Although the design is considerably more than the way something looks, or the materials that something is made of or even the shape and function when it comes to business, design plays a much bigger role.

In the field of business, the design takes on different meanings, but in this article, I will focus on the following aspect of it: managing the business processes in order to diminish the costs of production.

In business, the design is present in many departments, such as product design, engineering, packaging, graphics and website design, interior design, retail, exhibition and architecture design, and so on.

A great idea to start with is to engage in an audit. Pay attention to the main aspects of your business development, especially your brand and how you offer your services to your clients. Then think about how much of a factor does design play in those aspects. See if you can notice areas in which you can improve things or not. This will make your overall business identity more solid and ultimately, if done right, can make you stand out on the market.

Include design in your business strategy:

I believe you have realized by now that design deserves far more credit than it gets, not to mention attention and priority from entrepreneurs. Far too often, businesses choose to see it as the final step, the “finishing touch”, which may lead to fewer sales and fewer clients. This is why, usually, business only use a small part of their vast budget for design. They don’t know any better.

While it is clear that design is not everything, it is quite visible it weighs heavily in the “acquisition” of success. Look at companies such as Dior or Yves Saint Laurent. Better still, look at companies such as Google or Facebook. They are not only top-notch in terms of design but they are also the best on the market in their respective fields. This is because they understand design for business and made it an important part of their strategy – from the beginning.

This was a good move on their behalf because by involving it from the start they saved a lot of money in the long run. It’s better to build the foundation of the house nicely and build a beautiful home on top of it than build a random foundation only to realize the house won’t sell because the end result is a simple, ugly home.

This should not worry you too much. Not everyone needs to hire expensive designers in order to succeed in their business. But you do need to keep in mind that a good design attracts good business outcomes. Keep looking for ways of keeping your clients satisfied and make their interaction with your business not only friendly and pleasant but also intuitive. Even minor design changes can dramatically enhance the outcome, so don’t treat this lightly.

You might also be interested in another post on design. Now, before we end this article, here are some suggestions for you:

• check out your competitors and see how they are doing it
• find ways of enhancing the design process
• find areas of your business that can be improved with design
• study the market to know your clients better