Apple, one of the most innovative companies today.
It has become very well-known all over the world and businesses of all types are trying to recreate the success they have attained. There was An Interview with an Apple Designer recently, Johnathan Ive, explaining what principles he feels businesses should live by. He had some great points to offer which I’d like to expand upon.
The first principle was to do something well, not different. It is a simple idea, An Interview with an Apple Designer points out that it is a genius one. It is true that people are always looking for something different, but if you have a dozen unique products that don’t work, no one is going to want them. Another bad idea is to introduce products or services that have nothing to do with your business in order to branch out. There are many great examples of this including Harley Davidson perfume, Bic underwear, Frito-Lay lemonade, and Colgate kitchen entrees. All of those were actual products that failed since they were so disconnected to the brand. Take Colgate for example. They are a company known for selling toothpaste and one day decided to start making packaged meals. The public wasn’t interested in purchasing food from a toothpaste company, the two just don’t seem to mix too well together. Be sure to stay true to your brand, going outside of what your company stands for can be dangerous. Keep in mind that if you do not specialize in it, people are most likely not going to buy it.
In order to come up with ideas that people will want to buy into, you must be able to stay focused on your purpose. Don’t become too blinded by profits, your only goal should not be to strictly generate money. If people notice that all you care about is increasing your profit, they will easily become turned off by your brand. Aim to better your products, processes, customer assistance, marketing, and everything concerning your business and the profits will follow. Don’t try so hard to copy what other brands are doing, it may work for them, but if you want to be successful you must decide what is best for your specific business and target market.
Lastly, be patient and don’t rush creativity. Always remember that great things take time. If you take shortcuts and put in as little time as you can, it will show. It may be hard to slow things down, especially in such a fast-paced culture, but don’t hurry through the design process. If you pay close attention to details and plan things carefully to begin with, you can save money and prevent fatal mistakes.
If you’d like to read the entire interview you can check it out at inc.com.
infographic source: blog.yudu.com
