Strategic Design for Business Growth: An Interview with Nutcracker's Head of Design

The Nuterview: Strategic Design for business growth – An interview with Jenny Knowles

Design is more than just logos, images, fonts, and a brand’s aesthetic. It’s a powerful, essential part of marketing that can establish a brand’s identity, convey a singular message, and significantly boost the visibility and performance of your campaigns. In fact, exceptional design does more than just help your content stand out and look good – it has the power to influence conversions and attract potential customers, ultimately improving your ROI. You can explore more about our design and branding services.

Having worked at Nutcracker since its inception, Head of Design, Jenny Knowles, is not only an incredible designer but positively oozes creative flair. Here, we delve into her insights on how strategic design drives business outcomes.

The interview is carried out by Maia Cook, Account Manager at Nutcracker Agency.

Beyond aesthetics, what's the impact of strategic design

Maia Cook: Jenny, you've been with Nutcracker Agency since day one. What do you find most rewarding about your role as Head of Design, and how do you see design contributing directly to client success?

Jenny Knowles: The most rewarding part is seeing our design work translate into tangible results for clients. It’s about more than just making things look good; it's about solving business challenges through visual communication. Whether it’s a full rebrand that revitalises a company’s market perception, digital communications that streamline a customer journey, or packaging design that elevates product appeal on the shelves, my role is to ensure every visual element serves a clear commercial purpose. We recently executed a website redesign for a B2B client where our strategic UX/UI choices directly contributed to a 25% increase in lead form submissions within the first quarter post-launch. That's the real reward.

How to create a compelling brand identity and storytelling

Maia Cook: You emphasise bringing brand values and storytelling to life through design. Can you elaborate on the process of achieving truly "compelling and engaging design" that resonates with an an audience?

Jenny Knowles: It starts with deep immersion into the client's purpose and understanding their audience's pain points. My advice to any business is to develop a clear personality that aligns with your core purpose, and then let that personality permeate every piece of content and design. This doesn’t mean a rigid, uniform look; your brand's visual identity should be adaptable across different platforms and creative approaches while always feeling authentically ‘you’.

For example, we helped a data consultancy convey complex technical solutions through clean, intuitive infographics and a consistent visual narrative that made their specialised services accessible and trustworthy, greatly enhancing their market appeal. You can read more about this data consultancy's brand transformation in our case study.

How you can overcome marketing challenges through design strategy

Maia Cook: Many businesses struggle to get results from their marketing. From a design perspective, what do you think often goes wrong, and how does Nutcracker Agency help them rectify it?

Jenny Knowles: A primary reason businesses fail is a lack of a joined-up strategy and an unclear sense of their objectives. Design isn't just an add-on; it must be integrated from the outset. We often see inconsistent branding or visuals that don't align with campaign goals. At Nutcracker, we excel at connecting all the dots. We ensure that our design work isn't just aesthetically pleasing but strategically supports the overarching marketing and business objectives, converting visual interest into tangible outcomes.

We focus on creating adaptive brand guidelines that empower clients to maintain consistency while allowing for the dynamic flexibility needed in today's fast-paced digital landscape. If you're wondering if your design is hitting the mark, you might want to review these "5 Red Flags that your design isn't working".

Design's role across diverse sectors & platforms

Maia Cook: You mentioned a preference for B2B clients. How does your design approach adapt to the nuances of different B2B sectors, and which social media platforms do you find most effective for visual communication in these areas?

Jenny Knowles: I genuinely love the challenge of diving deep into diverse B2B sectors – from complex financial services to niche manufacturing. Understanding these unique value propositions allows us to craft design that speaks directly to their specific audiences, building trust and authority. The adaptation comes from translating intricate information into clear, compelling visuals and user experiences. Regarding social media, the best platform truly depends on the specific objective and target audience.

For highly visual or engaging B2C businesses, Instagram is often ideal, but for B2B, LinkedIn can reach parts other platforms can’t, especially for thought leadership content where strong visual storytelling is key. We design visuals that cut through the noise in professional feeds, driving engagement and lead generation. This aligns with our principles for marketing for rapid growth, where design plays a crucial role.

Partnering with visionary clients for brand evolution

Maia Cook: What would be your dream client, and how do you envision the design partnership evolving?

Jenny Knowles: My dream client is one with a truly exciting and differentiated proposition or message that they are eager to bring to the world. Crucially, it's a client that trusts us to be their strategic partner in growing and developing their brand through our design work.

I envision a collaborative relationship where we're not just executing, but constantly exploring, innovating, and pushing creative boundaries to solve their business challenges and unlock new opportunities for market presence and customer engagement. It’s about long-term brand evolution, not just a one-off project.

Why choose Nutcracker Agency for your design needs?

Having been part of Nutcracker Agency since its inception, I can sum us up in three words: "Brilliant. Busy. Bonkers." If you're a business leader or founder seeking to transform your brand's identity, enhance your digital communications, or ensure your marketing truly stands out and delivers a compelling ROI, our team brings both incredible creative flair and a deep understanding of strategic impact. We don't just make things look good; we design for results.

Need a design refresh? Looking for innovative ways to enhance your content and drive conversions? Email us at hello@nutcrackeragency.com or submit an enquiry our contact page to find out how she can take your designs from mediocre to amazing, and transform your business outcomes.

Who's the author and interviewer?

The interview is carried out by

, an Account Manager at Nutcracker Agency. Maia Cook is an experienced marketing specialist, with a Digital Marketing MA and extensive experience working within an award-winning B2B marketing agency across social media management, content creation, content writing, email marketing, reporting and strategy creation.