Marketers often feel the need to increase their knowledge, understanding and comprehension when it comes to design. Whether we’re talking about a homepage, blog, team page, Pinterest page or a Facebook ad, ALL marketers can benefit from having at least some level of refinement when it comes to design.
Consider a few current market trends:
1.) In a recent report from VentureBeat, marketers admitted that “creative failure” is a major pain point, especially on mobile – where essentially, what you see is what you get.
2.) Creative resources are scarce, expensive and in exceptionally high demand across all industries as well as from SMBs to enterprise. By understanding more about design, marketers can increase their value and contribute clear, actionable suggestions during redesign projects.
3.) Recent content marketing research shows that a top pressure among marketers is managing their buyers’ / customers’ changing expectations for a more engaging experience.
There are 3 ways that marketers can improve their level of understanding when it comes to design, which we’ll review now!
1.) Create a design portfolio:
Creating a design portfolio is the easiest way for marketers to learn about design over time. By saving memorable home pages or specific website pages, marketers can have a running collection of image-based inspiration that they can apply to future design projects. In addition, for marketers who are involved in web design or landing page projects, saving all of the work somewhere accessible is a great way to show a future employer past work you’ve been a part of creating.
2.) Be aware of design:
There is design in everything. Let me repeat that, there is design in everything. Whether you’re in the shower, using your oven, walking through the woods, or watching a commercial, you can see design if you look for it. Simply being aware of design more often will naturally increase your ability to understand it as well as develop your design muscle memory.
By keeping a record of the design elements, tones and trends that are most captivating to you, you’ll be able to define your own stance on what makes for “great design.”
3.) Brush up on a few basics:
While you don’t need to be a design major to add value to redesign and creative initiatives, it helps to know a few things. For instance, understand the basics of a creative brief, like this one from Zeroto5ive. Take cues from the greats, like David Ogilvy. Attend a conference like Unbounce’s or at least follow it on Twitter and get the presentation decks on SlideShare.
Finally, stay up to date by following design leaders and industry blogs.
So remember – create a design portfolio, be aware of design and brush up on a few basics. No matter if you work primarily offline or online, focus on SEO or paid, lead a team or write for a blog…design touches EVERYTHING we do as marketers and is the one thing that can universally improve the results of any marketing initiative. Take the next few weeks to try and pay more attention to design, you’ll be glad you did!
About the Author: Dan Slagen is the VP of Marketing at Crayon. A frequent speaker and guest contributor at VentureBeat, Dan has been featured in the New York Times, Bloomberg TV, WSJ, Forbes, Business Insider and many more. He currently advises startups, marketplaces, and marketing departments on strategy, revenue growth, and operations.
