"As a leader, you must consistently drive effective communication. Your organizational rhythm should value purpose over habit and effectiveness over efficiency.”

‍Nature is an endless source of inspiration for businesses everywhere. Just ask award-winning logo designer Maggie Macnab.

In Episode 7 of Think Deeply, Speak Simply—How Does Nature Communicate—Maggie outlined some stunning parallels between nature and business communication. Most importantly, she highlights how both are centered around solving problems while tirelessly working to grow and move forward. Here are Maggie’s top two tips on how you can leverage nature to give your business an edge.

Replicate patterns

‍Nature never has any waste or excess—it’s perfect. Nature only does what works and when things go awry, it either adapts or gets phased out. Nature continuously uses patterns of repetition because they’re trusted processes that have worked well in the past. Maggie recommends emulating this in your business by creating value-driven designs that are highly intuitive and communicative of your brand’s core messaging. That can mean incorporating linear lines or circular shapes that call inspiring natural elements to mind. Using these unique shapes and identifiers can significantly differentiate your brand from competitors in the market. If you can simultaneously tell a universal story through your business’s logo, your audience is also far more likely to remember your company in the future.

Have integrity

‍Having integrity doesn’t strictly mean you should be a good business leader. It also means you should integrate your brand identity in a way that’s truthful and authentic. The brand isn’t just the DNA of the logo. It exists in all extensions of the company as well. Take a tree, for example. A tree has many extensions that pull it in numerous directions through roots, branches, and leaves. But it all started with a seed. In business, this seed is the centerfold of your brand. The roots and branches can be business presentations, speaking engagements, promotional brochures, or anything that represents the company. No matter how your brand is represented, it’s crucial to remain as authentic as possible to keep your company healthy and plentiful. Start with integrity and represent your business in a way that accurately says who you are and what you do. Have the flexibility to change and your brand will remain eternal no matter what patterns or trends come and go with time.

Include these business communication tips to upgrade your presentation skills. You can catch the full Maggie Macnab podcast episode here.