Everything is designed

There’s a great quote attributed to a Brian Reed, although the internet seems confused as to which Brian Reed. Most pin it on a reporter from New York – complete with his picture alongside the quote – although he came out on X/Twitter to state “I never said this… I wish I had though, it’s a nice thought”.

The quote is:

“Everything is designed. Few things are designed well.“

When you’ve worked in brand and marketing for so long, and seen what some businesses consider to be acceptable when it comes to their marketing output, that quote will absolutely scream out to you. We won’t even go there with the internal staff on PowerPoint or more lately things like Canva (shudder)…. everyone thinks they’re a graphic designer but trust us when we say, they definitely aren’t! The whole issue of shoe horning general office staff into creative roles, we’ll look at another time.

Back to the quote, it’s so accurate when describing brands. While the big hitters with seven-figure marketing budgets of course nail it, when it comes to the huge number of mid-sized or small firms there are so many who struggle… because they either don’t know where to start, they don’t think it’s an issue to cut corners, or they just don’t realise they’re doing it. Which leads back to a line you’ll never stop hearing from us at Seven98, near enough isn’t good enough.

No matter what stage you’re at on your brand journey, it always makes sense to keep a check on where you are.

• If you’re starting out, or looking to refresh your brand, have you chosen the right people to help you with that? Caution: If you like the look of automated software which creates logos, or use general admin staff to have a pop at it, believe us that really ain’t the way to go. Try to cut costs, and it’ll cost you more in the long run.
• If you had your brand assets (logo, colours, fonts etc.) designed years ago, do they still hold up in what’s now a fast-moving world led by technology? Do they work well online? On tablets and mobile phones? How do they compare to your competition? A review of your brand is never a bad idea.
• If you want to create external marketing and comms content in-house, do you have the right arsenal (people and tools) to ensure your output is of the highest possible standard?
• If you’ve signed with an agency to look after your marketing, do they really understand your business and get your brand? Or are they cheap, fairly hands-off and churn stuff out quickly so you can get it out there?

When business owners or decision makers review the the points and questions in that list above, they’ll immediately think of one word. Cost.

Traditionally, marketing budgets have always been the first which firms cut when they feel a bit pressured financially, or they’ll just not value it and put minimal money towards brand and marketing in the first place. As mentioned above, cut costs and it’ll cost you in the long run.

If your brand output is weak, shows inconsistencies, is messy, or simply dated because you don’t want to face refreshing it, make no mistake that will be picked up by potential customers.

In today’s world where image is everything, are you happy to risk your firm looking like cowboys which in turn will lose you business?

So yes, everything is designed. But not always that well. Therefore, you should always pay good attention to ensure that whatever you broadcast to the outside world, shows your business in the best possible light.

And believe it or not, it doesn’t need to cost you the earth; partner with the right marketing resource and it’ll be of huge value to your company.