Today's Seattle Times has an article about two UW students who sent a letter to uber-investor Warren Buffett advertising their web design services. Apparently, their angle was to critique the target customer's website, then offer to fix it. (Dangerous strategy, by the way...it can backfire if not handled just right.) Buffett wrote back saying that he was happy with the current look and feel of his Berkshire Hathaway site. He wrote:
"Our Website, like our name, annual report, and headquarters is meant to convey just what we are — a different sort of company. We are intentionally plane (sic), like a woman who wears no makeup because it fits our personality and attitude."
The site is very bare bones. But, as Buffett points out, that's a part of his image. Just as design can make an organization look sophisticated, playful, and professional, it can also make an organization look thrifty and unpretentious.
Posted by Karl
May 9, 2003 09:03 AM