Most of our top executives understand it, yet too many times itÕs not communicated internally within the organization. The premise is extremely simple, the logic of it is solid, yet the practice of it alludes many and stops a company from becoming as successful as it is positioned to be. The topic?

ÒDesign does not have to be pretty, but it has to be appealing.Ó

For years marketing departments have recognized and ÒminedÓ this principle better than any other department inside of a company. For us to better understand the topic, let us look for some examples outside of our industry. Many folks in the marine business like to study the automobile industry. In particular, letÕs look at the success of the Hummer, not an attractive vehicle by anyoneÕs standard, but it definitely appealed to a certain market and launched a new division for General Motors. Jeep does a great job every year selling the Wrangler. The Wrangler is not what weÕd refer to as a gorgeous car but it certainly has a mass market appeal that has lasted for years. In certain design circles you would not be surprised to hear that the Chrysler 300 is far from a beautifully styled automobile, yet it too, has a very broad appeal and led Chrysler to a sales backlog. Personally, IÕve never been a fan of a Saab, yet it must appeal to some folks because they continue to sell. 

These are but a few examples which illustrate that sheer design ÒbeautyÓ is not always necessary for a product to be a sales success. However, a product that is appealing captures and ÒownsÓ
a market in a way that ensures a financial success opportunity for the company that produces it.

So what makes a product appealing? Is it the common sales refrain, ÒGive me what the other guy has for 5 cents less and weÕll sell a million of themÓ? Hardly. ItÕs a deep understanding of what appeals to a specific sector of the market and then designing the product in a way that not only visually relates to what theyÕre looking for, but finding that Òone thingÓ that pushes that customersÕ emotional button and then showcasing it into the product. ThatÕs successful design! The allure of the product is purely emotional before anything else, itÕs appealing in the way that the customer wishes it to be.

Focus groups are of limited value and often misleading. Study your customer and his environment. If you understand your customer beyond his words youÕll come to comprehend what he finds appealing. When youÕve accomplished that, youÕve given your company an opportunity to be extremely
successful and sell a lot of product.

By the way, a great by-product of this exercise is that once you have created that Òappealing productÓ you will probably see that Design works best with Marketing, and Engineering works best with Sales. But weÕll save that discussion for another time.