When the Sky is Falling: Design to the Rescue

Yes, times are rough. We’re watching the market tank right before our eyes. You’re ready to join your friends Chicken Little and Turkey Lurkey and scream to all that will listen: “The Sky is Falling!”

The last thing you’re thinking of is a new website. Or a new brochure. Or a redesign of your outdated logo. But that may be the BEST thing you can do to pull you through this tough economy. I’m not here to scare you – I’m here to inspire you to take care of your design needs in this time of transition. Here’s why:

New design can help redefine your business
A tough economy is a great time to take a long hard look at your business. Now is the time to make those decisions that will pull you away from the competition. Show your clients or customers that what you are offering is better than everyone else. New design or a redesign is one of the best ways to communicate that message.

Good design is an extremely cost effective business decision
Expect your competition to be working on and improving their design assets. If they aren’t, addressing your design needs will catapult you ahead of the pack. Either way, a new design or redesign is one of the cheapest ways to get incredible and immediate returns on your investment.

You may have little choice
In this economy, if you don’t have a well designed website (or have one that’s outdated) you absolutely must address this issue. Don’t have a well designed corporate identity? You’re simply putting yourself at a severe disadvantage. I’m not spreading a culture of fear here – I’m spreading a culture of fact. Most consumers already look at your business online in order to form an opinion. A good first impression – or worse, NO first impression – will make or break your company. Expect this trend to only increase as people become less flexible with their money. Now is the time to get things done.

Chicken Little may have believed the sky was falling. He was wrong. Have courage when things look bleak and look to the future when things will be brighter. Businesses all have their ups and downs, but they are defined by their ability to weather the storm. View this downturn as an opportunity to rebuild. Use design as the catalyst to inspire growth.

Image by visulogik via Flickr, used under a Creative Commons license

Posted on Wednesday, October 8th, 2008 at 10:44 am. Filed under: Advice Tags: design investment, the economy, the sky is falling, Web Design RSS 2.0 feed.