Why we have to change how we measure success in branding design
In recent years, as a studio, we have increasingly questioned the term “success”. What Makes a Branding Project Really Great? How do others measure our work? We follow global feedback on our industry, take screenshots of funny comments and laugh desperately at sharp threads attacking individual design elements (because we know it's more than just a logo). However, we should remember that if people don't understand, we are unlikely to be telling the right stories.
With award bodies mostly using evaluation criteria that are better suited to advertising and our busy calendars leaving little time to evaluate the impact of our work after delivery, the bigger picture is not always pieced together. It is difficult to ask others to accurately assess our successes when we do not have the answers ourselves.
40% IDEA, 40% EXECUTION, 20% RESULTS
A specification recently issued by one of our most important issuing bodies showed a significant deviation from the “Gettability Factor” of a project. Good idea, tick. Easy to understand, tick. At least one impact? Tick.
The problem with these proportions when it comes to branding is that we don't have a “big idea” – we have several. There is the big strategic idea that drives the project. There is the big design idea that controls the execution. There are all the other big ideas for memorable product features and an overall experience that works. It's an ecosystem, not a one-liner.