This article was updated on June 14, 2023
What is a design asset?
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. The same is true when it comes to your brand design assets. This applies to any form of content you put outโfrom your photography, video, and graphic design. Your visual design assets are the metaphorical โlinksโ of your branding โchainโ. If one piece is weak, it sticks out and distracts from other professionally-produced content you may have.
Larger businesses will use professionally produced assets consistently to ensure visual continuity and stay on brand. High-quality design elements are essential for presenting a favorable, memorable professional experience.
When you have a choice, you should use a graphic designer, in-house or freelance. Preferably a graphic designer who’s part of a team overseen by a creative director. A designer can help you stand out from the crowd. This is because graphic designers are primarily responsible for visually communicating ideas in an aesthetically pleasing way through various mediums in a cohesive way. They also develop design systems to guarantee visual consistency across all platforms. This is especially crucial for an organization’s website, which often serves as your brand’s first point of contact.
Table of Contents
Low-quality assets will negatively impact your business
Conversely, we can say the opposite is true. Nearly 70% of e-consumers say that high-quality images are very important in selecting and purchasing a product. Whatโs more, high-quality images actually rank higher than all other criteria. A product description may tell you more about the product objectively, but a picture is worth a thousand words, as the old saying goes.
Thatโs the power of high-quality design assets in action. Consumers and clients want to feel confident they are investing in a polished product. Simply put, quality design assets for business show that the company pays attention to the details and cares about the products or services they produce.
It also conveys that they care about providing you with a good user experience while interacting with their brand. Quality design assets are one of the most effective ways to establish brand credibility. Thatโs the reason why Nike โjust does it.โ In other words, it lets the customers and clients understand theyโre in good hands. Almost every piece of marketing collateral they produce conveys the confidence behind their slogan.
Quality assets will determine first impressions
Users establish an opinion about your website in roughly 50 milliseconds (ms) (0.05 seconds), deciding whether to stay or depart. This figure is derived from specific investigations. In the first research, participants rated the visual appeal of web homepages twice – the first presentation lasting 500 milliseconds. In a subsequent investigation, the exposure time was reduced to 50 milliseconds.
In fact, according to Adobe, about 38% of people will stop engaging with a website if the content/layout is unattractive or confusing. Bad design can lead to uncertainty when evaluating what product or service you are comparing.
With that in mind, you want to avoid having weak graphic design assets, especially for new businesses. A website with low-quality design assets can invoke reservations for potential customers. The competition is stiff, and everyone is vying for high-quality conversions.
An unfamiliar customer may think, โCould it be that this company simply has low-quality products?โ or โDoes this company not care enough about their image or presentation? What does that say about how theyโll treat me?โ. Although these statements may not truly reflect the business, the first impression has been made. And we all know how first impressions are hard to change.
Quality design assets are essential for a positive user experience.
Design assets tell a storyโmake sure theyโre telling yours, and not everyone elseโs
Another thing to be highly wary of is stock images or third-party graphics. While they can be acceptable in some select circumstances, ideally, you want to stay away from them as much as possible. Despite the fact that the image quality on stock websites is usually pretty high, the problem lies in that itโs an asset accessible to anyone, anywhere. It’s kinda like showing up at a party and you recognize someone has the same outfit you are wearing.
Depending on the context of the product or service you are selling, people who look like models are less likely to attract attention than “normal” people.
Surely, youโve landed on the contact page of a website with a picture of a female receptionist, somewhere in her mid-to-late twenties, smiling while answering a call on a headset or phone? Chances are, you could picture exactly what we just described – we’ve seen her everywhere on the web. This only creates brand confusion, and the person might question the legitimacy of your business.
How easy is now to capture one of your employees posing as if the are answering a phone. Especially, with cell phones that are now capable of shooting a person with a bokeh background – blurry background if you don’t know the lingo.
Thatโs the biggest issue with stock photography and graphics. This type of imagery can be anywhere online and not personalized to your brand.
Conversely, you can hire a model that fits your business’s culture from a local agency. Your creative team can photograph the person in your office space to appear as part of your team. We’ve done this for many campaigns and have created the allusion to that person being on staff. This also applies to on-screen talent if you need someone to pitch your video. Actors can be directed to give the perception that they are part of your team.
Simply put, stock assets can come across as impersonal, and this is something that customers and clients will pick up on. Quality assets are created to created an emotional connection with potential clients or consumers.
Naturally, thereโs great value in having original assets produced specifically for you. Custom-made quality assets ensure that your assets are uniquely branded to you and tell your story. And the best way to ensure that you have high-quality original assets is by hiring a designer or a creative agency to help you out.
Like architects, branding agencies have a team to build your identity – how people perceive your brand.
Images and video have additional benefits
Using unique, quality assets extends far beyond the initial scope of use. For example, if you have design graphics or photos produced specifically for your website page or cross channel marketing campaignโthis isnโt the end of its potential usage.
You can apply those same graphics and photos to any related print collateral, social media posts, email blasts, blog articles, etc. You are only limited by your own creativity and imagination. To brand yourself and your business effectively, you need high-quality materials that can be used in various contexts.
The up-front cost can be high. However, you can get a lot of value by leveraging quality assets. Brand awareness is all about consistency.
Sales are more likely to increase for products and services that succeed in keeping their brand name front and center in consumers’ minds. Consumers are more inclined to purchase a professionally crafted image when presented with multiple options.
Conducting a SWOT analysis can help you learn more about the number of companies you compete with. This exercise will also reveal any shortcomings your business might have regarding your identity and the design assets you are using.
The same applies to a professionally produced video that captures your brand story or a video used to describe a product or service. This type of asset can be used on your website and leveraged across digital channels for greater exposure.
A professionally produced video can establish trust and serve as a warm welcome to potential buyers. 95% of a message is retained when viewed in a video as opposed to 10% when read in text.
These assets serve many purposes and advocate for your business 24/7. Our sister agency, Mighty Fine Production Company, is a Tampa-based Video Production studio that creates videos and motion graphics at the highest production levels to help clients gain brand awareness.
Quality assets have SEO value
It’s the dawn of a new age in regard to search engine algorithms, which now prioritize visual and textual material. The rapid advancement of image recognition technologies is behind this development. These advances allow search engines to understand and weigh visual content more than previously, allowing companies to present their products visuallyโthink about top searches now and the inclusion of more images. Responding quickly to visual search queries can boost a business’s online presence and attract more customers.
The latest algorithm updates allow Google to distinguish between original content, stock photos, and AI-generated images with great accuracy. Google’s focus on original, high-quality content shows its commitment to user experience. People trust original images more, so they rank higher in search results. To give users the best value, Google is avoiding overusing stock photographs, which could make the search experience less unique.
Given these advances, businesses should use unique visual content to stand out in search results. Anyone using stock photographs from elsewhere should add text, change the colors, or do something else creative to make them look more original. These methods improve photos’ aesthetics and tell search engines to think they’re more unique, which boosts a brand’s SEO and digital footprint.
Final Thoughts
High-quality assets are crucial for consistent brand identity. Donโt let poor-quality or stock-quality assets dilute your message and give clients the wrong impression. Here at Mighty Fine, professionally produced business design assets are well within our wheelhouse. If you need any assistanceโlet us know how we can assist you. We know youโve got substance, and weโve got style. Letโs work together. Please contact us so we can assist you with some quality assets for your next website, marketing, or sales campaign.
