MDM640 Week 1
Measuring ROI in Brand
Communications,
Design, & Prototype
Testing Methods
Return on investment (ROI) is a critical metric in brand communications design, as it helps justify marketing expenditures, identifies effective strategies, and informs future decision-making (Godfrey, 2019). By quantifying the impact of branding efforts, businesses can allocate resources efficiently and optimize their messaging to resonate with target audiences. Strong branding enhances customer engagement and loyalty, ultimately driving revenue growth (Brafton, 2021).
One qualitative method for testing design prototypes before launch is focus groups. These sessions allow brands to gather in-depth feedback from participants regarding visual appeal, messaging clarity, and emotional resonance. Focus groups provide rich insights into consumer perceptions, enabling designers to refine elements that may not align with audience expectations (Brandylane, 2023).
A quantitative approach, such as A/B testing, offers measurable data on design effectiveness. By presenting two variations of a design to different audience segments, brands can examine engagement metrics, conversion rates, and user preferences. This method ensures that design choices are backed by empirical evidence, lowering the risk of ineffective branding decisions (FasterCapital, 2024).
Ultimately, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative testing methods improves brand communications by balancing subjective insights with objective data. Measuring ROI ensures that branding efforts contribute to long-term business success while preserving alignment with audience expectations.
References
Brafton. (2021). Looking for ROI? Get your graphics game on point. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesagencycouncil/2021/08/18/what-is-branding-roi/
Brandylane. (2023). What is the ROI of branding? Exploring the value of building a strong brand identity. Brandylane. Retrieved from https://www.thebrandylane.com/what-is-the-roi-of-branding-exploring-the-value-of-building-a-strong-brand-identity/
FasterCapital. (2024). Brand communication strategy: Measuring ROI: Metrics for evaluating brand communication strategies. Faster Capital. Retrieved from https://fastercapital.com/content/Brand-communication-strategy--Measuring-ROI--Metrics-for-Evaluating-Brand-Communication-Strategies.html
Godfrey, M. (2019). What is the ROI of design? Medium. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@MatthewGodfrey/whats-the-roi-of-design-70c26768f0c8
Updated
Brand Vision Board
Style Guide Cover Pages
The above image is the front (right) and back (Left) cover. The white line is just for the viewer to illustrate where the middle and crease fall.
Front Cover
Back Cover
Class Feedback
Here’s a list of various comments from fellow students and teachers:
About My Vision Board
Teacher
"oh oh Glorious"
Student
"This is adorable."
About my Production Schedule
Teacher
“It looks like you have a good plan here.”
“Your steps are interesting; It’s nice to see that you have a kind of staging in mind. Coordinating it, curating it, putting your pieces together. Then receiving feedback, finding feedback, or shopping for feedback, and then synthesizing and unifying all of your pieces and finalizing it, ya know, it’s a good plan. It’s a good staging.”
About My Sketches
Student
“That one there, right there, I have to say… It’s like a bouquet of flowers, really, but it’s the whole woods. It’s got some mystery to it. You’ve got the banners wrapping around it.”
“If you combine this one here with the door and this one with the window… all it needs is a thicker trunk. If you combine those, I think that those would be two really strong standouts, and plus you said you have a text down here, and I think your text reads… reads really well. I love the curvature of your lettering and how it all comes together.”
About My Stationery Designs
Student
"The Glamour Shot... it looks good though."
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Teacher
"It is the mood shot, it sets the tone."
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"Look how successfully the logo can work on something as small as a pencil."
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"The way he thickened up his logo, that work he did earlier really pays off for a lot of these kind of places where small uses of the logo will require that little bit heftier version of the logo, so the work he did really paid off when you want to use it on something small, well it really pays off."
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"Then the glam shot of how all of these things work together. And they do, it's a very effective setup here. It gives it that higher tone, a sophisticated feeling and really lends itself to the storytelling overall. It's very nice."
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Student
I'd like to say something really quick. That set there that Mark did. It's just beautiful."
Teacher
"Yeah"
Student
"It's got like an elegant soft beauty, the way it has come together. I
just wanted to point that out because it's got a softness and warmth at the same time."
Teacher
"It's part of the storytelling. It can really influence how people see it.
Student
Even his envelope is lining up where the hill is... it's kinda cool. Alright, I just wanted to point that out because I thought it was really good work."
Teacher
"Yes, it is. Lovely!"
Enamel Pin
Teacher
"They are Purty!"
"These will be real nice pieces in your portfolio... ya know, it shows an extension of your brand."
About My Billboard Design
Teacher
"You got this real cool billboard here. This is lots of fun."
"It shows how you can be creative with just extending a billboard beyond its expected squared-offness of a typical billboard. It gives it a lot of dynamic and I think it is super clever."
"I think it is a very cool concept. Very Nice."
Student
"If I must say, I really like the surrealism. The fact that you built the worls around it with the mountains in the background, even though it's a building. You've got this nice depth to it, it's just eye-catching."
Teacher
"The concept is so lovely here. It's really strong... it has strength to it and it is an extension of your storytelling narrative is really strong here. And usually, billboards are not the best at doing that, but this is a story. A fairytale world, and it makes it intriguing."
"... yeah it is, it's super fun!"