Strategy design for Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust
Working with the Communications Team at Sussex Community NHS Trust, we were tasked with, bringing to life their four year strategy document.
Working with the Communications Team at Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, we were tasked with, bringing to life their four year strategy document.
The objective? To have a professionally designed report that would appeal to service users and staff alike and project them as friendly and forward thinking NHS Trust.
To achieve the objective and create brand continuity and recognition, we built on the Trust’s existing visual identity, introducing a mixture of endearing illustration and authentic staff imagery.
The document has been well received by the organisation and Trust’s Board of Directors.
Do you think we could help providing graphic design services for your business?
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Good design is good business
Evidence from a new McKinsey report shows that placing design at the heart of a business can enhance growth. The report looks closely at how designers work in some of the top-performing companies, and it suggests design must be an integral part of how the organisation is managed, internally and externally.
And, as Thomas Watson, IBM’s revolutionary chairman said in the 1950’s “GOOD DESIGN IS GOOD BUSINESS”.
Evidence from a new McKinsey report shows that placing design at the heart of a business can enhance growth. The report looks closely at how designers work in some of the top-performing companies, and it suggests design must be an integral part of how the organisation is managed, internally and externally.
As Thomas Watson, IBM’s revolutionary chairman said in the 1950’s “GOOD DESIGN IS GOOD BUSINESS”.
But why?
People have a short attention span and by using consistent colours, shapes, typefaces and imagery ensures your brand makes a strong first impression, helping you stand apart from your competitors. It only takes ten seconds to form a first impression of a brand’s logo, but it will take 5-7 impressions for consumers to recognise the logo.
Good design builds customer relationships by creating an emotional tie between your audiences and your brand. Your business’ brand should support the principles you have built your business around.
Good design keeps your website easy to use. Your website layout and content should be optimised to work well and ensure the best user experience possible for your audiences. 48% of people surveyed by Tyton Media said that the website design of a business was their number one factor in determining the credibility of that business.
And finally, good design makes you money! Ultimately, through building trust, making strong first impressions, building customer relationships and executing successful campaigns, good design increases your company value, boosts sales and puts your business in a better financial position.
So to conclude, you only have one chance to make a first impression, which is why investing in design helps make that impression a good one.
Do you think we could help providing graphic design services for your business?
Get in touch and see how we can elevate your brand.
How to choose the right designer
If you’ve decided to rebrand your existing business or you’re a start up with big plans, thinking about choosing the right designer to create all your brand assets is a big decision. It’s important you find a designer or agency that understands you and what you’re trying to achieve.
So, how do you go about choosing the correct designer for your project?
If you’re not sure to start, here’s a rundown of everything you should think about before employing someone to create your brand’s visual identity. You never know they may even become an extended member of your marketing team, so choose wisely, because having a good relationship with your chosen designer from the outset is worth its weight in gold.
If you’ve decided to rebrand your existing business or you’re a start-up with big plans, choosing the right designer to create all your brand assets is a big decision. It’s important you find a graphic designer or creative agency that understands you and what you’re trying to achieve.
So, how do you go about choosing the correct designer for your project?
If you’re not sure where to start, here’s a rundown of everything you should think about before employing someone to create your brand’s visual identity. You never know, they may even become an extended member of your marketing team, so choose wisely, because having a good relationship with your chosen designer from the outset is worth its weight in gold.
Set clear intentions
Before contacting anyone about creating your new or updated visual identity, consider seriously what you need your brand identity to do.
Do you want to attract a more wealthy clientele? Get your brand more visibility online or in a particular retail outlet?
This will steer the direction for your brand identity and set your designer a clear goal.
Understand your brand
Any good designer will run through all of this in great depth with you once you employ them, but it’s always good to have a brief for your designer to work to before your project begins.
Think about the following:
Can you explain succinctly how your business operates, what is it you do, how do you make money?
Where would you like your brand to be positioned in the market?
What are your core values and tone of voice?
Who are your ideal customers?
Who are your competitors?
What will need to be created to engage with your audiences?
And, what would success look like for your project?
It’s easy to get lost in the process, so having a solid brief ensures you and your designer both stay on track when it comes to achieving the best outcome for your visual identity design.
All of this and more is covered in our free brand briefing download.
Set your budget
It’s important for you to determine your budget before looking for a designer. Once you clearly define how much you have allocated to this area of your business, it will be much easier for you to narrow down your options. The truth is there’s such a vast spectrum of designers out there charging varying rates, it’s easy to get bamboozled about how much you should be paying for this service.
That said, every business is different and will have differing requirements for their project, so it’s very difficult to specify a ‘set’ cost. And if any designer is quoting less than four figures to design your identity, you should be asking them what you’ll be getting for their service!
