Measuring Design Success Strategically

It’s a question we get asked here a lot: How do we measure the efficacy of a logo, brand colors or other visual elements? 

Before we can answer that, remember that brand design doesn’t work in a vacuum. These visual elements are just one piece of the larger marketing puzzle. They work together with a brand’s tone, content strategy, customer engagement and point of difference to form a cohesive brand experience.

So, it turns out, the key to measuring design success comes down to how well those visual elements strategically connect back to the brand. By measuring design this way, we can better understand:

• The relationship between the brand’s visual elements and the overall brand experience
• What the visual brand elements communicate about the brand
• The way customers understand and perceive the brand

Ready to get started? Let’s dive in.

Start by asking around
A great way to start measuring the design effectiveness of your brand is to survey. You can create a questionnaire for current customers or work with a research partner to get a broader view of the competitive landscape. Consider questions like:

• How satisfied are you with the brand?
• Why do you choose this brand vs competitors?
• Where does the brand or product need to improve?
• What is the brand’s reputation?
• How would you rate the marketing communications you’ve seen from this brand?

As you learn about how customers consider the brand overall, you can also use this opportunity to ask more visual specific questions like:

• Do you easily and instantly recognize the brand logo?
• What do current customers like/dislike about the logo?
• What message does the logo express to the consumer?  

Then, look at some metrics
Once you’ve gotten these answers, you’ll have a better understanding about the way consumers perceive your brand. So what’s next? Just like we mentioned earlier, design elements are part of the larger brand experience. And with more and more customers getting introduced to brands online, your digital touchpoints are a great place to track activity and engagement.

Sure, your logo may feel modern and approachable, but does the website reflect that? Your brand colors and messaging may be warm and inviting, but do the social posts evoke the same feeling? See how those branded elements perform across digital channels with metrics like:

• Web traffic
• Social media engagement
• Digital banner click-through rates

Finally, bring it all together for results
If we bring together both the survey responses and some digital metrics, we can start measuring brand and design success together strategically. The data can tell us how relevant a brand is among competitors or if those design elements stand out in a crowded marketplace. If engagement and awareness are up, it’s a pretty good indicator that the brand’s design elements are working effectively. But if a brand’s awareness, popularity and digital engagement are all low, it’s usually a sign that the design elements and brand strategy could use a bit of a refresh.

Remember, there’s no uniform metric that tells us whether or not design elements are “good” or “correct.” But we can consider their strength based on how well they express the value and unique qualities of the brand. Looking more closely at consumer data and digital metrics are a great place to start.

Need some advice on your visual brand elements, marketing strategy or overall awareness? We’re here to help. Reach out to learn about our collaborative approach.