How poorly designed documents could be sinking your business, and you might not even realise it.
The more you look, the worse it gets.
Like it or not, we humans are incredibly visual creatures. Although we all like to believe that the quality of our work will speak for itself, it’s almost always the presentation that makes the first and most impactful impression. A well-designed document can demand attention, convey professionalism, and build trust before a single word is even read. Conversely, poor design can undermine even your most brilliant ideas, leaving your clients questioning the expertise behind the content.
Having worked in professional services consulting for over 17 years, I’ve seen just about every type of poorly designed document that you can imagine. Some of them still give me nightmares. I’ve spent many a Friday afternoon with my head in my hands because I’ve just been asked to review a proposal or bid that ‘must go out today’, only to find that the document is an absolute mess. The content might be solid, but the text is all over the place, the images are low-resolution, the graphs and charts are difficult to read, and the fonts keep changing family like it’s an episode of Neighbours. If you’re anything like me, this will drive you up the wall.
If, however, and this sounds completely alien to you, just know that someone like me could well be on the receiving end of your document. I’ve also sat on the other side of the proverbial consultant fence. As a client-side Project Manager I’ve reviewed innumerable tender returns and proposals over the years. I’m one of those happy souls who will gleefully wait until 5pm on a Friday afternoon when the tender officially closes so I can unwrap the sealed responses like it’s Christmas morning. Nothing brings me down to earth quicker though than a document that looks like it’s been slapped together and rushed out the door without a second thought about how it is communicating visually.
Put simply, would you turn up to a client meeting in your tracky dacks? No? Then I urge you, please for the love of God, don’t send out your documents in a Microsoft PowerPoint system-standard template.
So, please join me on a somewhat brief journey through a few of the ways in which poorly designed and optimised documents could be surreptitiously sabotaging your business, and what you can do about it.
Lack of Consistency in Branding and Formatting
The Problem
Inconsistent branding and formatting are the most common document design issues I come across. This is especially true for independent consultants who often wear many hats and have competing demands on their time. This can manifest in many ways, such as varying font choices, misaligned logos, poor document hierarchy, inconsistent colour schemes, or haphazard layouts. These issues can stem from using different off-the-shelf templates, a lack of standardised design guidelines, not paying sufficient attention to detail, or simply believing that the quality of the content will speak for itself.
Imagine your document as a little fella that you send out into the world to represent you and your business. When this chap is poorly dressed, as it were, or they aren’t capable of communicating your message coherently, it can create a really disjointed brand experience for your clients, making you appear unprofessional and lacking in credibility.
The Impact
Inconsistent branding can have several negative impacts:
Client Confusion: When documents look different each time, clients may struggle to connect them to the consultant’s brand, leading to confusion.
Diluted Brand Identity: A strong, recognisable brand is built through consistency. When this is lacking, the brand’s impact is weakened.
Perceived Lack of Professionalism: Clients expect a certain level of polish in the documents they receive. Inconsistencies can make a consultant seem careless or less professional, potentially leading to lost business.
The Solution
To combat inconsistent branding, you should establish clear design guidelines for all of your documents. These guidelines should cover, at minimum:
Font Choices: Select a primary and secondary font for all documents and stick to them.
Colour Scheme: Choose a colour palette that reflects the consultant’s brand and use it consistently across all materials.
Logo Usage: Determine where and how the logo should be placed on documents.
Templates: Create or invest in professional templates that are unified across different types of documents (proposals, reports, presentations, etc.) and different programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Indesign, etc.). Templates ensure consistency and save time in the long run.
By adhering to these guidelines, you can help to can ensure that all of your documents reinforce each other and your brand as a whole, thus presenting a cohesive and professional image to your clients.
Ineffective Communication of Information
The Problem
Another major challenge for independent consultants is the ineffective communication of information within their documents. This can occur when complex ideas or data are not presented clearly or when the document design fails to guide the reader through the content effectively. Common issues include:
Cluttered Layouts: Overloading pages with text or data can make documents overwhelming and difficult to navigate.
Lack of Visual Aids: Failing to include charts, diagrams, or images that could help explain complex concepts or data, or poorly optimising these visual aids with, for example unreadable text elements.
Poor Hierarchy: Not using headings, subheadings, or other design elements to create a clear structure and guide the reader’s eye.
For consultants, our work often involves presenting detailed analysis, strategies, or recommendations and for this, clear communication is essential. If the document’s design hinders understanding, it can lead to misinterpretations, confusion, or a lack of engagement from the client.
