I can look out my window and find inspiration in the rain, the trees, the grass. I can go to the mall and watch people; looking at their clothes, their movements, the way they present themselves. I can watch a movie, play a game, surf the web, go for a bike ride. Normal everyday activities should be able to bring inspiration – and they do.

What inspires you?

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.

Perfection: It’s in the Details

A good designer will always be aware of the small, minute details and they will not rest until everything is perfect. They will see things that may go unnoticed by someone else. For example, the height of lines of text and how that affects legibility, spacing between objects, how one color may fight with another, or a stretched image. They notice when there are too many fonts, or when the font just isn’t the right one.

This is not to say they will always be perfect. Everyone makes mistakes, and there is something to be said of being immersed in a project and having difficulty removing yourself from it. However, a good designer will care enough to constantly be, at the very least, striving for perfection.

Always Learning

There is one major thing that sets a good designer apart from the rest and that is that they realize that there is always more to learn. Unlike some professions, the world of design is always changing. The tools and technology is always improving and there are new, better ways to do things. Not only that, but the need to stay on top of trends is immensely important as well.

Although time consuming and still requiring effort on the part of the designer, Twitter and RSS feeds bring the majority of this information right to one’s doorstep, making it relatively easy to continuously learn.

Not Afraid to Leave Their Comfort Zone

A good designer will push themselves. They’ll notice when their designs are starting to look the same, and they will break the mold and try to shape their designs into something new. A good designer will always be striving to do something better and different. This will ensure that the website, logo, or other design that your designer creates for you is not a carbon copy of the one they do for another client!

Plays Well With Other Designers

Designers should be able to work and function well with other designers. They should be able to learn from others and improve themselves, seeing others’ strengths and using that to improve their own. Being a part of a design community can help designers in more ways than one, by providing inspiration, ways to learn, and support. A design community will also be able to provide objective and professional feedback to help a designer improve their designs.

Can Take Criticism

A good designer will be able to take criticism, so don’t be afraid to criticize.

Just be careful on exactly how you say it. In an episode of “Cake Boss,” a girl, unsatisfied with her wedding cake, decided she would just color it herself with icing to “prove a point.” This, of course, hurt the cake maker, because although he was willing to take her initial criticism of the cake and was, at the time, going to his employees to find out what he could do for her, he came back to someone ruining a work of art that he had put a lot into. So, criticize but be respectful of the work that the designer has already done. Just because it may not be perfect for you does not mean that it is bad or ugly.

While sometimes, as designers, we feel that some may not be fully qualified to completely criticize our work, designers still appreciate opinions and helpful comments on how we can improve things.

Improves With Criticism

This goes hand-in-hand with always learning. If a designer can take criticism and feedback and improve upon things, they’ll always be working towards being a better designer.

Listens to Clients

If your designer does not do an initial set of questions before starting on your project, something is wrong. No one can just start a logo design with a couple of words and have it be successful. There is a lot of information that must be gathered prior to the design process so that it can be taken into consideration in the design. Information about the company, demographics of the target audience, personal preferences etc.

Not Afraid to Stand Their Ground

Paralleling the above, a good designer also is not afraid to stand their ground. There is a fine art to knowing when to listen to clients and when to put one’s foot down. The client must keep in mind that they hired the designer for a reason: because they are a professional who is versed in design and knows what they are doing. If they didn’t hire the designer for that reason, then they probably hired them for the wrong one and will not have a successful design. Trust is a key part in the design relationship, and the client must trust that the designer will always do what is best for them.

Remains Transparent

A good designer owes it to their client to always remain honest and open about the project. This builds upon the required trust in the design relationship. It doesn’t stop there, however. The designer must also be honest with the other professionals that s/he works with, setting a good example, and making communications smoother and more efficient.

Knows Their Strengths and Weaknesses

Finally, any good designer should know their own strengths and weaknesses, and should accept them. They should be constantly improving on their weaknesses. And, if they are weak in an area that is not always required, then they should be willing and able to hire designers who have strengths in those areas when projects call for it.

Related Articles

• Six Mistakes to Avoid on Your Website
• 10 Reasons to be Skeptical of Your Web Designer
• Four More Mistakes to Avoid on Your Website

Wind

Turtle

Tree Path

Tree Light

Sunset

She Sells Sea Shells

Plumeria

Pink Plumeria

Pineapple

Palm Silhouette

Regal Mountains

Monster Tree

Bright Sun

Follow Your Heart

Lost in the Woods

Camp Creative Group

We hope that you enjoy them!