Does appearance matter? Interview with our art director, Jennie Svartsjö

NAME: Jennie Svartsjö PROFESSION: Art Director at Wikström Media ABOUT JENNIE: a creative and very motivated problem solver, night owl, and diplomatic artist who likes to laugh and add colour to life.

Functioning design is visual competitiveness

There are many reasons why considering the brand’s graphic profile should be a top priority for companies. It all comes down to the fact that the companies’ customers are human beings, or at least represented by human beings. Humans, in turn, are visual beings that are drawn to the aesthetically pleasing.

– Many entrepreneurs do not even know how much sales and brand awareness they could gain if they improved their visual communication. As an art director, one of my most important objectives is to see these opportunities and develop visual concepts that help customers achieve their goals or preferably exceed them, Jennie explains.

Functioning design is visual competitiveness. A good-looking website or elegant product packaging can help companies stand out and communicate credibility and professionalism.

The market is more than a beauty contest

One might think that there is a kind of duality in visual communication. From the companies’ point of view, communication is about long-term work where the brand image emerges and is strengthened over a more extended period. However, from the customer’s point of view, a first impression – or a series of first impressions of different visual representations of the company – can be crucial.

– The first impression doesn’t play just any role in visual communication; it plays the lead. But designing websites, product labels, brochures, or anything else for companies is not just a matter of making something that looks good, Jennie emphasizes.

A good design should also be imbued with harmony and inner order. It should have a logical structure that allows those who see, for instance, a website or a brochure, to be guided by various graphic elements and pointers such as font sizes, placement, etcetera.

”The first impression doesn’t play just any role in visual communication; it plays the lead.”

The pros have bigger ears

If there is a recipe for success, cooperation and sensibility are the two main ingredients. Therefore, it is easy to tell the difference between a professional and a mediocre marketer: the pros have bigger ears.

– If you want to cultivate a professional attitude in this industry, you should learn to listen. Our customers are experts in their fields, and they have a lot of useful knowledge when we design a marketing campaign or some other project. Therefore, I always begin each project by familiarizing myself with the customer’s industry. I forget design thinking for a while and research to understand my customers’ needs, their business area, and the requirements of their customers, says Jennie.

The ultimate goal is a concept that our customers can feel comfortable with and something that also reaches their customers.

The target image is the essential visual material

Formulating clear goals at the beginning of the process is necessary for the later assessment of the visual communication results. It all depends on your goals.

Do you want to increase awareness of your brand or stimulate sales? Do you need to strengthen your company’s credibility in the industry or get more customers and potential customers to interact with the brand on social media?

Jennie explains that the objectives will affect visual communication, which channels are used for marketing, and how the media are used.

”It all depends on your goals.”

It’s never too early to start building a stronger brand

– If you are pondering how people perceive your company or want to know more about the benefits a good graphic profile can offer your brand, I recommend you contact a company specializing in such matters, Jennie concludes.

Book a meeting with us and find out how you can strengthen your brand!

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Wikström
Media

Ab Wikström Media Oy is one of Western Finland’s largest advertising agencies specialized in creating ideas, concepts, and strategies.

To us, Finland is local, but our reach is global.

Wikström Media is a full-service agency with Nordic roots and a global reach. We help our customers enter new markets, think bigger and perform better.

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Koulukatu 25-27 A
68600 Pietarsaari
Suomi

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