It’s no easy task to strategically develop a startup business, and if you want to make it big, you’re going to have to get creative about it. Using art and creativity to boost your startup growth can be the best investment you can make as long as you know how to go about it.
Remember that Art Is a Form of Communication
When you’re just starting out, you’re probably going to want to consider creating a logo and a few visual elements that will become the face of your brand. Many companies see these visual elements more as accessories. They are something all businesses must have, yet few really understand how important they are.
Art is about communicating ideas in a simple, powerful way. Every visual element you use, be it the color scheme of your website or the font to write your content, are going to send a message to your audience, whether you are aware of it or not.
Since you already have to choose these elements when you’re setting up your startup, why not take some time to make them actually reflect the principles and voice of your brand? A haphazard jumble of tones, styles, colors and images is going to make your brand look completely incoherent. A powerful visual style can communicate more about your brand than words can.
Create A Strong but Flexible Brand Image
Smart design appears to be timeless. Just think of the Coca-Cola logo or the Nike swish. These are artistic creations that even though they have a commercial purpose, transmit just as much about their subject as any famous painting.
The key to success for design such as this is that the creators (and more importantly, the clients) settled on a simple look that could easily adapt to new contexts. Instead of trying to tell it all in just one element, these pieces leave room for interpretation and variation.
Creativity is more than just coming up with an idea. Creativity, even in art, is about coming up with visual solutions to problems that might not even exist yet. You don’t have to invest a lot in creating the visual component of your brand, though. You just have to be smart about it.
Create Animated Ads to Promote Your Business
It’s a well-known fact that internet users nowadays prefer to skim through content, rather than carefully reading everything they encounter. Given the vast number of content sharing platforms and the dizzying number of content creators, it makes sense.
So, if you want to grab your audience’s attention fast and keep them there for a while, consider investing in animated ads to promote your business. While it’s true you probably won’t be able to fit a lot of information in a short ad, you have a much better chance at raising brand awareness quickly and efficiently.
Animation is the popular format for these types of ads since they are relatively simple to make compared to live-action ads. They offer a much wider range of visual styles and options, and they’re easier to adapt to any brand image.
Replace Lengthy Articles with Powerful Visuals
Diagrams and compelling infographics are a wonderful replacement for written articles, especially if your startup operates in a relatively restrained niche field that customers might not be familiar with.
Visuals can provide a clear image of what your startup does or what it’s planning to do without the need for complicated terms and concepts. Plus, often times visuals are much better suited at explaining proportions and projections.
But these visual solutions can be just the creative edge you need to put your brand ahead of its competition. You shouldn’t restrict your use of images just to necessity. They can be much more efficient and less time consuming than blog posts. Plus, they can further contribute to making your startup brand truly one of a kind and instantly recognizable.
Use Adversity to Your Advantage
Developing startups are faced with a lot of challenges. From budgetary constraints to lack of exposure, there are a lot of things that can slow down your growth rate. What’s more, these things tend to depend on each other.
Content marketing requires a lot of funds for proper reach and output, but in order to obtain the necessary funds, you need a strong client base. And these customers cannot be reached without a proper marketing campaign.
This is where art and creativity, in general, can shine. Though it may seem counter-intuitive, the most creative ideas often come precisely in such contexts.
Turning your blog posts from mere informative articles into creative artistic pieces that encompass different media will help you get more with less. Instead of focusing on the quantity of your content, focus instead on the quality. And most importantly, on the message you want to send to your audience.
Use time and budget constraints to figure out innovative ways of using the skills and resources you already have.
Of course, though there are principles to it, how you decide to use art and creativity to boost startup growth should ultimately follow your own idea of how your brand would feel and look. These tips are meant to be your guidelines. It’s up to you to decide how you use them in practice and share the results.
Cristopher Tuckerman is a graphic designer and web developer, with over five years of experience. He is currently collaborating with Artwork Abode, a creative design service company, where he is involved in various logo design and illustration projects.
