Why are some companies more successful than their competitors even though their products are technically hardly any better?
They invest in their brand.
Design does not just shape products. Design shapes companies.
Every product speaks not only for itself, but also for the company behind it. Customers accumulate experiences. Every individual interaction creates an impression. And from all these impressions eventually emerges what we call a brand.
Every company has a brand account. A good product deposits trust that benefits every product to come. A bad product makes a withdrawal.
Why is this so important commercially?
A customer may know only one product. Yet they still form a judgement about the entire company. Conversely, their perception of the company already influences how they view a product they do not yet know.
A strong brand sells more than products. It provides reassurance, makes a company less interchangeable, builds trust and also allows it to command higher prices.
That is why successful companies invest in design.
Trust is one of the most valuable economic resources of all.
The Costly Saving
The temptation to save money on design is understandable. But every design compromise changes the way a brand is perceived. What saves a few thousand pounds in the short term can cost millions in brand value over the long term.
The decline of successful companies has often begun at the point where short-term savings became more important than identity.
Products are the language of a company.
Every new product is a sentence. Successful companies speak a consistent language. Less successful ones change dialect with every product.
Part of my role is to make a company's identity visible in the product itself. Because products are the most credible expression of a brand.
Good design ensures that every new product continues the story of a brand. Brands grow through products that prove and visibly express their standards over many years – while continually reinterpreting them in a contemporary way.
Those who invest in design are not merely investing in better products. They are investing in one of a company's most valuable assets: its brand.