Few question the value of good design in business today. If IBM was the rogue early evangelist, companies like Apple, Nike and IKEA have brought the idea into the mainstream. Now, as shown by startups like Pinterest and Instagram, good design isn’t a differentiator; it’s the price of entry.

This design focus cannot stop at your product and other consumer-facing applications. It is a way of thinking that must pervade the communication of the entire organization. Why? Because your brand perception is more than your customers. It is the sum of all interactions and experiences with your company, including employees, potential employees, investors and partners. The expectations here are equally high.

Good design facilitates connection; in the case of communication, it is a connection between human and information. The presentation of information determines whether it will be engaging and digestible. Given the rate that information is distributed from and within…