Visual Communication Strategy

As a graphic designer I am always mindful how important visual representation is. How your company is perceived is more often determined by your marketing collateral than any other thing short of direct interaction and word of mouth. What constitutes this visual representation includes but is not limited to:

• Website                       Product Packaging                                 Commercials
• Business Cards            Store and Office Uniforms/Attire              Print Advertising
• Signage                       Invoices and Statements                        Company Newsletter
• Brochure                      Postcards                                              Social Media Pages 
• Pamphlets                    Emails                                                  Office Architecture
• Flyers                          Billboards

Many of you may have been surprised by the inclusion of attire and office architecture. Pause and think how many times you have driven to a place of business and had an immediate reaction to what the company is like based on the building condition, design and location. Are they conservative, flamboyant, lazy, reserved, cautious, trendy, traditional or modern? Such inferences determine what we will expect before the first word is ever spoken and attire is no different. How you present yourself professionally is perhaps one of the largest indicators of your business style and/or what you deem as important. This doesn't mean that it requires wearing Armani slacks to do oil changes. What it does mean is that one must consider a healthy balance between appropriateness, practicality and making a statement consistent with your visual communication strategy. 

The visual style of your business tells your prospective customer more about you than you realize. Consider your invoice design. Is is plain or detailed? Is it itemized with every phase of the project or product? How are your business cards? Are they on flimsy stock or are they thick and shiny with fancy graphics? Will it show that you spared no expense which might be seen as wasteful if you're a street hotdog vendor? Or sparing no expense on business cards might be considered normal for a Wall Street broker? It can say a great deal about your company before words are ever spoken. 

Whatever the state of your visual communication materials, the first thing to consider is the perceptual effect it will have on your customers and the public in general. You also have to consider whether or not you're maximizing its effectiveness and your ROI. I often think of product packaging and labeling on this point. I've seen the same product packaged and labeled differently to appease the taste and preferences of the market served; one package with different colors, typeface and styling sold to different ethnic groups. There is nothing illegal about it. It is simply maximizing your visual communication strategy by capitalizing on racial and ethnic diversity. Many large corporations have done this by making their websites in different languages with layouts, colors, and a user interface that addresses the preferences of a specific group. This is maximizing your visual strategy simply by being mindful of diversity.

The next time you have postcards designed, consider having one set in Chinese or the other in Spanish reflecting the colors, layout and visual tastes of the different groups. Tread carefully here. The last think you want to do is offend. Consult with a marketing professional before doing any grand ad campaigns without gathering all facts first. The last thing you want to do is make grand generalizations about anyone. All things being equal, you will be pleasantly shocked about how much feedback and responsiveness you get for simply considering and respecting the visual perceptiveness of one group or another. Frankly, I love designing postcards. It has more real estate than a business card to showcase your products and services. They are inexpensive to mail, and relatively inexpensive to produce. It's a great way to let people know who and what your business does without having to physically meet and hand your business card to them all. 

Visual communication is all about perception. Whether it's a business card or postcard, flyer or poster, it's important to engage your audience in a way that positively reflects your organization's objectives and values. 

Do as I say but it's your fault: The Marketing Dilemma

Do as I say but it’s your fault: The Marketing Dilemma

As some of you know, by day I’m a marketer, designer and product photographer. By night I dress up as a super hero and fight crime; code name: shadow knight. Actually no but it doesn’t end for me because marketing, graphic design and photography are three things I am very passionate about. So this is not quite as large a tangent as it might first appear. It's not dressed up with fancy graphics or the usual magazine design, brochure layout or gorgeous model but give it a chance.

