“Good design is good business,” IBM founder Thomas J. Watson once said. Arguably, this is truer now – when we have the option to shop for everything from Christmas gifts to groceries from our laptops or smartphones – than ever before. Nowadays, whether they are going for post-work drinks, to yoga class or shoe shopping, people are looking for an experience – and design is part of that. “Design is part of branding, and branding is one part of hooking in clientele,” says David Penner, architect and founder of CommerceDesignWinnipeg. “As a customer you want to feel good, and you want to be there.” Penner is passionate about design and encouraging business owners to invest in it. But more than that, he has the numbers to demonstrate just how valuable good design can be, and he has the image of the city in mind as well.
“It is certainly worth us investing as an organization,” he says. “We want business owners to understand and to try to raise awareness about the value of design because it has a domino effect: when one business benefits, their neighbours notice and see fit to invest in their property too.”
“Design is part of branding, and branding is one part of hooking in clientele,” Penner says it’s worth the investment and it’s quantifiable. He recommends to clients who are deciding whether or not to replace existing signage that typically over a five-year period, they will see a
positive return on investment because the better an area looks, the more likely people are to visit because it becomes a positive experience. One of Penner’s former clients’ standard practice was to do a complete renovation of the property every 10 years or else they would begin losing clients, so it was declared hugely valuable. To demonstrate to business owners on the value of good design, Penner often asks them to look at the opposite. “Poorly designed or maintained storefronts and buildings tell customers the business is not successful and sends careless, negative vibes,” he says. “Creating a well-designed storefront is a way of improving the public realm, creating a welcoming atmosphere, and ultimately selling products.”
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Downtown Winnipeg Magazine | fall/winter 2015