Not all design is good design
I recently wrote on LinkedIn about my experience with a tiny design decision that made a big impact in my experience as a driver. I want to expand that somewhat and explain why it’s worth putting money and effort into differentiating yourself with good design.
Let’s say you’re starting a pet sitting business. You know there’s a market for it — every time my husband and I want to go away for a weekend, we have to scramble to get a pet sitter and we pay a pretty penny for it! You’ve got the basics: a name, phone number, web domain. Next you’re thinking about how much to charge and how to get clients. At some point, you’re probably going to want a business card, so you can hand them out or leave a stack of them at the veterinarian’s office.
Basic Business Card
Better Business Card
So what’s wrong with choosing the Basic card, and why would you pay more for someone to design the Better card for you? First, I hope we’re on the same page that the Better card is … well, a better card:
It has a defined color palette, not just a one-color background.
The fonts have been chosen to evoke a particular feeling about the business: polished, professional. The ones on the Basic card are “whatever the default is in my Word processing program.”
The cat and dog silhouettes are more refined than the clip art doodle of a dog.
Those are all design elements, choices that reflect how you want customers to think about you. There are additional choices made on the Better card as well:
The font sizing emphasizes the business name and the owner’s name.
The addition of “pet sitting & more” is more descriptive than “we do lots of stuff!”
It offers more contact options, like email and a web address, not just a phone number.
The “next best thing” tag line reassures the pet owner and proactively addresses any concerns about being away from their pets.
The Basic card serves a function — it gets your information out there — but that’s about all it does. The Better card, with all its subtle choices and differences, gives out more information and gives off an impression of professionalism. Your customers can tell the difference; they want to work with the brand that seems established, polished, and thoughtful. Make sure that’s you by paying attention to design!