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Why Every Business Needs a Strong Design Strategy Today

Paredaim Plus
Is Your Brand Story Clear? The Importance of Design

Every brand has an incredible story to tell the intended market, however, it is upon the brand to find out how to tell that story most effectively. From a new and budding start-up business in Lagos to the already established business in Abuja your branding story is very important in influencing perceptions and building the all-important first relationship with your consumers. Of all forms of communication, design may arguably be among the most impactful in telling that story vis-à-vis a visual representation of the company. Companies know that people want to get to know them but is your brand story well defined? And does your design strategy tell that story or does the design strategy support that story?

As things stand in the current business environment and more specifically the Nigerian market, it is therefore important for brands to be well defined. Still, even the deepest and most meaningful client stories require the proper design to be effectively delivered. Read on to find out why design should be considered as an important pillar of your brand and how it can impact everything starting with brand recognition and ending with brand communication.

 

The Power of a Brand Story

It will always be a tragedy for any brand not to have a tagline or slogan that can efficiently convey its story. It is a story about your company, what you do, why you do it, and the differences you provide. When done right it elicits emotional appeal, this makes your audience understand your business, and why they should be interested.

The need for shoppers to find authentic information and the evolution of the digitally native generation means that storytelling has become more critical for Nigerian businesses than ever. Whether you have a local business, a big company, or an internet-based company, your branding needs to be compelling. But how can you make it possible for your audience to relate to your story? The solution is found in visual communication through design.

 

Design as a Visual Communicator

It is a tool through which your brand message communicates your brand story to audience targets. Starting from the logo up to your company’s website and the marketing collaterals, all designs should echo your brand messages. Design aids to make your narratives straightforward, to translate your values and mission to a language your audience can comprehend.

For explanation purposes, let us look at the example of logo design in Nigeria. Logo design is a form of graphic design that goes beyond an image or symbol; it is your branding identity in picture form. From a tech company in Lagos to a retail company in Abuja, that’s the feeling every logo should give at first glance.

This is important because audiences are in a position to easily identify your brand design and comprehend its significance. If your design is unclear or has inconsistencies, your story is confusing, and your audience cannot relate to your company. That is why graphic designing has a strategic position in the process of brand equity creation.

 

The Role of Design in Building Brand Awareness

Brand recognition is therefore an important component of your businesses especially in Nigeria’s growing and competing economy. Applying the design of the strategy ensures that your brand manages to stand out in the hyper-competitive world. But most importantly, how does design aid brand awareness?

 

Consistency is Key

As with many aspects of branding, there is a critical theme that runs through the core idea: consistency. Ensuring consistency is the main benefit of implementing a specific design toolkit; it means that all objects with a company’s logo – from the website to business cards, posts in social networks, or physical stores, will look the same. Whenever customers get to see the same colors, font, and layout, they are likely to remember and associate it with your brand.

 

First Impressions Matter

Your design elements which are your logo design are the first impression that people have about your brand. The logo should be, on its own, an easily noticeable tool that instils confidence and curiosity. Visual impairment of logos may also lead to the loss of potential customers regularly since your logo can easily discourage any form of interaction with your products or services.

 

Differentiating Your Brand

In a growing sea of competition, this is the design strategy that makes your brand stand out. The Nigerian entrepreneurial environment is healthy, and in any market that features dozens, if not hundreds, of similar companies, differentiation can be the decisive factor. Those that put effort into good, considered design have a better interaction with their public, for a longer period.

 

Common Design Mistakes That Cloud Your Brand Story

However, the fact remains that design is crucial for communicating the brand message; still, many companies make errors that prevent them from narrating their story effectively. Some of the most common design pitfalls include:

 

1. Inconsistent Branding

Inconsistency is one of the biggest mistakes. When the design elements of your design package: logo and social media visuals, do not match, it becomes confusing. A customer may fail to remember who your brand is or what message it was promoting. The good thing is that consistency across all platforms makes it easier to strengthen or repeat your story.

 

2. Overcomplicating the Design

The catch is that when translating your brand’s narrative into design, it’s best not to include every aspect you can think of in the formula. Cluttering your design overwhelms your target market and weakens your brand recall. Instead, they should try to establish a simple and bright graphic design that reflects an individual brand conception.

 

3. Ignoring Your Audience

Your design must communicate what you want to your targeted customers. For Nigerian brands, this means being cognizant of the other factors that influence design, the social and historical context and what appeals to the aesthetic of the Nigerian people. In today’s world, people respond to designs they find appealing or eye-catching usually such designs will attract them to your brand.

 

How to Ensure Your Brand Story Shines Through Design

1. Consult a Branding Consultant

If you are not certain about the efficiency of your brand design, there is always the make use of the branding consultant or the branding agency. They are capable of assisting you in developing a design strategy to complement the course values of the brand and narrate your story effectively.

 

2. Focus on User Experience (UX)

It is not just a question of style, but it is a question of function. To design a website or a mobile application, you should emphasize the user function so that design elements improve the path and the usability to make it easy for users to tell the story of your brand.

 

3. Emphasize Visual Hierarchy

The use of a good visual hierarchy is very effective in influencing the direction that the viewers’ eyes will follow in reading information in your design. In this way, you can guarantee that the message would be clear due to the proper placement of stress on certain aspects of a brand story, the use of the presence of certain colors, and appropriate typography.

 

4. Stay Authentic

To sustain that relationship, the information you put out should be as real as you are. Make sure that your brand reflects your brand personality the right way and depicts the right attitude towards your business. Such designs go a long way in building customer relations since people trust what is original.

 

Conclusion

Your brand story is one of the cornerstones of your business, but it won’t work for the organization if it can’t be understood. Design thinking is the link between your brand proposition and the consumer you desire to make a connection with. To sum it up, when a Nigerian company commits to showcasing its brand through a clean and simple design, it will be able to make sure the story gets out as well as being catchy and easily understandable.

Whether you’re creating a logo or updating the web interface, bear in mind your brand narrative is a vital element of our design approach. The better you can communicate your story, the closer you are to the consumer and in today’s environment, that bond may be what keeps you relevant.