Design is one of the most critical aspects of the business as it influences how your target customers view your brand. Unfortunately, not a lot of people understand the significance of a powerful logo or branding. As a result, many people often unknowingly make design mistakes at the cost of their business.
However, the worst design mistake is doing nothing despite knowing that something is wrong. We’re going to show you the most common designing mistakes that are harmful to your business so you can avoid them.
Choosing the wrong colours
One of the most important parts of designing your brand is probably the colour scheme. Using bright, mismatched, or overly contrasting colours can make your business look garish. To illustrate, having red text on a blue background is both impractical and unattractive. Similar colours like yellow text on an orange background can make it hard to read.
You should also carefully consider the natural associations of the colours you choose. For example, you will want to use red or yellow for food companies because it naturally arouses the appetite, not a dull tone like grey.
Overly complex
When we’re talking about design, less is more. This is especially true for the logo. The world’s best and most memorable logos are often the simplest ones. Think about Nike, Apple, and Google. If you’re trying to represent your business name, values, goals, and favourite animal all in a single logo, it’s probably not going to work. Instead of trying too hard and ending up with a garish design, aim for simplicity and spread the essential message.
You should let your brand design develop organically, in a way that’s natural and fitting. This is where you can make use of negative space in the drawings. It may sound simple, but can elevate your design and build what’s on the page appear more convincing.
Thinking too simple
While trying to be too smart can be dangerous, so is thinking too simple. Another common mistake about design in business is playing it safe. What you’ll end up with is a business with no captivating identity, no uniqueness, and no memorable presence. This can be detrimental to market expansion and attracting customers, especially if you’re dealing with many competitors. Try to embrace creativity so your business can stand out amongst the crowd.
Not knowing the target audience.
Your branding and the design used in your business should be tailored to your target audience. For example, plans for a restaurant should convey a different message from the sketches of a sports line or an event organizer. Alas, many have made the mistake of not identifying their target audience correctly. Before making any design choices, you should already know who you want to appeal.
Are they young couples? Students? Families? Casual runners? After that, you should also know the niche of your audience. For example, an ice cream shop and sports apparel might target young people, but surely it would be young people looking for two very different things.
Lack of consistency across different channels
Finally, this last mistake is not necessarily about the details of the design itself, but the execution and marketing. A lot of small businesses, in particular, don’t realize the importance of having a consistent image across different channels. Imagine if your business is presented differently on TV and the official website, on print and social media. This can be confusing towards your audience because they don’t know which colours, logos, or images to associate with your business.
Once you have a final design guideline, including logo, colours, and branding, make sure that you have a consistent presence both online and offline. This will help boost brand awareness in the public eye and attract more customers. These customers are also more likely to return if they know that you have reliable and consistent branding.
Overall, the design is a crucial part of your business and is the basis of your branding and marketing strategy. Our experienced professional team can help you make important design decisions without committing these grave mistakes. That way, your business will flourish and is sure to improve too. But whoever you choose to help with your business design, remember to avoid these design mistakes. If you offer after-hours services, eg for plumbing emergencies or IT support, include a call-out number on your homepage.