When it comes to your business, you do everything you can to put out an image of professionalism, customer service, and high-quality content. But is your design presenting the best side of your brand? If you don’t have excellent graphic design, then it could be hurting your business without you even realizing it. As visual creatures, we respond to designs instinctually. Even if we can’t discuss the technical aspects of why something is good, we know when it is or not. As such, you have to be sure that your brand is capturing the right kind of attention. So, with that in mind, let’s look at the elements of bad graphic design and see how they could be hurting your bottom line.
Elements of Bad Design
Before we can go any further, it’s imperative that we discuss what may be holding your designs back from greatness. After all, if you’re not sure whether your images and logos are bad, then how can you know if you have to change or update them?
Although design is fundamentally subjective, some universal issues can come up quite often. Here are a few examples.
Messy or Unclean Lines
Depending on the kind of image you want to project, there may be a reason to have a bit of an untidy appearance on your logo and other graphics. However, if you suffer from problems like low resolution (pixelation), crude drawings, or some other elements that make your design look as if it were made by a child, then it’s time to go back to the drawing board.
Too Cluttered
Having an intricate and detailed design is great for a lot of reasons. However, you know when something is too “busy” when it’s hard to see what you’re looking at. If you use graphic design that has too many elements catching the eye, it will feel distracting and put people off to your brand altogether.
Doesn’t Match
When picking out graphics for your brand, you want to make sure that they follow the aesthetic that you’re trying to present to your audience. Do you want to appear regal and authoritative, or down to Earth and casual? No matter what presence you’re putting out there, it’s crucial that your designs follow the same branding requirements.
To figure out if you have such elements, look at your graphics and see if anything feels out of place. If it does, then it should likely be removed. Even if it works on its own, you want a cohesive and consistent brand image.
How Bad Design Hurts You
If you do have some less-than-desirable designs in your business portfolio, then what kind of impact are they going to have? Is it necessary to update and replace them as soon as possible? Our answer is definite: yes.
Unprofessional Appearance
As a business, you want to build trust with your customers. Regardless of the products or services that you offer, a lack of confidence will mean that no one will want to do business with you. Bad design can put out the wrong kind of image for your company, and it will create a negative connotation with your audience.
In the end, having a sloppy or unprofessional image is going to make it seem like your business is run by amateurs, not pros. As such, people are going to flock to your competitors, where they know what to expect, and they can rely on a better experience.
Misrepresents Your Brand
Another common issue with bad design is that it doesn’t fit the kind of business model that you’re trying to build. For example, your logo makes it seem like you’re an outdoorsy/all-natural company, but you sell office equipment.
In this case, the design itself isn’t necessarily bad (i.e., it may look fantastic on its own), but it doesn’t jive with your business. What happens is that customers will think one thing and expect that, which could lead to problems when they find out what it is you actually offer.
Too Unoriginal
No matter what industry you’re in, there’s going to be some competition for customers. As such, you want to make sure that your design is captivating enough to bring people in and entice them so that they don’t go to a competitor. However, if your design is too dull, bland, or ambiguous, then it won’t have the impact you need to get ahead.
Overall, your graphics should stand out from the crowd. You don’t want to blend in with your competitors, nor do you want customers to get confused and think that you are both the same company. Having a unique and memorable image is going to set you apart from the rest and help you succeed.
Bottom Line
If you want to put your company’s best foot forward, then you need high-quality graphic design to help you get there. Excellent products and customer service don’t mean much if people are turned away by your image. So, to ensure that you’re getting the most out of your graphic design, see what we can do for you.
