By this time, most everyone has viewed Simon Sinek's "Start With Why" Ted Talk from 2009. If you haven't watched it, he unpacks what he calls "the world's simplest idea," a.k.a. the golden circle of a person or brand's why, how, and what. Simon posits a pattern that all successful people and brands follow. And he codified it. While most people and brands explain themselves by starting with what they offer, the most successful people and brands — like Martin Luther King and Apple—start with why they do what they do, resulting in a more exciting story. For Apple, "they believe in challenging the status quo and thinking differently to offer you products that are beautifully designed, easy to use and user friendly."
Here, Apple's why and how are clearly on display where the what is a product of your choice along with its' features and benefits. This article will focus on the how—something we have in common with Apple regarding design, but for us, design is for communication purposes rather than products.
For us, design is the difference. It is how we pull off our why. We believe in the power of imagination to ignite growth in brands. We believe in creative thinking to transform the ordinary. We do that through strategic leadership, catalytic design, and a sprint mentality.
Imagination to transform the ordinary is our why. Imagination is the ignition. It is the fire our clients need to be remarkable. To stand out with meaning and intent
Design is our how. Design is a process. Naturally, design is a plan. It creates the path of logic from business strategy to brand strategy to marketing strategy. It starts from the inside and moves out. It begins with a single belief and radiates outward. Everything benefits from this belief because it informs everything. From establishing your values, look, and feel — a.k.a. brand tone—to telling how you how and who to hire and document your proprietary processes. Design makes it happen.
What can you gain from strategic design?
Clarity and Focus: Strategic design can help businesses gain clarity and focus on their vision, mission, and goals. By creating a clear and concise brand story, companies can ensure that everyone in the organization is aligned and working towards the same objectives. This can help improve decision-making, increase efficiency, and ultimately lead to tremendous success.
Reignited Spirit: Strategic design can help reignite the spirit of the organization and inspire employees to do their best work! By creating a compelling brand narrative that reflects the values and purpose of the organization, businesses can motivate employees and foster a sense of pride and ownership in their work. This can help improve employee engagement, retention, and productivity.
Culture Alignment: Strategic design can help businesses align their brand with their culture, values, and purpose. By creating a visual identity and messaging that reflects the organization's unique personality and culture, businesses can build a solid, authentic brand that resonates with customers and stakeholders. This can help improve brand loyalty, advocacy, and overall business success.
Control of Your Story: Strategic design can help businesses take control of their brand story and how customers and stakeholders perceive it. By creating consistent and compelling visual language and messaging, companies can shape how their brand is perceived and differentiate themselves from their competitors. This can help improve brand recognition, reputation, and overall business success.
Stronger, Deeper Connections: Strategic design can help businesses create more substantial and deeper connections with their customers and stakeholders. Businesses can build trust, loyalty, and engagement by creating a brand narrative and messaging that resonates with their audience on an emotional level. This can help improve customer satisfaction, retention, and overall business success.
Unique and Special Market Presence: Strategic design can help businesses create a unique and special market presence that stands out from their competitors. By creating a distinctive visual identity and messaging that reflects their values, personality, and offerings, businesses can differentiate themselves in the market and attract more customers who share their values. This can help improve brand recognition, loyalty, and overall business success.
Strategic design is a crucial driver of business success. By focusing on your why and how and communicating it through consistent visual language and messaging, you can create a brand that inspires and resonates with your audience and ultimately drives growth. So, if you're looking for a way to gain clarity and focus, reignite your spirit, align your culture, take control of your story, create stronger connections, establish a unique and special market presence, and want to ignite growth and take your business to the next level, start with strategic design.
