20The professional touch

See how it can make all the difference...

Design. Copywriting. Advertising. They are all seen as ‘soft skills’ – things that anyone can have a go at and the results will be just as good as if you use a professional agency.

Except that isn’t the case. The increasing number of ‘how to’ books and pre-programmed templates has meant more people have tried to ‘do it themselves’ – and it isn’t normally long before they find out that it isn’t always as easy as it looks.

Think about it, you wouldn’t service your own car or plaster your own walls and expect a professional finish, so why would you take the same risks with your business’ image?

PLENTY OF TLC

Think about how many times you have seen an advert that really does the product it's selling no favours. How many have you laughed at? How many have been full of typos or badly written English?

From a comprehensive design through to the simplest tweak, every part of a business’ image needs to be considered – and of course it needs to be given plenty of the TLC too.

Say, for example, you have an advert and you want to change your leading product from ‘cars’ to ‘motorbikes’. Most people would think “easy”… but there are so many factors to consider. The new word is much bigger – will it overlap the design? Will it overhang the edge of the page?

As simple as it sounds, even adding, removing or changing a single word from a brochure or poster can be quite involved, with the text needing realignment and the design needing further tweaking to make sure it still looks as good as it did before.

YOUR BRAND WORKING HARDER

Many people use templates as a way to help keep their designs looking tidy. However, these often end up looking just as bad as the most crudely rendered designs.

And templates have a limited use. Remember, if you’re using something ‘off the shelf’, then anyone else – including your competitors – could buy exactly the same package and end up looking identical to you.

But not only is it going to look the same, it’s also going to look dull, uninspired and let your business image stall and stagnate.

This is a tough economic climate but the worst thing you can do is knock out cheap flyers, adverts or brochures on your own. You have to get your brand working harder by employing people like STORM – people who can take your branding to the next level and create something that not only works, but that looks great too.

Good design – like good copywriting and advertising know-how – is often considered be an intangible thing, but that doesn’t mean it should be underestimated. Its worth is all too plain – especially when you hold it up against work that hasn’t had any thought put into it.

It’s like comparing a suit from the High Street with one from Saville Row.

WHAT YOU WANT, WHAT YOU NEED

The true marker of a good creative team is for them to come up with something great from next to nothing. However, in practice, it rarely is ‘nothing’ to start off with – you just might not immediately see the right route.

Of course, it is our job to listen to what you want, what you need and everything in between. From that basis we can create results that truly reflect your values and enhance your market position accordingly – taking you and your business to the next level.