Some people deride businesses who broadcast their values on their website, blog, or social media. Instead, they argue, we should focus on how we serve our clients because they see talking about values as self-indulgent, or worse point-scoring, virtue signaling, or purpose-washing.
More than hot air. Why values matter. Deeply.
We couldn’t disagree more. Values are everything – providing we act with integrity and stick to them authentically, letting them shape our decisions. We’ve seen this play out time and time again. In the last month, we noticed a LinkedIn consultant turn down a massive contract because her values didn’t align. Research shows a growing number of consumers care about brands that share similar ethics, choosing to buy from brands that show a commitment to sustainability, an ethical supply chain, and responsible packaging.
We know a compelling mission and purpose also drive purchasing decisions – especially among Gen Z. A Razorfish study finds 82% of consumers make purchase decisions with purpose in mind. The challenge is follow-through. It’s no good saying you stand for something and then making decisions in direct opposition to your purpose and principles.
When an industry or service is competitive and busy – like website development or graphic design – choosing a brand based on values can be the clincher. People buy from people, so personality and principles count.
Introducing the four values keeping us on course.
We’ve hopefully convinced you values are vital, so let’s get into the four that guide us in our website design and development work.
(A heads-up: they have been close to our hearts for a while, but now’s the right time to share them so you can learn alongside us and join us on the ride!)
1. Eco-led: leaning into clean and green with all our design decisions.
2. Client-led: ensuring you have full access and control over your assets.
3. Diversity-led: making space so everyone can belong.
4. User-led: creating website experiences that are positive and easy.
Values remind us of a sturdy nest: a launchpad. A home we gravitate to. A space to recharge.
But they are also imperfect.
We care about integrity but at the same time we will fall short sometimes. That’s why we see our values as aspirational (pursuing carrots) rather than punitive (avoiding sticks). They are commitments – the path we want to be on and the principles that lead our decision-making.
Let’s be clear, values aren’t pretty words we uncover in a branding workshop and then tuck away in a drawer – job done. No, they are living, breathing, evolving, and exciting. They are why we do what we do, how we do it, and we build on and refine them as we learn more.
They guide our decisions big or small. From our processes, policies, and design and coding solutions to who we select – and reject – as our suppliers, software, and projects we take on.
Once we know better, we can do better. Ahead of us is a lot of learning about what this will look like and how we apply these values in our work and culture. As new technology, initiatives, research, and ideas come to light, we can consider adopting them if they are a good fit for our values. The good news is we are curious to the core and will continue to consider and tease out how our values play out in the real world.
We’ll continue to be inspired by other creatives, businesses, and leaders in this space. Luckily, there’s no shortage of people around the world who motivate us.
Will you join us?
We’re committing to learn about, lean in, and realise these values in 2024 (and beyond) and being transparent as we go. We don’t want to be precious about our ideas because these values are bigger than us. That’s why, starting with what it means to be eco-led during May and June, we’ll be sharing our learning and implementation journey as we dive deeper into each value. We’ll share insights from our projects and clients – bringing these values to life.
You will likely see positive changes to the way we work and how we deliver our services as we do this.
We’re keen to hear from you – our clients, collaborators, and fellow creatives, too.
We want to have an ongoing conversation about this and so we have some questions for you:
- Do our four values resonate?
- What would you add?
- Do you have anybody you recommend we follow who’s already making an impact in these areas?
- Any book or podcast recommendations?
- Are you already actioning initiatives in any of these areas?
- What could we be doing to better live out these values in our work?
Enter your thoughts in the form below or connect with us on social media. The dream is to create an ecosystem of creatives and business owners who care about these values, a place where we share knowledge and ideas, and keep each other accountable. And – beyond website and graphic design – make the world a better place together.
Until next time. Watch this space!
Image (top of page) credit: Silvia Kienesberger, istockphoto.com