An Occupational Hazard I Cannot Shake

It’s an occupational hazard I cannot shake. Especially when it comes to shopping!

Not because I spend too much money.

At least that’s what I tell myself.

It’s because I keep stopping to look at things…

A menu.

A sign.

A product label.

Those digital boards at the shopping centre.

The way customers move through a store.

The way a café has arranged its tables.

The font on a restaurant menu.

The wayfinding in a shopping centre.

The placement and typography of a promotional sign. Lucida? Really?

Once you’ve worked in branding long enough, you start seeing businesses differently.

I’ve walked into a café and before I’d even looked at the menu, I noticed the chairs didn’t match the tables. The menus were beautifully designed. Yet all I could think about was how many people would have flipped through them for the edges to start peeling.

The coffee cups looked premium. The lighting, on point. It was warm and inviting. But, why these random plastic chairs that looked like they’d been borrowed from a community hall?

Did it affect the coffee?

Not at all.

Did I still notice it?

Oh yes I sure did.

The funny thing is, most customers probably wouldn’t consciously notice something like that.

But they would feel it.

And that’s what fascinates me about branding.

Most people think branding is about logos.

I’ve never really believed that.

Branding is often the little things.

The things customers don’t actively think about, but somehow remember.

The restaurant that feels premium.

The clinic that feels trustworthy.

The retail store that feels organised.

The business that feels like it has its act together.

Usually, it’s not one big thing creating that feeling.

It’s hundreds of tiny things working together.

I think that’s why I enjoy what I do.

Because branding isn’t really about making things look pretty.

It’s about understanding people.

Why some places just feel right.

Why some businesses feel trustworthy before you’ve even spoken to anyone.

Why you’ll happily pay $7 for one coffee and complain about spending $5 somewhere else.

People are weird.

And honestly, that’s what makes this industry interesting.

The longer I work in this industry, the more I realise that customers are incredibly observant.

They notice more than we give them credit for.

Maybe not consciously.

But emotionally.

And emotions influence decisions far more than most businesses realise.

So yes, I still stop to look at menus.

I still study packaging in supermarkets and sometimes find one that makes me question the entire approval process.

But I digress.

I still notice signs, lighting, layouts and customer flow.

And every now and then, those little observations remind me of something important.

Customers are paying attention.

Even when they don’t realise they are.

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