This past Mother’s Day, I was reminded of the cliché statement: “The way you treat your mom is the way you will treat your future wife.” Well, I just got engaged, and I hope that this statement isn’t true. In fact, I believe that they should be treated quite differently, but under the same general principal: give them what they need. The same could be said with the way to approach designing materials for business-to-business (B2B) versus business-to-consumer (B2C) clients.
In designing for B2B, the end audience isn’t necessarily the target you’re aiming for. You really have to tap into the minds of the men and women with executive status—presidents, VPs, directors, the C-suite positions (CEO, CFO, CMO, etc.) and, of course, the client’s marketing department. The target is often much more specific. Materials must be clear, concise and strategically laid out to attract that niche. It’s not necessarily an audience I identify with, but one that is valuable and necessary nonetheless—sort of like the dynamics between mother and son.
With B2C clients, however, I can start to think on a different level—there’s a focus on the more emotional takeaway from marketing materials over, say, making sure to hit every single aspect the client thought the piece needed. Think back to some of the most memorable campaigns—why do you remember them? Something about them made you laugh, think, cry—made you want something. It was the well-crafted message combined with aesthetically pleasing design or look that struck a chord in your brain that said, “Yes, this is me. This is what I want.” I identify more with the end user because it’s this very moment—this emotional response—that got me interested in graphic design in the first place. And it’s my firm belief that I identify with my future wife in a similarly more emotional-based, relatable way.
Mothers and wives deserve the same amount of attention, thoughtfulness and respect, just as B2B and B2C clients do. In the end, it’s really about treating every project with the same amount of creative juice, and channeling that into what fits for that specific audience best.
-Randall Loui
Graphic Designer
randall@mustangmktg.com