10 creative business designs and what you can learn from them. Before you hit send on that newsletter template, print your next stock-standard ad, or go live with that basic website design, take some inspiration from these creative business designs and the lessons behind each one's success.

1. Top 10 creative business designs
AND WHAT YOU CAN LEARN FROM THEM.

2. 2
BEFORE YOU
HIT SEND ON THAT NEWSLETTER TEMPLATE,
PRINT YOUR NEXT STOCK-STANDARD AD,
OR GO LIVE WITH THAT BASIC WEBSITE DESIGN,
TAKE SOME INSPIRATION FROM THESE
CREATIVE BUSINESS DESIGNS AND THE LESSONS
BEHIND EACH ONE’S SUCCESS.

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ENCOURAGE
INTERACTION
Make your message memorable and fun
by involving customers in the creation
processes.
This will leave people intrigued and
ensure your mail doesn’t
wind up in the bin.

4. In 2012, IBM engaged its database with a direct mail send-out that included
a packet of sand and a piece of paper marked with invisible gum.
Recipients were encouraged to pour the sand on the paper, which stuck to
it in places, revealing the message: ‘IBM Opens in Qatar’.

5. In 2012, IBM engaged its database with a direct mail send-out that included
a packet of sand and a piece of paper marked with invisible gum.
Recipients were encouraged to pour the sand on the paper, which stuck to
it in places, revealing the message: ‘IBM Opens in Qatar’.

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GIVE CUSTOMERS
THAT WARM,
FUZZY FEELING
Use ideas that are associated with fond
childhood memories and transform
them into an engaging concept.

7. Playing on the face flip-book concept that is popular with children,
the homepage on the website of casting agency Edita’s Casting
features a montage of faces from its database of
“actors, dancers, interesting and beautiful people, seniors and children”.

8. Playing on the face flip-book concept that is popular with children,
the homepage on the website of casting agency Edita’s Casting
features a montage of faces from its database of
“actors, dancers, interesting and beautiful people, seniors and children”.

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LET THE RESULTS
DO THE TALKING
Be creative about how you communicate
the results your products and services
deliver. After all, it’s results that your
customers care about.

10. To stand out from the pack of brightly coloured, lose-weight-fast messages
in the fitness industry, trainer Zohra Mouhetta used business cards
with a tearable stomach to effectively demonstrate what training
will do for your body.

11. To stand out from the pack of brightly coloured, lose-weight-fast messages
in the fitness industry, trainer Zohra Mouhetta used business cards
with a tearable stomach to effectively demonstrate what training
will do for your body.

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TIMELINESS IS NEXT
TO GODLINESS
When implementing social media
campaigns, a nimble team, with a
finger on the pulse of your industry,
will get you far.

13. In 2013, Oreo out-did all the Super Bowl ads with one tweet.
When the power went out in the Superdome, Oreo tweeted its image with
the caption, ‘You can still dunk in the dark’, which attracted more than
10,000 retweets in just one hour.

14. In 2013, Oreo out-did all the Super Bowl ads with one tweet.
When the power went out in the Superdome, Oreo tweeted its image with
the caption, ‘You can still dunk in the dark’, which attracted more than
10,000 retweets in just one hour.

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THINK
OUTSIDE THE BOX
More often than not, a standard design can
be adapted to create something that is
visually appealing and serves a function.

16. Taco Bell got creative with QR codes for its products by creating codes
made from lemons and avocados. This communicated its flavour message
and encouraged people to scan.

17. Taco Bell got creative with QR codes for its products by creating codes
made from lemons and avocados. This communicated its flavour message
and encouraged people to scan.

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UTILISE WHITE SPACE
Stop giving your clients and
customers cluttered options
and let important messages
breathe.

19. Neiman Marcus decided on a minimal design to let subscribers
know about its last minute sale, and communicated the most
important thing – the time – with a sleek clock design.

20. Neiman Marcus decided on a minimal design to let subscribers
know about its last minute sale, and communicated the most
important thing – the time – with a sleek clock design.

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LESSON
TURN THE ORDINARY
INTO SOMETHING
EXTRAORDINARY
Use objects that are familiar to those in your
industry in the design of your promotional
material. This is also a great way to quickly
personalise your message.

22. Expedia took a well-known travel object, barcoded luggage tags, to create a
social media competition where customers could use them to design a series
of funny and relatable messages.

23. Expedia took a well-known travel object, barcoded luggage tags, to create a
social media competition where customers could use them to design a series
of funny and relatable messages.

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ASSUME YOUR
AUDIENCE
IS INTELLIGENT
By now, we all know sugar-free is
probably healthier than sugar, so Chupa
Chups cleverly bypassed the obvious
approach and injected some humour.

25. Chupa Chups ditched the obvious health-focused message
when it showed off this product with a trail of ants that clearly want
nothing to do with the sugar-free pop.

26. Chupa Chups ditched the obvious health-focused message
when it showed off this product with a trail of ants that clearly want
nothing to do with the sugar-free pop.

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CHANGE
PERCEPTIONS
By using long-established narratives and
concepts, and giving them a different
meaning, your brand has the opportunity to
say a lot using design and images alone.

28. Pedigree decided on a different approach for its animal adoption campaign
and made the benefits for people the main focus.
It took this powerful series of outdoor ads to communicate the benefit of
adopting a pet by taking well-known visual motifs and adding one crucial
element that changes the picture completely.

29. Pedigree decided on a different approach for its animal adoption campaign
and made the benefits for people the main focus.
It took this powerful series of outdoor ads to communicate the benefit of
adopting a pet by taking well-known visual motifs and adding one crucial
element that changes the picture completely.

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HAVE FUN WITH
YOUR CUSTOMERS
Guinness focused on customer
retention and attraction with this
clever campaign that resulted in
customers talking loudly about their
drink of choice on social media.

31. Guinness took the standard QR code to another level when it
designed one that only worked on a glassful of Guinness.
Once drinkers had their glass filled, they could scan the code to
download exclusive content or broadcast social messages.

32. Guinness took the standard QR code to another level when it
designed one that only worked on a glassful of Guinness.
Once drinkers had their glass filled, they could scan the code to
download exclusive content or broadcast social messages.

33. Contact your local Snap Centre
to discuss how we can
help your business produce
creative designs.