The important thing is to invest properly in this core area of your business from the outset rather than trying to cut costs and ultimately end up spending more time and money correcting it in future.
Inspiration for your project
A good designer will undertake a lot of research and development for your visual identity before it is launched, however it’s certainly worth looking yourself for inspiration that will influence your project to show your chosen designer.
Collect inspiration for fonts, logos, colours, and photography from Pinterest, Behance, Dribble and Instagram. Ensure you’re not influenced by the styles you like, but things you feel will really resonate with your audience.
Finding a designer
When looking for a designer it’s essential you look at their portfolio, their work should resonate with you and suit the style inspiration you’ve collected. There’s not much point in appointing a designer who specialises in designing pretty branding for the wedding industry if your business manufactures car parts!!
Where does your search start?
Speak to friends, family and importantly, your network and ask if they can recommend someone.
Look on Google, however, consider if you need them to be local, do they need lots of local knowledge? Most agencies work remotely now, so location is not always important, but something to consider.
Now what?
Now, it’s time to reach out and contact your shortlist of chosen designers. An email with specific details for your project requirements and details of your brief is the best way to start your conversation. Make sure you also ask lots of questions about their process and the results they’ve achieved for their other clients and ask for testimonials too!
And then?
Once you’ve reached out, the ball’s in their court. Wait to see how they reply, remember, their response is the first impression they’re going to make with a potential new client, so ask yourself, did they reply in a timely manner, did they seem engaged and respond to all your questions appropriately?
Ultimately, most people will go with their gut instinct when it comes to employing a designer. Did I like them? Do I like their work and what they stand for? And, that’s fine, but don’t forget, choosing a designer to work on your visual identity design is a big investment and it’s worth spending some time looking for the right person or agency.
Do you think we could help providing graphic design services for your business?
Get in touch and see how we can elevate your brand.
The art of good design
It all begins with an idea.
What makes something that’s designed, (which, let’s face it, most things are) well designed? Well, as an old college tutor used to say, it’s got to have function AND form.
What does this mean in relation to the design of say a logo? Well, simplicity is ALWAYS the way forward, which sounds simple, right?? Wrong! I don’t know who it was who said, I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time (some smart arse - right?!).
Sounds daft, but a lot of the time, something simple is much more difficult to achieve than something overly fussy or complicated.
It’s about being able to get rid of the superfluous, the added extras, the fluff and the stuff you don’t need.
I always keep this ethos in my head when I’m designing for my clients.
Think about the brands and primarily the logo designs that have more impact. The usual stuff springs to mind: Nike, Apple, McDonalds, FedEx, bla bla bla. They don’t have fuss or frills and we remember them, why!? They convey a clear, memorable message and cut through the clutter providing welcome, visual relief.
So, if you’re looking for a designer to create a brand for you, make sure they know this as it could be the difference between getting something that works and gets seen by your audiences, or doesn’t!
Anyway, here I am, shamelessly promoting the logo I designed for @fine_grind_ which I think works brilliantly (obvs) 😉
Our creativity hacks
It all begins with an idea.
Thinking creatively allows us to view and solve problems openly and with innovation, but what tips and tricks do you use to stay creative? We’ve listed a few of ours below, but if you have others, we’d love to hear them.
🤹♀️ Play
The best thing about having kids around is you get to play! Forget about your car insurance renewal! Getting a face full of glitter and up to your knees in mud in the garden instantly reduces stress and gets creative energy flowing. Kids also have an amazing ability to not get caught up in the end result, they just let themselves go and enjoy the process. Of course, when we have client deadlines looming we need to structure our time, but there’s value in observing a childlike mentality when it comes to problem solving.
🏃♀️ Exercise
Being conscious of how our bodies and minds connect and feel during and after exercise is an awesome way of fostering creativity. Moving our bodies creates a flow of positive energy and releases any negativity we may be holding on to. Making time to exercise first thing in the morning sets you up for the whole day with a powerful, optimistic mindset. Creativity will not thrive if you’re feeling defeatist and pessimistic.
💁♂️ People
Get outside of your comfort zone and make time to connect with people who inspire you, be it via social media or in real life. Pick the phone up, send a DM or go for coffee, just make it happen! Sitting within our comfort zones is a sure fire way of staying stagnant. Ask questions and stay curious, you never know what you’ll learn, who you’ll meet or what it will lead on to.
🙏 Gratitude
As business owners, we’re always grateful for the enquiries, projects and launches, but things don’t always come off, jobs can be tricky and clients can be challenging. But having gratitude towards what we learn from these obstacles is where the real growth happens.