What's the worth of design? | greensplash design blog

Author: Carol Moore (Account Manager)
Date: 06 Jul 2010

Categories: Other articles Brand design articles Print design articles Web design articles greensplash articles

As a full service design agency offering branding, web design and development, digital marketing and print design, we pretty much cover the full spectrum. We love to work with clients on all types of design projects whether we’re creating fresh ways to communicate ideas or applying our technical expertise to solve problems.

It goes without saying… we love design. Not only is it a highly rewarding process from our perspective, it’s also very satisfying to see our design input adding value to our clients’ activities. In some cases, the ‘added value’ is obvious; especially in the inherent measurability of online marketing. In other instances, however, it’s harder to understand the value of design as it’s usually an element of a much wider marketing mix.

The impact of design on business performance - what UK firms think

Research carried out by Design Council last year, however, did seek to understand what UK industry think of design and its impact on business performance. Generally-speaking, the 2008 survey reported positive views of design across a range of measures. However, the survey also found that design is not seen as the ‘be all and end all’ solution in the economic climate:

23% of businesses thought design had become a lot more important over the last three years in enabling the firm to achieve its business objectives. 30% said it was a little more important and only 5% considered it less important
More than half (52%) of firms agreed or agreed strongly that design is integral to the country’s future economic performance – 16% disagreed or disagreed strongly
59% of firms agreed or agreed strongly that there was a clearly positive link between investment in design and profitability – 13% disagreed or disagreed strongly
over the last twelve months 34% of firms had seen design expenditure grow moderately or rapidly whilst only 5% had seen it decrease

Design in the downturn

Over half (54%) of firms believe design will help them stay competitive during the economic downturn
However, almost as many firms (44%) thought design had not been important in meeting the challenges they had faced in the last three years

This reinforces our views on the positive impacts of design - but also highlights the need for this design to take place within the context of an effective marketing mix. Great design helps create a competitive advantage and plays an undoubted role in creating strong brands. But for a successful and sustainable performance, the right product and service, price, promotional methods and channel mix that meet customer needs are essential. An effective and integrated marketing mix, together with design excellence, is the solution to continued good business performance.

Find out more about the Design Council research at www.designfactfinder.co.uk.

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