Finding the right fit

Design starts with an idea. It can be big, it can be small. Think of an idea for a start-up or business that you’ve had recently. Now, imagine your idea putting on a pair of pants. The pants will make your idea look good or bad, depending on the size, quality, material and style. Few ideas are “supermodels,” so skipping the pants and going au naturel will inevitably show some flaws and crudities.

Let’s take this analogy further. As you read the rest of this post, replace the word “pants” with “design.” We’ll even give your “Idea” a capital letter to make him feel important.

Pants give people an instant impression of your Idea. You’ll likely have your Idea try on a variety of different pants before you find the right fit. You may even experiment with several pant styles, hoping to find the one that most accurately reflects your Idea’s personality. While there’s no exact science behind finding the “right” pair of pants, here are a few points to consider:

Pants should fit the size of your Idea. If the pants are too small or too large, your Idea will look and feel uncomfortable. For example, a brand identity and interior design for a local pet shop in Ohio probably shouldn’t go for the look of a billion dollar hotel in Mumbai.

Pants should be affordable. Before you can choose pants for your Idea, you need to think about your budget. Otherwise, your Idea might end up in an expensive pair of pants that are never worn because there’s no money left for dry cleaning. In that same vein, ever wonder why that concept you had for a grocery-list app with photo upload, social sharing, store finding, pantry inventory, expense budgeting, recipe building, diet planning, kitchen timer, tasting diary and coupon clipping features ended up being too expensive to build?

… But not too affordable. It’s easy to think you’ve found a real bargain on some nice pants, only to have them tear when your Idea bends over a week later. That’s probably why your favorite Fortune 500 company isn’t getting its logo redesigned from a crowd-sourced competition. Good pants should come from a reliable source and be worth the asking price.

The material of the pants should serve a purpose. Your marathon-running Idea won’t succeed in tight-fitting leather pants, much like your website design won’t get the attention it deserves if it looks and acts like a direct-mail brochure.

The style of the pants should match your Idea’s personality. A Chief Executive Idea wearing pants with an elastic waist and cuffs probably wouldn’t be taken very seriously, much like you wouldn’t be taken seriously using the Comic Sans font on your Chief Executive’s business cards.

Like a great pair of pants on a good Idea, your design will be the first thing visitors see when they arrive at your website. Invest the time to find the right fit and your product or service will leave a lasting mark.