Your Company’s First Impression
Prospects’ first impression of your business is crucial, as it determines if they choose your products and decide to come back for another experience. In short, you never get another chance to impress users if you can’t succeed the first time.
The internet is a crowded place, and even if you are investing in different marketing efforts, it’s tough to beat the competition if you don’t stand out. Believe it or not, your prospective clients sometimes take only a few seconds or even milliseconds to determine whether to shop on your site or at the store. They see countless promotional messages and advertisements every day, and creating one isn’t enough. You need to create one that grabs their attention, sparks their interest, and makes them want to see more of what you have to offer. Graphic design can have a tremendous effect on how a potential customer perceives your business. It can make your company more or less credible in their eyes, and it’s essential to know how to craft a better marketing strategy for your company with the help of graphic design.
Graphic design is more than just creating a beautiful design or a design you think is appealing. It’s how you visually communicate with your customers. Graphic design can help maximize your marketing efforts, build trustworthiness, loyalty, and make a good first impression on potential customers. Here’s everything you need to know about graphic design’s impact on your business.
Why is Graphic Design Crucial to Your Business?
Humans can process visuals much faster than text, which means visuals come before your written content. Usually, if design elements grab prospects’ attention, they are more likely to read the information in your email, blog post, or social media post.
As there may be countless stores that sell what you sell, you need to stand out to spark users’ interest. A promotional message with only text will not have the same conversion rates as a message with an appealing design. Similarly, a blog post or a social media post will have more engagement when it features pictures or infographics.
According to statistics, 40% of people respond better to visual information than text-only, so it’s essential to include graphics in your content. However, it’s necessary to consider different aspects of graphic design to make a better first impression on potential customers beyond just grabbing someone’s attention.
Use Colors to Create Emotions
Color plays a crucial role in creating different emotions and can affect conversion rates and your business’s first impression. According to color theory, which explains how humans perceive colors, each color can evoke a different feeling. Colors fall into two categories – warm and cool. Warm colors tend to attract more attention – probably why a traffic stoplight is red, while cool colors usually evoke a feeling of calmness, safety, and stability.
Colors can impact viewers, so you should use them accordingly when creating a design of any kind. Use colors that match your products. If you sell natural remedies, for instance, then it’ll be logical to have a green logo. White is the dominant color in most eCommerce websites’ designs as it evokes a feeling of purity and clarity. White background in your graphics will make it easier to see the main element of your design and draw users’ attention to key areas of your design. Black is usually used for establishing a confident mood as it’s associated with strength and power.
You should avoid mixing too many colors, as it’ll be hard to know what to pay attention to and affect a viewers’ perception of your company. Choose the primary colors you want to use. Try not to use more than three colors in your visuals, as it will overwhelm viewers.
Choose the colors according to the style of your company and make them consistent across different assets.
Importance of Typography
Another crucial aspect of your designs is typography – the appearance of text in your design. Typography is way more than choosing beautiful fonts: it should inform viewers and convey the message. Moreover, it should be consistent across images, so users associate the typeface on your designs with your brand. Typography can impact how viewers digest and perceive the information in the text and affect their purchasing decision.
Your Company’s Logo
Once your prospects see your ads, promotional emails, social media channels, or website, they make snap judgments on who you are and if they want to buy your products. One of the first things they see and pay attention to is your logo which is the essence of your brand identity. It is what makes you different from others and is undoubtedly the most crucial element of your company. Your logo should communicate your identity to prospects depending on your brand personality and what kind of emotion you want to evoke in customers.
So, with a logo, it’s more about making the right impression rather than a good impression. A good logo should reflect the brand identity and set the right expectations for a company while also giving it a professional look. Your logo needs to express the essence of your brand and products. Regardless of what your company and products are about, your logo should demonstrate it at a glance.
Create Simple Designs
Simplicity is hard to achieve, and many brands overdo it when it comes to graphic design. For creating a good first impression, you’ll need to use a simple design that is easy to perceive and demonstrates the primary message of the visual asset. Too many graphics, too much text, too many colors, different fonts can negatively affect your prospect’s first interaction with your company. Ensure your designs aren’t crowded or confusing and make them simple for increasing conversion rates.
Be Consistent
Consistency is the key to make a strong first impression of your company. Newcomers will look at different visual assets of your business, and consistent design will help you make a memorable impression on them. Consistent graphics will also help your business look professional and credible. People should distinguish your visuals from your competitors’ graphics even if they don’t see your logo. Your design elements should be consistent online and on printed media such as business cards, brochures, and packaging.
Create Designs for Your Content Marketing
Content marketing is crucial for any business, and usually, it’s how many prospects’ have the first interaction with your company. Some search for information on Google, while others turn to social media channels to find information. Either way, it’s crucial to include visuals in your content to make a better first impression on users. You should create visuals that match the idea of your company’s content, brand identity, and voice. They should be simple and help convey the message of each article or post.
Graphic Design to Create Powerful Advertisements
Creating advertisements is another way of reaching more prospective clients. As it requires the investment of financial resources, besides time and energy, it’s essential to create ones that work and grab users’ attention. One of the most crucial aspects of designing an ad is making the message clear – Is it about a specific product or brand in general? A new store that is opening up or a seasonal discount you offer? It’s essential to highlight the key message in your ad through graphic design, so viewers can clearly understand what you have to offer. Make the design simple, and make your call-to-action clear, so prospects know how to proceed.