Many designers and clients strive to achieve "great design" without taking into account the target audience.  A concept with a clean minimalist design may look ultra modern, but if the ad campaign is for a used car lot, it probably is headed in the wrong direction. Sometimes designers miss the mark by creating amazing visuals, but aren't reaching the intended audience.

Designers are well trained and understand the importance of great design. It's easy for this highly talented group of creatives to scoff at ads in the local paper that have poor layout and design.  Usually, these ads are based on low price point merchandise. However, if these ads are subconsciously reaching the main demographic group, then haven't they at least partially succeeded?  This isn't to say that designers should disregard basic design principles like color, shape, and spacing.  Nor should clients hire non-professional designers when trying to sell low cost products or services.

Mark Boulton, a designer based in Cardiff, UK, specializes in usable, functional and elegant design acquired through rigorous problem solving. He wrote a great article about the use of white space in design and how subtle changes impact the message of the ad. He provided an excellent visual example that shows two designs using practically the exact same text and images; however one ad appeared to be for a luxury product and the other for a cheap product.

When handling the next ad campaign, Web site make-over or other graphic design project, make sure to approach it from the standpoint of the consumer.  Who is going to use the product? What is the demographic make-up of the intended audience? What price range would the product fit within based only on the look and feel of the design?  Is the product part of a luxury or a budget brand? By understanding the audience, a designer will be much closer to achieving "great design" and have a better chance at reaching the intended audiences.