There's often a misnomer about what brand design really is and what it really achieves.

Yes, it's your logo, colourways, and lookbook. Yes, it's those geometric shapes you've included in your pitching deck. But no, it doesn't simply start and end with the beginnings of your brand. And no, it's not simply a nice-to-have.

Creatives are an imperative tactic within your strategies. They can drastically sway conversion rates across campaigns, demystify even the most complex of messages, increase your profit margins and ultimately create emotive connections for true brand loyalty. 

Here's why it's time to invest more into your brand design, and how it could be the underdog to achieving even your most challenging of goals.

#1. Design boosts traffic, conversions and other key objectives.

Generating a strong, loyal audience base is one of the top targets for brands. But high levels of competition and higher levels of consumer expectations means that it's often one of the most challenging objectives to achieve.

A lot of businesses opt to invest in paid ads or social media marketing to increase their digital presence, directing target audiences to their website. Prioritising the design at this stage is no small thing - brands that publish visuals grow traffic 12% faster than those which don't. But what happens when customers click through to your website and the design is lacking? They don't convert.

It's not just a matter of inconsistency across your design - although that's also an issue - it's about driving visitors to complete their journey. UX and UI are pivotal to any brand's growth. They help customers' responsiveness and ongoing loyalty, and boost conversion. Any designer worth their weight will know UX and UI best practice, and work with you to maintain the journey from the top of the sales funnel, all the way through the buying phase.

#2. Design amplifies the impact of your communications.

Here's a thought for you: the average individual receives thousands of messages daily (directly or indirectly), yet around 90% of the information our brains process is visual. And, we tend to process imagery 60,000 times faster than text.

The typical communications strategy will include thorough research, sentiment and trend analysis, full calendar plan and key messaging development, a full suite of deliverables, not to mention KPIs and metrics. But for all the preparation, design often falls through the cracks.

Building brand authority is a primary objective within a lot of PR and communications strategies, and design is the underdog to achieving those goals. Great design needs to capture your audience, relay key messages and draw the eye further into your narrative. It should break down complex information (particularly for the likes of B2B or advocacy PR campaigns) and create buy-in.

#3. Design increases your revenue and market value.

Protecting that profit margin in times of economic instability is a necessity, and practically every leader is scrutinising their overheads right now. But if you're thinking of reducing spend on your design in a bid to maintain cash reserves or shift funding elsewhere, you may want to reconsider.

There are numerous findings to back this up, but putting great design at the core of your marcomms could drastically increase your brand's revenue and market value. According to McKinsey, companies with a healthy design investment outperform competitors two to one, and bring a 6% higher return to shareholders. IBM suggests that ROI investment into design could be as high as 301%.

Prioritising design isn't reserved for those first throws of launching a business. Realistically, it needs to be top of list for any emerging brand - and remain there. Brand assets aren’t designed to be static, they need to move and evolve alongside your business and its trajectory. Just like your marketing, communications, or ESG strategies, design is an ongoing investment.

#4. Design creates connection.

Between a brand and its values, values and its audience, audience and its product - design creates meaningful connection. It helps establish a line between a brand's central identity and a customer's need or want, driving decision-making at every stage.

The same can be said for brand design internally. A well-rounded look and feel can convey clear direction to its workforce, influencing company culture. It can maintain a sense of support for talent, encourage productivity, enhance brand and leadership reputation, and overall, set your business apart.

Is investing in graphic design worth it?

Companies with strong design investment are more likely to see higher numbers across the board - revenue, customer loyalty, sales and market share, and even employee retention.

For some smaller companies, teams are beginning to introduce AI-based tools into their design (and elsewhere) in a bid to create great assets at a low cost. This can be a great option for businesses with lower resources, but it’s worth remembering that AI software needs the right prompts to produce good creatives. And anything it produces will need a designer to review and ensure it’s on-brand, on-message, and works for your target. So, when all’s said and done, having a creative eye is still an imperative.

When you think of high-growth global brands, the one thing they all have in common is well-defined, recognisable design. One that ripples across all of their internal- and external-facing activity, and that evolves strategically alongside their business. It may be just one piece of the puzzle, but without it, the picture wouldn't be complete.

If you’re looking for a great graphic designer to support your brand, marketing, communications or something else, we can help with that. Our network of 5,000+ freelancers include some of the best and brightest creative minds around. Get in touch today to find out more.