Only a small portion of what we see daily is kept in our memories: what is really relevant and what truly catches our attention. But how does something deserve a space in people’s memories? One of the ways to reach that kind of distinction is exactly through what is in front of our eyes: design.

Branding guru, Marty Neumeier, emphasizes the role of design in brand building when he tells us that strong and relevant brands possess, among other things, a substantial aesthetic concern. Design is one of the main factors that allow brands to communicate and talk to people.

Initially, design is a way to solve problems be them of business, products, services, experiences, etc. With its integration in the corporate world, it translates the branding strategy and helps materialize all the assets that make brands become unique and memorable — such as essence, positioning and brand platform. As well put by Ligia Fascioni, PHD in Design Management, design works as a “company’s symbol of identification and as an excellent translator of its personality”.

For proper comprehension of the value that design adds to brands, Thomas Lockwood, former president of Design Management Institute, mentions a few possible applications:

1 Creation of new markets
Design may be used to create markets, establishing a competitive differential hard to be copied. Ex.: iTunes system/iPod, Amazon.

2 Products and services innovation
That is possible by integrating design techniques and processes all throughout the company.

3 Creation of intellectual property (patents and brands)
How much would your company lose if all design contributions were stolen?

4 Enhance of products performance
Good environments and interface designs might reduce stress, enhance tasks performance and make the concern that the company has towards its employees and customers noticeable.

5 Sustainability warranty
Environmental impact of design products may be measured in a variety of ways. Strategically, designers may opt to approach business sustainability around its three vertices: economic, social and environmental.

Managing design in a company goes beyond the aesthetics, it is about materializing the strategy, providing differentiation, unicity and making it stand out among its competition. Allying design to branding is key to communicate the attributes and help build consistent and reliable brands. This equation will contribute in a way that new markets are discovered, products get chosen from the shelves, services are hired through websites and value is added through the perception of the brand, resulting in a brand that has a space in people’s minds and hearts.