The Impact
Ineffective communication through document design can have serious consequences, such as:
Misunderstandings: Clients may misunderstand key points or overlook important information, leading to misaligned expectations or decisions based on incorrect assumptions.
Reduced Client Confidence: If clients struggle to grasp the consultant’s message, they may lose confidence in the consultant’s expertise, making them less likely to follow through with recommendations or hire the consultant for future work.
Missed Opportunities: Poorly communicated ideas may fail to resonate with clients, leading to missed opportunities for additional work or referrals.
The Solution
To enhance the effectiveness of communication in their documents, consultants should focus on the following design principles:
Clarity and Brevity: Simplify content wherever possible. Use bullet points, short paragraphs, and clear language to convey key messages.
Visual Aids: Incorporate charts, graphs, infographics, or images to break up text and make complex information more digestible.
Hierarchy and Structure: Use headings, subheadings, and other design elements (such as bold text or colour blocks) to create a clear structure and guide the reader through the document. This helps clients easily navigate the content and focus on the most important points.
White Space: Don’t be afraid to use white space to separate sections and give the reader’s eye a break. A clean, uncluttered layout makes documents easier to read and more visually appealing.
By prioritising clear communication in document design, consultants can ensure that their clients fully understand and appreciate their expertise.
Time-Consuming Document Creation Process
The Problem
For many independent consultants, document creation can be a time-consuming and tedious process. Without streamlined processes or templates, consultants often find themselves spending hours formatting documents, aligning text, adjusting layouts, or revising designs. This is time that could be better spent on core consulting activities, such as research, analysis, or client meetings.
The inefficiency of manual document creation can lead to a range of issues, including missed deadlines, reduced billable hours, and increased stress. Moreover, when documents are rushed, the quality may suffer, further exacerbating the issues of inconsistency and ineffective communication.
And how many times have you seen a document that has been re-purposed from another project but has mistakenly left some of the previous text in place. Nothing will turn off your clients quicker than seeing some other client’s content lurking in their report.
The Impact
A time-consuming document creation process can have several negative effects on your business:
Reduced Productivity: Spending excessive time on document design reduces the time available for more valuable tasks, ultimately impacting your bottom line.
Missed Deadlines: Inefficiencies can lead to delays in delivering documents, which can harm client relationships and damage your reputation.
Quality Compromises: When pressed for time, consultants may cut corners on document design, resulting in lower-quality deliverables that don’t fully represent their capabilities.
The Solution
To streamline the document creation process, you can implement the following strategies:
Develop and Use Templates: Creating or using pre-designed templates for different types of documents can save significant time. Templates ensure consistency and allow consultants to focus on content rather than design.
Invest in Design Tools: There are numerous design tools and software available that can automate many aspects of document creation. Tools like Adobe InDesign, Canva, or even advanced features in Microsoft Word can help create professional-looking documents quickly and efficiently.
Standardise Processes: Establish a standardized process for document creation, from initial drafting to final review. This might include steps like content planning, template selection, design implementation, and proofreading. Having a clear process in place reduces the chances of errors and ensures that documents are completed efficiently.
Outsource Design Tasks: For consultants who find document design particularly challenging or time-consuming, outsourcing this task to a professional designer can be a worthwhile investment. This allows the consultant to focus on their core competencies while ensuring that their documents meet high design standards.
By optimising the document creation process, consultants can improve their efficiency, meet deadlines more consistently, and produce high-quality documents that reflect their professionalism.
Conclusion
Document design may not be the first thing that comes to mind for independent consultants focused on delivering high-quality professional services, but it plays a crucial role in how your work is perceived by your clients. I’ve seen it countless times on both the client and consultant side, and I’ve personally witnessed many proposals end up in the bottom of the pile simply because they don’t effectively communicate the value proposition on offer.
Often, the negative results are intangible though; they manifest in a mood, or a feeling, or a hesitation in the mind of your client – often without even them knowing it. This ultimately results in a lower win-rate for your proposals, and less repeat business from your existing clients; it’s the quiet business-killer that you may not have even considered before.
The solution is to establish clear design guidelines and to focus on effective communication and streamlining your document creation process. This means paying as much attention to the presentation of your content, as the content itself. In doing so, you can ensure that your documents consistently reflect your expertise and professionalism. Investing in good document design is not just about aesthetics; it’s about building a strong brand, enhancing client relationships and trust, and ultimately growing a successful consulting business.