If you’ve ever watched What Not to Wear, you know that Stacy and Clinton and their team work miracles with not only helping people to dress a lot better, but to also emit an air of confidence.
Branding and design is just like fashion. Potential customers will judge your company and credibility based upon how the design looks, just like people judge you based on how you dress. Design is a very important part of any business plan, and if you don’t take it seriously and use an expert, your business and/or personal brand will suffer.
Unfortunately, with design being such an over-saturated profession these days, there are many people who call themselves “professionals” who do not adhere to best-practices and many who don’t know the first thing about design principles and trends. As a result, there are so many people who end up throwing money away with these “professionals” and end up needing a design intervention, just like those on What Not to Wear need a fashion intervention.
While the process Stacy and Clinton puts the fashion criminals through is stressful, it is always worth it. It’s very similar to the process of going through a redesign for a website or brand.
Recognizing There is a Problem and Addressing It
This is normally the most difficult phase. Most people do not even realize that there is a problem with their design. Even the people around them – friends and family – may not let them know because they are being nice. But they also might not know, themselves. It is difficult to remain objective with your own or someone else’s brand that may be more personal to you.
There are also many different attitudes about appearance which parallel with Brand. Some may think, “Why do I need to spend more on the design, the idea should sell itself.” Just like they may think that their own personality should be enough to allow people to form an opinion of them. While a good product idea is a great starting point, it is imperative that you have a good design to sell it, or no one will pay any attention to it.
During this phase on the show, Stacy and Clinton sit down with the culprit and show them a video tape of what they are wearing to make them see what they look like. While this may not always be realistic, it may help to sit down with an expert and discuss problems that you are having, customer reactions, etc. Gathering data is a very good step toward finding out what needs to be addressed. There are many great tools you can implement on troublesome websites to find out who is using your site and how, even the things they are most interested in and what they look at first.
Discussing the “Rules”
Stacy and Clinton are always sure to arm the culprit with rules for when they go out shopping. Just as there are rules that should be followed in fashion, there are rules that should be followed in design and web development.
- Find someone who is an established professional. While you may find an amateur who can design well, they may not have the experience to understand specifics for your brand’s target audience. While your brand may look good, it might not be appropriate for those it is meant to appeal to. An amateur also may not practice good standards.
- Relinquish control to the professional. They know what they are doing, and remember that they are not creating a design that appeals to you, but to your target audience. If there is something that you don’t think will work, instead of offering a solution, tell them the problem and let the professional come up with the solution.
- Keep an open mind. The reason one redesigns is because something is not effective. Remain objective and helpful, and listen to suggestions from the expert.
The Physical Change
On the show, individuals are given $5000 to go out and spend on a new wardrobe for themselves, as long as they agree to turn over their current wardrobe. They then go shopping, and on the second day are joined by Stacy and Clinton for help. This process allows them to tailor their new wardrobe to the individual’s personality and create a new individual “style.”
While you won’t be designing your brand, personally, the designer you choose should be able to tailor the design to the individual product and create an individual “brand”. There are very important questions that need to be asked and answered during the design process on every project, such as product goals, target audience and company background. Without the answers to these questions, a designer cannot possibly create an appropriate design, but with them the designer will be able to create a brand that is consistent and successful.
The Realization of a New, Better Style and the Benefits
Last, at the end of the process, the individuals who participate in What Not to Wear come to a realization. They realize that they are still themselves, only better. They have a new look that represents them and they are more approachable, more credible, more beautiful.
After redesigning a brand or design for the better and fixing the problems that are holding that particular product or service back, one comes to the realization of how important a good design is, and the benefits become obvious. Beauty and style play very important parts in appeal, and therefore also play very important parts in success. With a great design, you’ll have great success.
Written by Sarah Camp
Sarah's passion for design built Camp Creative Group. Educated in design, she has applied and evolved her knowledge for 10+ years. You can chat with her on twitter or view more posts that she has written.
