News & Events

Good Design is Good Business

01/02/2010

In 1975, Thomas Watson, President of IBM, famously said “Good design is good business.” Good design is essential to communicate the right message - the better the design, the clearer the message.

What is “good design” and how does it make for “good business”?

Good design is not easy to define. Whether it is cars, mobile phones, brochures, packaging or interiors, we instinctively know what we like.
On a functional level, good design implies a product that is ‘fit for purpose’, performs well and is reliable and cost-effective. On a deeper level, individual aspects of design will subconsciously influence the receiver’s assumptions and opinions – colours, textures, shapes and themes all determine the success or failure of a product because of the inferences we make about them.

Designing attractive products that look ‘fit for purpose’, and that accurately communicate a product’s attributes gives a company competitive advantage at the point-of-sale. Good design, however, must achieve much more than this. High quality design results in more reliable products with less returns or less service time. It reduces production cost and time, improves profitability, whilst simultaneously building the reputation of a manufacturer and its brands.

A major contributor to achieving excellent design is having a good design process – the right procedures and systems are essential. Equally important is being able to access the right expertise and technology in a cost-effective way and at the right time.

On the other hand, bad design and design processes erode competitiveness, quality and profit margins. And in difficult economic times this can be the difference between success and failure.

One business that believes in Thomas Watson’s statement is Whitland-based Magstim. Andrew Thomas, Marketing Manager at the magnetic nerve stimulator business says, “Without good design, we couldn’t sell products into the global medical technology market. Our equipment, literature, web site and even exhibition stands must all convey the message that our products and services are of the highest quality, reliability and are safe, whilst also being technologically superior to the competition. This cannot be left to chance, we put a huge amount of effort and resource into getting that message right.”

Business Innovation – Design helps businesses make effective use of design to develop their business.

To find out how your business can benefit from good design, call Flexible Support for Business on 03000 6 03000 or visit www.business-suport-wales.gov.uk/innovation.