Forbes writer urges embrace of 'the era of design'

He’s certainly not the first to declare this the Era of Design – Newsweek famously devoted the entire October 27, 2003 issue to the emergence and  importance of design – but Forbes writer Adam Swann succinctly describes the importance of thoughtful design.
The column also offers examples of how design has led to incredible success for some organizations. (Can you imagine a bank having an 82 percent recommendation rate? A bank!)
Swann discusses the impact that design can have on a brand:

Think how swiftly and strongly a design experience shapes our opinion of that brand, company or store, for good or bad. For instance, we know quickly when a website is bad. And we associate that feeling of frustration, or worse, disappointment with that brand.
Design-oriented organizations invest in thinking this stuff through. They put design at the heart of their company to guide innovation and to continually improve products, service and marketing. They recognize that a great design leads to differentiation, customer loyalty and higher profits.

With a few examples of how some of the most successful companies in the world are using design to improve their business, Swann observes, “What is certain is that the design bar has been raised and design-oriented businesses are winning.”
The article notes that careful thought about a brand is much more important now because information travels so quickly in a hyperconnected world.
Finally, Swann offers a “call to action” for leaders to put forth the effort to make extraordinary experiences from ordinary products and services, to use design as a competitive advantage.
We couldn’t agree more.
Read “Welcome to the Era of Design” at Forbes.com