by Colleen Cameron

Sept. 1, 2010 — Hypothetically, let’s say you’re a salesperson. You probably wouldn’t walk into a sales meeting wearing overalls, a T-shirt and Sloggers garden shoes. And if you were selling wrenches, you probably wouldn’t walk into a car repair shop wearing your best Armani suit and Italian leather shoes. Just as your clothes speak about you and what you’re selling, it’s important that, as a small business owner, your corporate identity, your marketing collateral and your advertising materials all speak appropriately about your business. These are important vehicles for communicating who you are as a business and the quality of services or products that you offer.

Like people, every business has a unique personality, and a good graphic designer can help small business owners uncover these personality traits through seemingly ridiculous questions, such as: If your business were a car, what kind of car would it be — a Ferrari or a Volkswagen? What kind of grocery store would it be — Safeway or Whole Foods? Answers to these questions help determine what your business is, what your personality attributes are, and ultimately how to “dress” appropriately for your target audience. The designer can then help you choose the right colors, type, photography and overall design to ensure that your business is dressed for success!

I remember clearly the “Wall of Shame” from one class at design school. As harsh as it may sound, there were good designs and bad ones. The bad ones were pinned on the Wall of Shame and the good ones were picked apart mercilessly as to how they could be improved. Through the wall, I learned extreme objectivity about my work — that each design exists on its own merit, has its own personality, and it either works or it doesn’t. It serves the client’s needs or it doesn’t. It speaks the message clearly or it doesn’t. It boosts the bottom line or it doesn’t.

Good, polished design can push your business to the next level; it can promote your business as reliable, trustworthy, with attention to detail. A great campaign can portray an eye-catching freshness that makes consumers take notice, evoking a “Wow! That guy looks like he knows what he’s doing. Let me call him today” response. The inverse can also be true. Getting it wrong can communicate that your business is unprofessional, boring, lacking in imagination — and ultimately it may have a negative impact on your sales. Sloppy design, lacking in creativity or spark, causes consumers to pass you by, glossing over your business as low-end or even insignificant. Ouch!

While everyday consumers may not be able to pinpoint why they glean the impressions they do, the effects are the same. We all feel great design when we see it. It moves us, it speaks to our subconscious, it causes us to act — or not. The colors in a design have an effect on our psyche, clever headlines and relevant copy convince us to take action, even typefaces have a language all their own. Helvetica can communicate clean, modern, no-nonsense, and Garamond could convey traditional, steadfast and trustworthy. Although designing a great identity or campaign is much more complicated than choosing green for calm and Helvetica for modern, knowing the basic principles goes a long way in creating an effective voice for your business.

In these hypercompetitive times, you may only get one opportunity to make a lasting impression on your prospective customers. Ensuring that your business is dressed for success will help you to cut through the clutter and ensure that you’re putting your best foot forward — ultimately driving sales!

Colleen Cameron is the owner of Ink Visual Communications, a graphic design firm located in Montara; she has been in business for 10 years. She graduated from the Academy of Art College with a BFA in graphic design. She can be reached by phone at 650-563-9777 or by e-mail at colleen@inkvc.com — or you can visit her website at www.inkvc.com.