Managing Director, Andi Parker, discusses the psychology behind branding and what it takes to create a good design in an excerpt from his article in this month’s Talk Business Magazine.

Design significantly impacts how a company’s products and services are perceived. Yet, a surprising number of businesses fail to consider what they are communicating to customers and other key stakeholders with the look and feel of their brand.

While it can’t force someone to buy a product or visit a website, good design has the power to make brands more memorable, encourage emotional associations and subtly influence behaviour – both online and in the real world.

Sending the right message to the right audience is key. For example, it would be difficult to launch a luxury brand with an amateurish-looking logo, cheap product packaging and no web presence. Failure to exude sufficient affluence and exclusivity would likely cause confusion or encourage customers to question the quality of the company’s products or services.

The average person is exposed to thousands of marketing messages every day. Canadian researchers have found that people make up their minds about people or products within 90 seconds – and up to 90% of this assessment is based on the use of colour alone.

As the amount of time we have to capture an individual’s attention decreases, our reliance on a brand’s identity and ability to transmit information increases. That’s why good design, and the psychology behind it, can play a key role in helping a brand engage with its target audience and convey the right message.

Examples of strategic design are all around us. When McDonald’s decided to roll out healthier menu options in European markets and project a more environmentally-friendly image, it shifted the colour palette in new restaurants from red and yellow to greens, whites and neutrals. In the minds of customers, this helped associate the brand with natural products, healthier food choices and a more community-focused image.

Find out more about how our 25 years’ experience creating effective brand design can help your business – below are just some examples.