Design is priceless

The article ’We all love (but don’t want to pay for) good design’ (MW 3 March) raised some pertinent points about the importance of design within effective marketing communications. As the research shows, good design is crucial in delivering a good customer experience and ultimately in boosting sales. The sad part is that often marketing budgets allocated to design do not reflect this.

The fact that design is inextricably linked to other elements of the marketing mix does make it difficult to measure the exact return on investment it provides. However, brands need to ensure that they do not put design at the bottom of the pile, simply because it is not as easily accountable as other services.

In addition, as well as delivering great design for clients, designers need to ensure that they do their bit to educate marketers about the true potential it offers. In today’s climate, many brands will live or die by the quality of their design output. With consumers being increasingly savvy and expecting a seamless user experience, investing in design will reap rewards.

Sam Cottrell
Head of design
TMW