Small businesses are the backbone of the economy, and in today’s hyper-competitive business environment, it is more challenging than ever to stand out and succeed.
So, if you are a small business owner, you might think that design is something that only big companies or creative industries need to worry about. After all, you have more pressing issues to deal with, such as managing your finances, finding customers, and delivering your products or services. But what if we told you that design is not just a nice-to-have, but a must-have for your small business success?
Design is not just about making things look pretty or trendy. Design is about solving problems, communicating messages, and creating experiences. Design can help you differentiate your small business from your competitors, connect with your target audience, and increase your revenue. In fact, according to a study by McKinsey, companies that invest in good design outperform their peers by up to 32% in terms of revenue growth.
So how can you leverage the power of design for your small business? The answer is simple: hire a designer or learn some design skills yourself. A designer is someone who has the knowledge, skills, and tools to create effective visual solutions for your business needs. A designer can help you with various aspects of your business, such as branding, web development, marketing, and communication. Let’s take a look at how designers can help you with each of these areas.
How designers can help with branding and identity
Branding is the process of creating a distinctive name, logo, and visual identity for your business that reflects your values, personality, and goals. Branding helps you establish a strong reputation and recognition in the market, as well as build trust and loyalty among your customers.
- Logo – A designer can help you with branding by creating a logo that represents your business in a simple and memorable way. A logo is the most visible element of your brand identity, so it should be clear, consistent, and relevant to your industry and audience.
- Colour – Designers can also help you with choosing a colour scheme that suits your brand personality and evokes the right emotions in your customers. Colours have different meanings and associations in different cultures and contexts, so it is important to choose them carefully and strategically. Like how red evokes hunger in human beings, so most fast food places from McDonalds, to Arbys include red both in their logos and in their outlets.
- Typography– Typography is the art and technique of arranging letters and text in a visually appealing and readable way. Typography affects how your customers perceive your brand voice and tone, as well as how they process your information.
- Visual Elements – A designer can help you with creating visual elements that complement your brand identity and enhance your communication. These include icons, illustrations, photos, graphics, animations, etc. Visual elements can help you convey complex or abstract concepts in a simple and engaging way, as well as add personality and flair to your brand.
How designers can help with web design and development
Web design is the process of creating the layout, structure, appearance, and functionality of a website or web application. Web development is the process of coding and programming the website or web application to make it work on different devices and browsers.
A website or web application is one of the most important assets for your small business. It is where you showcase your products or services, communicate your value proposition, generate leads and sales, and interact with your customers. Therefore, it is crucial that your website or web application is well-designed and well-developed.
- UI Design- A designer can help you with web design by creating a user interface that is attractive, intuitive, and user-friendly. A user interface is the part of the website or web application that the user sees and interacts with. It includes elements such as menus, buttons, forms, images, text, etc. A good user interface should be easy to navigate, understand, and use, as well as consistent with your brand identity and style.
- UX Design– User experience design is the process of enhancing the satisfaction and loyalty of the user by improving the usability, accessibility, and desirability of the website or web application. User experience design involves researching and understanding the needs, preferences, and behaviours of your target users, as well as testing and evaluating the effectiveness of your website or web application.
- Responsive Design – Responsive design is the practice of making your website or web application adapt to different screen sizes and devices, such as desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Responsive design ensures that your website or web application looks good and works well on any device that your customers use to access it.
- Visual Content Creation– Visual Content creation is the process of producing and delivering relevant, valuable, and engaging information to your audience through your website or web application. Content includes, images, videos, drawings, etc. Visual Content creation helps you educate your customers about your products or services, persuade them to take action, and build trust and credibility with them.
How designers can help with marketing and communication
Marketing is the process of promoting your products or services to potential and existing customers through various channels and strategies. Communication is the process of exchanging information and messages with your customers through various media and platforms.
Marketing and communication are essential for your small business success. They help you raise awareness of your brand, generate interest and demand for your products or services, and establish long-term relationships with your customers.
- Graphic Design – Designers can help you with marketing and communication by creating graphic design materials that capture attention, convey meaning, and inspire action. Graphic design is the art and practice of combining text and images to create visual representations of ideas and messages. Graphic design materials include flyers, posters, brochures, banners, ads, etc.
- Social Media Design – Social media design is the process of creating visual content for social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. Social media design helps you attract and engage your audience, increase your brand visibility and reach, and drive traffic to your website or web application.
- Email Design – Email design is the process of creating visual content for email campaigns that you send to your subscribers or customers. Email design helps you deliver personalized and relevant messages, increase your open and click rates, and boost your conversions and sales.
- Video Design – Video design is the process of creating visual content for platforms such as YouTube, LinkedIn, your website etc. Video design helps you showcase your products or services in action, demonstrate your expertise and authority, and connect with your audience on an emotional level.
What are some examples of successful small businesses that use design effectively?
There are many successful small businesses that use design effectively to promote and grow their business. A few that most people have heard of are Airbnb, Mailchimp, Slack, Shopify, etc. These businesses have distinctive and consistent brand identities, user-friendly and responsive websites or web applications, and creative and engaging marketing and communication materials.
How much does it cost to hire a designer for a small business?
The cost of hiring a designer for a small business depends on various factors such as the complexity and duration of the project, the experience and reputation of the designer, the location and availability of the designer, etc.
The average cost of hiring a designer for a small business ranges from $75 to $150 per hour or from $2400 to $10,000 per project in the United States. If that seems like a steep premium to pay, especially since as a smaller business, you may be strapped for cash. Consider delegating this task to a cloud staffing agency then. You will end up saving anywhere from 50%-70% on your expenses, while getting access to some of the best designers on the planet.
What are some tools and resources that can help small businesses with design?
If you’re looking to learning and implementing some designing by yourself there are quite a few tools and resources that can help you. Our veteran Graphic designers recommend that you try learning Canva, Adobe Spark, Squarespace, Wix, and WordPress. These tools and resources can help you create and edit logos, graphics, websites, emails, videos, etc. without requiring much technical or design skills. However, do keep in mind, that this will take time away from you performing your core business activities, and even might end up costing you more money than you end up saving. So be sure to use your time wisely!
How can small businesses measure the impact of design on their performance?
Small businesses can measure the impact of design on their performance by using various metrics and indicators such as brand awareness, customer satisfaction, website traffic, conversion rate, retention rate, revenue growth, etc. These metrics and indicators can help you evaluate how well your design meets your business goals and objectives, as well as how it affects your customer behaviour and loyalty.
How can small businesses find and work with designers?
While traditional hiring methods may seem great, they can end up costing your business quite a lot, and depending upon your region you may not even be able to find appropriately talented people that fit the role.
Remote Resource is a cloud staffing company that connects you with talented and experienced designers from the very best institutes in India. Each of our candidates have at least 5 years of experience working in a Fortune 500 company, and we guarantee savings of up to 70% compared to local hiring costs.
Closing Thoughts
If you have read along so far you can clearly see, what an essential role designers play in helping small businesses succeed. From helping you create an identity for your brand, to helping you communicate and engage with your target audience, designers are a key instrument in growing your business to the next level in 2023.
Design is not a luxury, but a necessity for your small business success. Don’t underestimate the power of design. Start investing in design today and see the difference it can make for your small business tomorrow.
