First impressions matter! The next few weeks I am working through some of my posts from 2009 and 2010 and re-posting what sane thoughts I had. Here is an idea I unpacked when we were rethinking our first impression factor at Grace Community Church…

Today I had my first can of Diet Pepsi in the new can. Great design, love the look. I know you may be thinking, does it matter how the can looks? We all think we don’t care about design until we see something we do not like. When we have a bad first impression suddenly it matters.

First impressions do matter. First impressions leave us desiring or rejecting many things around us. First glance moments impact our choice of TV shows, restaurants, jobs, cars, clothes, and even relationships. I saw the Pepsi can today and immediately liked the look. It had nothing to do with the taste, my brain just liked the design. A local restaurant named Cumberland Grill just did a huge makeover outside and the place screams, COME IN AND EAT. It looks great!

At Grace Community we had new banners made for the main hallway and it looks so much more inviting. You actually know where to go and the banners have a look that connects with our branding. Banners, graphics, and design only help with first impression but I think that one first moment is HUGE. Over time quality trumps first impression, but a good first impression allows people to see the substance quicker. First impressions are either helping your organization of hurting it? Make sure the first impression’s you are getting say what you want them to say…that is the secret.