Design Your Success: Making a Good First Impression.

Ever wished you could have a re-do of that first encounter with someone? Maybe you forgot to take a stray bobby pin out of your hair. Or you were just coming from a sweaty workout at the gym and had pit stains.

It’s the same for business. An enormous percentage of your perceived value is tied up in that first encounter, whether it’s someone looking you up online or being handed your business card. How can you stack the odds in your favor for a great first impression?

First Impressions Count Big.

How many times have you judged a company, positively or negatively, based on their logo, business card or website? The answer is quite a lot. In fact, you may not even realize how often your first impressions are related to design. We often don’t put words to these first impressions, rather, they become our gut instincts and they stick with us indefinitely.

75% of a website’s credibility is based on overall aesthetics. Judgements are made in 3.4 seconds. That’s not a lot of time to make a great first impression online.

First impressions are 94% design-related. Most people take note of the look and feel of a website before delving into what the site is about. Visual appeal makes up 94% of a favorable first impression.

You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

I always thought this was kind of an obvious saying. Duh, life doesn’t give you re-dos. However, there’s more to it than that. In psychology, this is what’s referred to as the Halo Effect. Whatever your first impression is—good or bad—it becomes the “halo” around your second, third and fourth impressions. Thus, if your first impression of a business is a bad one, a second, favorable impression is simply written off as “a fluke.”

Here are a few examples of design-related negative first impressions that stick.

Outdated web design can give the impression *you* are also out-of-date.
Thin or flimsy business card can cause you to be perceived as unremarkable or unsubstantial.
Washed out logo colors can give your business the appearance of being boring or unexciting.

What can you do to ensure the best outcomes? Invest in good design.

It shows your customers and prospects that you care. Stand for quality. Good design can make your brand extraordinary. Be brave enough to admit you have room to grow—just like the company shown the above example. It takes a willingness to go through the design process with a qualified branding expert. Contact the Brand Doctor at Imago Visual to ensure your best first impression every single time.