But what do you do when the day version of you gets a bad taste in his mouth? You’re being told do this and that but it’s your fault when it fails. Well this is becoming a trend among marketers and salespeople across various industries. The pressure is on them to create something from nothing. To perform when all things are stacked against them. Customers that once fell from the sky have become difficult to obtain due to their own economic hardships. Upper management and employers ask you to practice strategies that have never worked but wonder why they don’t.  For example, I once witnessed an organization that wanted to open a retail store that didn’t want to stock anything. Huh? “We’ll just have displays and samples. We don’t need to stock everything just a couple of items. It’s your job to create foot traffic and sales. Why aren't our sales going up? What are you doing?” Huh? Really? No one can be that dumb I thought. Guess what? They are and this economy is drawing them out in droves. You peel away the layers of smoke and mirrors to find holes covered over with bandaids. I was told by an employee that worked as a department manager for a small family owned business. Upper management placed television ads for her department and never ever told her the ads even existed. When customers enter she often had to ad lib and stumble thru pretending she knew what the hell they were talking about. How humiliating is that? Does that show how well the company values their employees or does it show that they could really care less? Is this a marketing situation or just ignorance? Hmmmm? Read on.

Where is the copy that tells what the organization stands for and what value they bring to the consumer; something that shows the customer that we’re not just trying to shove products down their throats? We stand for something. We stand for integrity, quality, consistent service, professionalism and dignity; and maybe we should stop letting the staffers dress like it’s spring break but dress more like the professionals who take their jobs and their customers serious. Maybe I’m too conservative but worn out jeans and a tattered shirt just doesn’t make it for me. Wouldn’t you feel insulted as a consumer to enter a place that just doesn’t take your business or you serious enough to present themselves well? Would you open a $50,000 credit account with an organization you don’t know that let staffers pounce about it graphic tees smelling like booze and smoke unless you're buying booze and smokes? Probably not. But I’m guessing you still wouldn’t. I certainly wouldn’t. This is business folks. It’s time to step things up and admit you may not have all the answers; to admit that a fresh perspective is needed to move your company out of this slump. You can’t expect to keep doing it the same way and get different results. Is this a marketing situation? Read a little more.

Ignorance once hidden by a bustling economy is oozing to the surface with morons who operate the most powerful companies on the planet large and small. Weird isn’t it? 

Marketing is a process as much art as science and marketers are one of the primary organic elements of Enterprise Resource Planning. It is customer service, the warehouse manager and the sales staff. It is the waiter and the bartender as well as the parking attendant and the construction worker. Anything that effects your success as a salesman or marketer is a part of sales and marketing. So when you're busting your chops trying to drum up sales you need to know that your prospects are being met with equal professionalism back at the office when you're not around. When you create perfectly tailored ads to drive consumers to your store, you as a designer want to know that the floor salesman conveyed the information as it was advertised and not sabotage your efforts. When an owner says take ownership of a project but then tell you to do it their way, the old way and wonder why it fails, thats marketing despite being horribly planned and executed. Successful marketing is a comprehensive approach to creating consumer value through pricing, promotions, a proper array of products and placement. But it’s also about image, networking, perception, timing, organizational learning and social responsibility among other things. This is a new time and customers want the best and almost instantaneous service for what might years ago be deemed as damn near free.

It’s not a bottleneck of strict rules imposed on salespeople and marketers and half baked ideas. It means you filter your target group before you start randomly tossing irrelevant sales ads. It means in real terms is that the front end supports the back end so that when the customer enters the doorway the resources are in place to close the deal with speed, finesse and professionalism. It means knowing your market and segmenting based on the products and services you’re offering that market. It means you know what’s in stock because your system is up to date. It means your Internet ad pricing matches your in store prices. It means your staff is empowered to make decisions and are informed about sales ads, the products and promotions so when customers enter they feel confident and a part of something.

You can send thousands of email ads, mailers, and social network posts, but if 65 percent of them are Muslims you may have a tough time getting pork sales. It’s not rocket science right? Well apparently it is. But in this economy no one is listening to the rocket scientist. Trust me I know. I have nearly the same amount of hours spent in university lecture halls and the experience to prove it.

I loathe the blamers and finger pointers lording over everyone and deciding the fate of many. Get positive, share, collaborate and take ownership and above all else take responsibility for your own poor decision making.