I love business - understanding how companies run, what engages a customer, what might get that business to the next level of influence and growth. I love creativity, design, and design culture. So for me, it is a beautiful thing to witness design leverage the opportunities a business has to succeed.

Two of my favorite thinkers that share this idea of designing for capitalism are David Butler, VP of Design over at Coke, and Goodby, Silverstein, & Partners, an ad agency that delivered us such campaigns as "Got Milk?".

Butler's message – "here's what I'm going to do to help you sell more stuff." As he says, "here [at Coke], it's about creating more value. How do we sell more of something? How do we improve the experience to make more money and create a sustainable planet?"

Selling "more stuff" has proven to be a pretty effective strategy, even in a downturn. Case volume was up 4% for the second quarter [last year] and profits were better than expected, based on strong sales in China and India.

"When I came," Butler says, "people recognized that they had a business problem. They just didn't know it was a design problem. We're leveraging design to drive innovation and to win at the point of sale, which is fundamental to our business. Full stop."

Goodby, Silverstein, & Partners also share in this sentiment. In their words, "Capitalism, for the most part, distrusts art. But a look at history shows that business has been at its best when its done with a sense of craft and surprise we associate with art. In the end, art combined with business is bigger art. Business combined with art is bigger business."

Business can certainly thrive without good design. But when good design is mingled with a focus on business results, businesses win. Buying decisions are made easier for the customer, customers experience delight, and ultimately a business gains the capability of a 6th gear they didn't even know they could have.

Quotes cited from Fast Company magazine article & Goodby, Silverstein, & Partners website

Back to Blog