Of course visual design always comes second to the quality of the actual product/experience, but that doesn't mean design isn't important. A company's brand is

Of course visual design always comes second to the quality of the actual product/experience, but that doesn't mean design isn't important. A company's brand is a reflection of their user experience. The main contributer to Coca-Cola's brand, then, is in the actual drink itself. Graphic design, logo design, or identity design is important not because it can really alter the branding or make a bad product look good, but because they can make that branding more apparent to someone before they even take a sip, and guide them towards whatever decisions happen to be the most profitable for Coca-Cola. So for example, a good Coca-Cola logo would give people the idea that coke is more refined/sophisticated, and is made to be appealing throughout the entire drink, instead of sacrificing total experience for a short rush of sugar flavor. That would get the attention of people who are looking for that sort of drink, and filter out the people who might be better served by pepsi. Whereas, if they had a logo that lead to a greater feeling of spectacle than sophistication, it would be more likely that people who wouldn't appreciate coke would try it (deciding they don't like it and going back to pepsi), and the people who would buy coke would be less likely to consider it. That's why logo design is important. You may have a great product, but if your visual identity doesn't reflect that, your marketing efforts will be spent fighting against your image rather than running alongside it.