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Most businesses think their problem is bad design when the real issue is unclear messaging. A beautiful site with muddy positioning still converts poorly.
Before you brief a designer, ask: Can you explain what you do in one sentence? Does your homepage pass the five-second test?
If the answers are no, design won't save you.
Fixing messaging is cheaper and faster than a redesign. You can rewrite your homepage in an afternoon. A redesign takes weeks and costs thousands.
Strategy before design. Always.
I've seen companies spend $15K on a redesign and still get confused responses. The design was gorgeous. The message was vague.
Start with clarity. Test the words before you touch the layout.
Are there any frameworks that you follow?
Hey @Feroj Ahmed (Framer Expert)! Yes, my two favorite frameworks are Brand Strategy Fundamentals from Anneli Hansson (www.thefutur.com/brand-strategy-fundamentals) and the Storybrand Messaging Framework (I was a guide for 4 years with them but I'd recommend just reading the book and you'll get most of the value through that).
thefutur.com
Brand Strategy Fundamentals
Learn to facilitate workshops with a proven brand strategy framework and become your clients’ go-to for solving their big business problems. Take the course to learn the fundamentals of brand strategy and add on the live workshop to gain experience with the process and problem solving through a real client brief.
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A client requests a website redesign, believing their paid ads are underperforming. They have invested heavily, attributing issues to branding or copy
However, analytics reveal the core problem. Their mobile site loads its initial section in six seconds. A 14MB uncompressed WordPress image creates a significant barrier in their conversion process
They do not require a new brand guide. They need to understand their site is hindering ad performance. While a redesign is requested, the true need is to stop financial waste and improve website functionality. My role is to identify the actual challenge, then create a solution. The solution often differs from the client's initial perception
made this for a design test recently.
web section + responsive + meta ad.
still waiting to see where it goes...
but honestly, i'm pretty happy with how this one turned out.
Good design should survive compression.
Most design isn’t experienced inside a perfect presentation.
A logo becomes a tiny profile image.
A visual system becomes one social post.
A landing page gets three seconds of attention.
A thumbnail competes with twenty others.
If an idea only works when every detail is visible, the idea may not be strong enough yet.
I keep returning to three questions:
• What is the first thing someone needs to understand?
• Which decision makes this unmistakably the right brand?
• What can disappear without weakening either?
That’s why I value systems over isolated assets. A clear type hierarchy, deliberate color role, and repeatable visual language can move from a website to an ad, package, or thumbnail without losing its identity.
Polish earns attention.
Consistency builds recognition.
Clarity makes both possible.
What would remain recognizable about your brand if everything unnecessary were stripped away?
"Good design should survive compression" I love this way of thinking. When testing an existing brand whats your main trick to see if a logo still works when stripped down to its simplest form?