At Rhyme & Reason, behind every beautiful design is a smart idea, and behind the smart idea is research and immersion. Why do we start with research ? Well quite simply, our designs are better when we’ve done our homework. But to dig a bit deeper, there are three main reasons why we think research is important and why you should, too.

1. Your target market will notice and they’ll tell all their friends
   You’re paying us to create the visual representation of your company. That’s a HUGE deal. Essentially, you are giving us the opportunity to cultivate a customer’s first impression, and you know what they say about first impressions, right?Customers are very vocal about their opinions, sharing them on every social media platform from Facebook to YouTube. Remember when Gap changed their logo? The backlash was so intense that they were forced to re-embrace their old one. Although I am sure the marketing firm that Gap hired did their research, they left some big stones unturned. Knowing your audience isn’t just your job; it’s also ours. The more you share with us and the more we research, the better we can tailor designs to meet the tastes of your customers – whomever they may be.
2. We can’t design without it
   Seriously, if we don’t know anything about your company, your target market, your competitors or your industry, how are we supposed to create a brand, design a website, or write witty copy? I’d like to think that we are a shop full of really smart cookies, but even with our master’s degrees, 4.0s and impressive right-brain capabilities, we aren’t experts in your field. Research allows us to meet your target market (find out they hate the color pink) stalk your competitors (they have some really cool videos), learn about your industry (education is a big deal) and scope out the market trends (summer vacation is on everyone’s mind). When we have all the facts, we can use them to create a design that lacks all forms of pink, touts the importance of video, incorporates an educational message and plays off the summertime vibe.
3. We want you to be successful
   When you’re successful, we’re successful. This is awesome for you because our reputation hinges on our ability to make your company look good. The potential to miss the mark increases exponentially when research is left out of the process. By conducting research, you learn, we learn and we all become successful. That’s a win-win situation, wouldn’t you say?

If these reasons still don’t convince you why research is important to building your brand, designing your website or writing copy, try imagining what kind of car or house you would end up with if you didn’t do your research. Yeah, mine would be a mess, too. In the end, research and immersion is the key to the success of your company and that’s really, really, really important to us.