Effective design creates a powerful first impression

Recently, a new restaurant opened up near my office. It had been vacant for almost ten years, and people were very excited for it to reopen. I remember how upscale the inside was and was hoping a nice sign would capture how nice it looked.

But, like many small businesses, they opted to cut corners and simply put one-color cut vinyl on top of the old sign. And to be truthful, it looks awful. Yet, this same restaurant has appetizers all starting at $10, and entrees all starting at $30. Would the average person be able to make the leap in assuming how classy and high end the interior and meal selection was from a drive by? No—they would not. 

Image is everything: We’ve all heard that saying before, but it speaks to many truths about how people judge by impressions they have formed. Whether you’re a restaurant, or a service business, how you present yourself to the public is how they perceive your business. Design functions to control that perception by building a positive brand impression. The idea is to have people assume or feel something about that business, even if they know nothing at all about it.