Though I hate to admit it, I do watch X Factor and watching it on Sunday night got me thinking. Yet again, a contestant with real singing talent, Lucie Jones, was lost to the strange, out of tune joke that are the twins John & Edward – a trend that seems to be plaguing this years competition. The worrying thing is that this keeps happening. The Great British public are choosing for these singing disasters to stay in the competition!

My theory is that it is the judges who are meant to be the music maestros. They’re the ones who are meant to be able to distinguish between which of the contestants have real musical ability and the skill to succeed, and which will be short term fads. The public on the other hand seem to vote for more superficial things like a contestants looks, where they’re from or really just for short term entertainment value. They really couldn’t care less if, after the hype contestants and/or winners are spat out, declared failures by all and quickly forgotten about.

So what’s this got to do with design?

If as a business owner looking to save a quick buck you DIY a logo, some business cards, a few leaflets to dish out and a website that you think is the best thing since sliced bread then you are in danger of being the British public voting in an act that will be forgotten in the blink of an eye. (And the worst thing is that in this case it is your business which will not be making an impact on the landscape that your customers view). If on the other hand you are an entrepreneur with a long term vision then longevity is something that will rate more highly for you. You’ll want to ensure you have an effective logo. You’ll be interested in how it can be developed into a recognisable and trusted brand. You’ll be more concerned with a long term return on investment (ROI) than the so called saving you’ll make from the many quick fix avenues you could go down.

And so as the nation was reeling from the survival of ‘Jedward’ and asking who are these people that vote, or more to the point, don’t vote, my mind was wondering, making comparisons between the British public and the small business owner!