Great design is a great selling tool

Okay you may say, ‘you’re a creative designer, you’re bound to say that’.

But put aside my professional disposition for appreciating design for one moment because this is actually truism which is evident in everyday life.

For example, as an agency, when we are producing print work for a client we have a habitual inclination to buy paper from the same supplier again and again.

This isn’t because they are the cheapest or even the most high-end, but because their marketing is of such an impressive standard that they are always front of mind.

When the company in question, GF Smith, send out a box of samples they don’t post you a few pieces of paper in a brown paper bag – they send an elegantly and cleverly designed box which stores an extremely well presented range of samples with accompanying guides.

They’ve gone the extra mile and developed something that will really appeal to us designers. The finish and typography is very impressive – there is no doubt they have enlisted the help of an aspirational design company, one of our peers, to achieve this look.

Okay, each box probably does cost quite a bit of money to produce but it is well worth the expense as we never throw them away.

Not only does it look great on the shelf when they are not in use, they more importantly they have provided us with a visually appealing aide to use when talking through options with clients.

Once we have agreed an option with a client it is unlikely we will then go to another supplier. So in all reality by investing in great design they have actually created a great selling tool.