World-Class Design Is Not About Starting from Square One

I’m co-founder and CEO of Big Red Jelly, and I’ve worked with hundreds of companies, each with a history, vision, and set of problems. And while much of what we do is creating beautiful, modern brands and websites from scratch…

I’ve learned that world-class strategists and designers are really those who excel at another kind of challenge.

Let me show you an example.

You just bought a new house. You’re thrilled with it—you’ve moved your furniture and most of your belongings, and it’s already quite homey. But you’re not done yet. You’d like to renovate the place and truly make it shine, so you’re going to hire an interior designer.

The first interior decorator comes in, looks around, and declares in one breath, “Wow. We’ll have to gut the entire place. Remove everything and do it all over again.”

Now you can go out and buy a new dining table, a new sofa, new everything—but you don’t want to. You like some of your furniture, and you most certainly don’t have the money to replace it all.

The second interior designer arrives. She glances around the room, carefully examines the space, and inventories what is already there. She asks you about your budget, how much creative flexibility you’ll allow her, and what is functionally working and what isn’t. Based on what you have available and what she can get for her, she formulates a plan and shows you a redrafted design plan. She’s not starting from scratch; she’s working with what you already have.

Who is the better interior designer?

In my opinion, it’s the second one…

The solution of the first designer is easy—just remove the old and introduce the new. But the second designer is the true artist. She is a true strategist. A world-class creative can do enormous things with limitations and constraints. They can take a good foundation, see its potential, and create something beautiful from it.

The Real-World Application for Your Brand and Website

I witness this situation on an ongoing basis here at Big Red Jelly. A company comes in and thinks they need an entirely new brand or a whole new website. And I’m not saying sometimes that’s the correct solution. But nine times out of ten, that’s simply not it. Most companies just don’t have the budget or the time for a complete makeover, and honestly, they likely have enough good material to work with.

The test is not to create a “fun” new brand. The test—and the mark of a truly great designer or strategist—is to improve an existing brand and a site. You must be more strategic and creative in order to discover about a client’s business, their budget, their resources, their creative freedom, and their goals. It’s about finding the gems in the rough and polishing them into sparkling jewels.

The best-performing brands are not necessarily those with the largest budgets or most dazzling sites. They’re those that have a genuine, stable base that is carefully built upon to address their customers’ needs.

So the next time you’re looking at your website or your brand, don’t go tearing it all apart. Ask yourself instead: How can you build something amazing with what you already have in your hand? What are the key elements that, with a little bit of strategic vision and some creative know-how, could launch you into the big leagues? 

Practical Tips for Becoming a World-Class Strategist and Designer

Start with a Comprehensive Audit. Take time to thoroughly think through the client’s existing assets, from their logo through to the performance metrics of their website. What’s working? What’s not working?

Ask “Why?” Five Times. Uncover the bottom of a problem in a client. Don’t accept their initial request at face value for a new logo. Ask them why they think they need it. It may show the real problem, which might be a communication problem, not a design problem.

Set the Constraints Up Front. Budget, schedule, and resources are not constraints—they are your project’s limits. Defining them first releases you to think more creatively within those limits.

Embrace the “Good Enough” and Take It to Great. Identify things that are “good enough” and think through how to make them great. Can the color scheme be tweaked to be more contemporary? Can the navigation on the site be streamlined without rebuilding it from scratch?

Target Small, Big-Impact Changes. Too often, a series of small, strategic changes will produce a more powerful impact than a complete overhaul. A new call-to-action button or updated homepage can have a massive impact on user experience and conversions.

Be a Student of Your Client’s Market. The better you understand their niche market, the competition, and their target market, the better you’ll be able to make strategic recommendations that really pay off.

Function Over Fun. A beautiful site that won’t make sales is just art. An efficient site that leads a business to its goals is effective. Always put first what will work for the business.

Teach Your Client. Make them understand why you’re doing something. When they realize that your plan is founded upon information and understanding of their business, they’ll be more likely to trust you.

Build on What’s Real. Each company has a real story and honest voice. Dig it up and make it loud. Don’t build a brand from the ground up that isn’t real to the company’s roots.

Measure Everything. The only way to know whether your changes worked is to measure the results. Use analytics to monitor improvements in key metrics such as conversion rates, time on page, and bounce rates.

5 Key Considerations for Business Owners

Considering an update to your brand or a website redesign?

Consider the following before you jump into a full-scale overhaul.

Don’t Ask “Should I rebrand?” Ask “Why Should I rebrand?” A full rebrand or website redesign is a big commitment. The starting point is to identify the source of your business needs. Do you require more leads, an outdated brand, or a confusing user experience? Once you identify the root problem, you’ll know the correct solution.

You Likely Have a Strong Basis to Build On. Your business has heritage, story, and dedicated customer base. A well-thought-out, budget-friendly branding and website design approach can capitalize on these strengths you’ve already gained, as opposed to having to start anew and watering down the equity you’ve already established.

A Good Look Now does Not Translate to a Good One. Your new web design looks lovely, but it’s not done well unless it is meeting your business objectives. Keep functionality, concise messaging, and a smooth user experience in mind ahead of mere aesthetics. Your site needs to be a strong sales tool, not an attractive brochure.

Think of It as a Strategic Evolution, Not a Revolution. In today’s fast-paced digital world, it’s not about doing one massive, expensive rebrand every decade. It’s about making strategic, data-driven improvements to your brand and web design on an ongoing basis. This keeps you relevant and allows for more flexibility and a better ROI.

Find a Partner, Not a Vendor. While in the market to purchase a branding or web design firm, find a partner who will challenge you with tough questions, understand your constraints, and is committed to offering the best possible, pragmatic solution for your business. A professional will see the potential in what you already have and help you develop something extraordinary that actually works.

In Conclusion

The mark of a truly great creative isn’t on a blank canvas; it’s on the ability to take a half-finished canvas and produce a masterpiece. That is our motto that serves as true for every brand and web design project that we do. It’s easy to suggest starting from scratch, but the real value is in strategic thinking that allows you to work around constraints, honor what works, and find a path to significant improvement without necessarily having to start over.

Regardless of whether you are a designer seeking to master your art or a business executive considering a change, remember this guiding philosophy: World-class work isn’t about producing something new, it’s about producing something fantastic. It’s about making a strategic vision work that honors the past, enhances the present, and sets the stage for a sound platform into the future.

Are you ready to take the leap and elevate your brand, website and business growth to new heights? Reach out and schedule a free consultation with brand, build and growth experts. Choose a time here.