Good Versus Bad Design
Design is everywhere from the shape of your shoes to your favorite online stores, everything you use has been thought, designed, tested and probably redesigned to offer you the best user experience possible. What makes a design good or bad and how does this impact our lives every day?
Good vs Bad
Design is not an art but a method of communication. Design serves a purpose, which is never the case for art. Art itself is the purpose. Design is much more ambitious. This is to say that it’s possible for something to be “good looking” but still be a bad design. You must look beyond what something looks like. To help you do just that, we created a list of 4 questions to consider to filter the good designs from the bad.
Is the Design Effective?
Design is actually driven by problems that need solutions. It might be a website that needs to be more user-friendly, a product that needs to draw a certain audience, or a new business that needs a logo refresh. If the design does not solve the problem, then it is important to take a second look. It can look appealing, but it is not a good design if it does not accomplish the main purpose.
Does it Reflect the Right Tone?
To tell whether or not the tone is appropriate, first, you’ll need to figure out two things, the brand and the audience. Your brand is the perception that people have of you. Good design helps a company take control of its brand, and shape the public’s options to match how they want to be perceived. If you know how the company wants to be perceived and who the design is for, the remaining question is what is appropriate for them? Generally speaking, the broader the audience the cleaner and more conventional the design needs to be. On the other end of the spectrum, when your audience is smaller and very specific, you can rely on gimmicks to make the design attractive and engaging to them.
How is the Design Organized?
Alignment, organization, and formatting are all important elements of design. Factors like layout, positioning of the branding assets and important elements such as contact information and other calls to action are vital to design quality. Keeping things simple and effective are key to good design.
Is the Design Unique?
Originality in design is highly important when standing out from the crowd. Originality can be anything from the idea, messaging, or design approach. Inspiration is good, but your message may get lost within the noise without something that sets your design apart from the rest.
At PushCrankPress, we are all about bringing Brand New Ideas to design elements and making sure our clients succeed in standing out. Good design has way more than what meets the eye. It’s not about how something looks, but how through a series of thoughtful decisions that are made with the end-user experience in mind. Design is significantly vital to a company’s success. If you are interested in developing strong design elements to help your business succeed, contact us today at 334.446.6149 for Brand New Ideas.
Posted: Mar 23, 2022