(Hint: It’s not about making things look pretty)

Imagine visiting two construction sites. One is well-organized and has clear safety signage. Workers are wearing clean, standardized uniforms with proper protective gear. The other site is chaotic, with scattered tools, unclear signage and workers in mismatched or worn-out safety gear. Both teams might be equally skilled, but which one would inspire more confidence in their professionalism, reliability and attention to detail?

About 94% of first impressions are design-related. 

And those perceptions form fast — within 50 milliseconds, to be precise.

Graphic design functions in the same way. Every design choice you make communicates your AEC firm’s values, capabilities and credibility to those who interact with it, even if they don’t realize they’re making those inferences. Whether it’s your website, logo, marketing materials or email signature, visuals establish the first and most frequent impression of your AEC firm.

About 94% of first impressions are design-related, according to Stanford Web Credibility Research. And those perceptions form fast — within 50 milliseconds, to be precise.