of it, what do you think it could be?
And what was my answer?
Knowing your audience makes the brand that you are trying to establish a powerful brand, Personally and as a designer. If I were in the same situation and was forced to choose one thing to go with before I launch a brand, visuals can come later, but success can be achieved through a deep understanding of who you are trying to reach.
Of course, he was surprised by the answer because he didn’t expect a designer to say it because it came from a designer who prioritizes understanding the audience over creating visuals.
Now let me explain myself here.
Why does the brand audience matter the most?
I believe that people are the most important aspect of almost every branding activity because we invented branding in the first place to make our businesses relevant and memorable to the largest group of people as possible.
So, logically speaking, if we invented branding for people, then why won’t people be the most important aspect of any branding activity?
Maybe you noticed before, but design, business, marketing, and nearly every niche that has existed over history contains a form of value exchange between two parties will contain the practice of understanding people.
The truth behind it
Well, brands should study people who are interested in them so that they can win in the market that they are trying to dominate.
Every brand is a business that has a way of generating money, which is called the “model,” and so that business can generate money, it should sell something that contains value to a certain group of people who share the same interest in it, and it’s called the “product.”.
Why do we buy products?
Products are excited to solve problems, and product success is judged by the ability to solve a specific problem that is built for, and the way that it communicates its own value with people.
People buy at the moment when they understand the value of this product that it’s able to give them, so the product can make their lives better and easier.
If the product fails to achieve any of these two things, it will be a flop.
All of this wouldn’t have happened if the brand had taken the time to understand them in the first place.
How you can understand your audience
I noticed that there is over complication in the way of understanding people, while I personally see it’s very simple.
Understanding your brand audience will happen when you begin to empathize with them.
To hear what they want and understand what they need so they can be better in life. Most of the time, people are obvious in their needs; they won’t make it hard on you to figure out what they need; just simply take the effort to notice their actions, and they will lead you to what they really want.
Other thing to focus on and it’s not visual design.
Customer Experience
Yes, it is all about the experience and how people will feel when they interact with your business. A visual identity by itself will help with almost 30% of it. I won’t neglect its importance, but at the same time, it won’t make the overall experience good enough so your business can have high customer retention.
Think about it this way: if you approached a person who had a style that you liked and, when you tried to get in touch with him, he was awful and rude to you, would you speak to him again? I can be sure about the answer to this question, but a person with a different style who is polite and kind to you will surely make you speak to him again.
You will be amazed at how this simple practice will make your business’s popularity skyrocket over time. You can make your customers have the best experience with your business by:
- Being as generous as you can in the service you provide to them
- Making them feel that you take care of their goals and interests
- Making it easy for them to buy from your business
- Clear communication about your services and how they can thrive by using them
- Make them feel that you are trying to help in the first place, and don’t make them feel that they are forced to buy your service.
At this point, I can say that you have reached this conclusion:
You don’t need to be visually appealing at the beginning to make your business successful; what you really need is a proper understanding of how you can make your audience feel satisfied and understood when they interact with your business.
When you figure this out, you must look after the business visuals so they can visually interact with the outside world.
Thank you
for giving me your time to let me explain to you what you were searching for. Until next time we meet, be safe.
Hello👋
My name is Jose Ahmad. Strategic designer with a mission to help businesses turn into brands, if you are a business owner and you are looking for turning your business into a brand don’t hesitate to connect with me on Linkedin
