The quality instinct: how an eye for art can save your business

Purpose – This paper was written to help the lay reader understand how learning to look at art can be helpful in learning to evaluate business decisions. The lessons of sorting out the best from the very good in art are directly applicable to decisions in everything from product design to evaluating goods that are designed, manufactured, displayed, or sold. Design/methodology/approach – The approach to honing a “quality instinct” involves developing visual literacy – learning to look at art – and moving on to learning to discern differences in the quality of art objects. Findings – Consumers are growing more visually sophisticated, and it behooves business leaders to be one step ahead of their competitors and their target markets. Visual literacy is achieved through a combination of study and practice. Seeing past the different ways artists tackle the same subject to discover both their intention and your reaction can train you to look at mass‐manufactured goods with a discerning eye. Value – Visual communication cuts across cultures, unlike the spoken word. It's immediate and visceral. Expanding visual literacy is necessary for effective communication in a global marketplace, and gives you an advantage in a market where competitors may come up short. By developing visual literacy from spending time looking at art and learning about it, you'll improve your instincts in making visual judgments – about product design, marketing strategies, business environments, and your company's overall image.