Whether you are planning an important event or creating a marketing campaign for your business, design is a large part of the marketing process. Unfortunately, many people often forget about the clear connection between design elements and marketing strategies. This is where subpar designs are created, and both parties are left feeling unimpressed with the final product.
So, how can event planners and marketers learn to properly work with designers in order to create design products that resonate with target audiences? Let’s look at how marketing and design go hand-in-hand, why marketers should plan projects ahead of time, and how to modify your quality expectations so as to never be disappointed or expect too much from a design team.
How Marketing and Design Work Together
One of the first things people notice about an advertisement or event is the design associated with it. Are the colors vibrant? Do the pictures resonate with them? Is the design itself unique?
This is why design is so important to all forms of marketing and event creation. Without a solid design foundation, the content is often lost in the mix. According to Kissmetrics, 92.6 percent of people say the visual dimension is the top factor affecting the purchase decision.
Despite the numbers being clear, many marketers and event planners become engulfed in the importance of their own projects and forget to focus on design at all. Unfortunately, this often leads to less than ideal final products, which quickly become frustrating for both sides. To avoid this, marketers and event planners must learn to plan projects ahead of time in order to provide graphic designers with what they need to hit the mark. They must also modify their quality expectations in order to have attainable project marks set from the start.
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Why Marketers Should Plan Projects Ahead of Time
When we previously discussed how to choose a designer whose style matches yours, we talked about considering the skills needed before the project begins. But, how can someone know what skills are needed without planning the project ahead of time?
Furthermore, just as you would likely not work with someone that scheduled an event or a campaign at the last minute, why would you expect a designer to feel comfortable working on a project at the last minute?
The best way to work alongside designers in a positive manner is to plan the entire project ahead of time, so that they have the foundation necessary to build the best project possible. This can include the copy, the buyer personas, the call-to-action, and many other elements.
By having all of this mapped out, your design team can create a product that is just as consistent and in-depth as the project itself, which will likely lead to a more cohesive end result as well. Similarly, by also modifying your quality expectations, you can lessen the stress put on your design team and have a more focused and effective design overall.
How to Modify Your Quality Expectations Appropriately
In most situations, marketers and event planners tend to forget that their projects are very similar to design team projects. Just as you would not want someone rushing your work, or requiring nearly impossible results from you, a design team prefers to work for someone that understands the conflict between good design, fast design, and cheap design.
According to Micro Creatives, the dynamics are simple:
effective design + affordable cost = longer turnaround time
effective design + quick turnaround time = higher cost
affordable cost + quick turnaround time = rushed design
If you learn to modify your expectations to be more consistent with these dynamics, you are sure to never find yourself or your design team unhappy with the final product. This will not only save you and your team time, but will also lead to a stronger work dynamic between you and your design team as well.
In the end, the key to quality design is to put yourself in the shoes of the designers. By seeing things from their perspective, you can learn to never ask for too much, expect the right results without fail, and acquire exactly what you are looking for.
If you’d like to talk further about design services for your next project, Ironmark is happy to help! Contact us today!
