Design Is For An Emotional Connection

Sometimes the difference between communication and an emotional connection is good design. For instance, a telephone phone book listing communicates information about several individual businesses and individuals. But it doesn't compel you to do anything or to care. If anything, you don't even want to look through it as a leisure activity. If you look at it, it would be because you want a specific piece of information. When you find the information, you don't necessarily want any other interaction with the phone book. It communicated, but it did not connect in any emotional way.

Sometimes visual communications that are suppose to connect emotionally does the same thing. They do not inspire anything. And sometimes when they do inspire emotion, it is not the expected emotion.

For example, sometimes when a company decides to do a promotional brochure they will relegate the task to a friend or an administrative assistant. Not that they are incapable of doing a nice design, the job of communication is not really about nice design, but effective design.

What makes design effective? First, what you communicate is what is understood by the audience you communicate to. Second, the action you desire the audience to take is what many in your audience actually takes. The brochure has influence on the market you target. If you want the brochure to act as an introduction to your company, it needs to do so. But what do you want the audience to feel about it, or do about it? Do you want them to call you, because they need your services or products? Do they spread the word about you because they are excited about you? Do they have you in their mind in preparation for meeting with you?

If you consider these two issues, you are well on the way to planning an effective brochure. But your plan is only the beginning. The text copy and the design must pull your plan together into a piece that actually does what you envision it to do. Consider the help of professional copywriters and designers to prepare your next business communication. It is well worth the investment.