When The New Yorker carried only one advertiser in its August 22 issues—Target Stores—the advertising and media industry took notice. The big question: Was it a high-brow/low-brow mismatch or a triumph of brand innovation? I vote for the latter.

Target’s “ads” depict snapshots of life in New York. Created (and signed) by the same artists who typically—and editorially—adorn the pages of The New Yorker, they are eclectic, artistic and witty. Target’s advertising also incorporates a clever design element: The retailer’s well-known bull’s-eye appears in ads as a subway line marker, a boy’s lollipop, the cufflinks on a businessman’s suit.

For Target, it’s the latest in a series of marketing coups that reinforce the company’s commitment to brand innovation through design. The ads are a visual tour de force, and by pairing with The New Yorker, a first for the venerable publication, Target continues to surprise consumers and underscore its positioning as an “upscale discounter.” The media uproar over the advertising partnership only magnifies the positive impact on the Target brand.

Good design continues to pay off for Target. Resisting toe-to-toe competition with Wal-Mart and other discount retailers, Target has differentiated itself by partnering with designers—from well-known architect Michael Graves to fashion icon Isaac Mizhari—to make stylish products accessible to the mass market. This design-driven strategy is applied across all elements of the company’s retail experience, from well-lit, well-organized stores to details such as pharmacy labels that set a new standard for legibility and usability.

Target has long understood that design is about fulfilling the needs of end-users. When applied correctly, you create consumer desire. When applied consistently, you create a brand. And, when you do it with passion, year-after-year, you become part of people’s lives, sometimes even part of the culture. Think about the few brands that have achieved the ability to stand solely on symbol: Nike, Apple Computer. Like Target, they wield design as a powerful tool.

But Target has taken its design-driven strategy farther. The retailer openly markets the value of design to consumers. Under the tagline, “Design for All,” Target’s advertising highlights the individual designers behind its marquee product lines, and in its most recent campaign, the retailer uses stylized imagery and language to underscore how design improves our everyday lives.

Companies that make design work for them share a common trait: They focus on the details. Our client Taylor Guitars provides an excellent example. Beginning with the quality and appearance of its guitars, no touch-point with the public escapes notice. Even often-overlooked items such as price lists, pins and warranty cards are designed to enhance the customer experience—and communicate the craftsmanship at the heart of the Taylor brand. And it works: Musicians welcome Taylor into their lives.

But it’s not all in the details. Just as importantly, companies need to be consistent. A few years ago, Wal-Mart commissioned our firm to re-brand “No Boundaries,” the retail giant’s house brand for teens and young adults. The underlying assignment: Up its design-quotient to attract style-conscious consumers. We shortened the brand name to NoBo—like SoHo—and created a clean, high-energy visual design for more than 900 products from lava lamps to bikinis. Although the immediate results were great, Wal-Mart did not have a uniform commitment to design, so the overall impact on consumers was minimal. Today, the company is adding higher prices and more upscale brands to its product line-up, a reenergized attempt to combat Target’s strategy.

As for The New Yorker, the publication is hardly standing still and rejects being constrained by its heritage. The visual style of the magazine is so strong that it inspired Target’s advertising. And its partnership with Target further signals that it offers a vital, desirable medium for reaching intelligent readers. I am renewing my subscription.

Founded in 1985, Mires is one of the largest independently owned brand design firms in Southern California. A trusted partner of leading national and global brands, Mires creates market differentiation by bringing together two powerful ideas—lifestyle and innovation. Mires’ expertise lies in developing and implementing fully integrated marketing campaigns, encompassing positioning, identity development, messaging and print, package, tradeshow environment and web design. For more information about Mires, visit www.miresbrands.com.