Have you ever purchased AppleCare, Apple’s product protection plan, to accompany a new device? If so, you’ll know it’s delivered in a box that’s austere yet still somehow elegant. Apple is the brand responsible for elevating our collective sense of design these past few decades, so it makes sense that they deem a simple card important enough for such housing. That brings us to our seventh simple truth about strong brands.
Though Apple mastered good design, they didn’t pioneer it. Years before, a select group of brands including BMW and IBM led the way by spreading the message that “good design is good business.” They shared this with anyone who would listen, and today, companies like Starbucks, Pinterest and IKEA continually raise the bar.
Steve Jobs once said that design is the soul of man-made creation. He was right, and luckily for us as marketers and consumers, it is also the heart of strong brands – B2B companies included.
A customer should experience your brand as intuitive. Put another way, you should know what your customer wants before they know they want it. Intuitive design should play a role in your web and product development and even shape your customer journey. This will make every touchpoint a customer has with you surprising and pleasurable.
Even B2B brands can be beautiful. Making every element of your company attractive in appearance, whether ‘s it’s your logo or your newsletters, goes a long way with prospects online and off.
The last thing your company should be to customers is a hassle – even visually. Everything about your design, from products to customer experience, should be crafted with simplicity in mind. As we said before, good brands make consumers’ lives easier.
Image via (cc) Michelle Brunner
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