Designing with Insight:
A Research-Based Model for Smarter Brand Communication
This MBA Design Management dissertation (2006) includes a literature review, a proposed model, and findings from interviews with design professionals regarding the integration of research into their processes. The core argument is that incorporating research throughout the design process, particularly understanding audience perceptions, can lead to more impactful and validated brand communications. The dissertation aims to provide a practical framework for designers to move beyond intuition by using research to inform their strategic design decisions.
Haig Bedrossian, University of Westminster, UK
MBA Design Management
“The more design research you do, the more you mitigate risk.”
Summary Overview
Overview: Moving Beyond Intuition in Design
Too often, brand design relies on a designer’s intuition—gut feelings, aesthetic judgment, and experience. While instinct plays a role, it’s no substitute for real audience insight. In "Developing & Validating Brand Communication Design with Research: A Proposed Model", I address the lack of formal frameworks for integrating research into the brand communication design process. My proposed model outlines a structured, research-informed approach—before, during, and after design—aimed at helping designers make smarter decisions and giving clients more confidence in the results.
The Problem: Why Intuition Isn’t Enough
Designers are often guided by what “feels right.” But brand communication isn’t just about looking good—it’s about meaning, perception, and effectiveness. Research shows there’s a gap in how audience feedback is used to shape brand visuals. Without audience input, designs risk missing the mark or being misunderstood.
A Model for Research-Informed Brand Design
I outline a four-stage model that places research at the heart of the design process:
Pre-design Planning
Understand audience beliefs, behaviors, and needs.
Analyze how competitors’ visuals are perceived by that audience.
During Design
Use audience feedback to test early visual concepts—colors, typefaces, logos—before finalizing anything.
Iterate based on what visuals actually resonate with the audience.
Post-design Evaluation
Track how the final design performs in-market.
Use data to refine the brand over time.
This model helps shift the conversation from “what looks good” to “what works.”
Why Audience Perception Matters
Visual language isn’t universal—meanings shift by culture, context, and personal experience. What one group sees as “professional,” another might see as “boring.” That’s why we must ask the audience directly: What does this visual mean to you? Designers benefit by designing for clarity and resonance, not just style.
Visual Brand Research vs. Marketing Research
Unlike broad marketing studies, this model zeroes in on how audiences respond to visual elements—colors, shapes, layout, typography. It introduces a new category: visual research—a discipline focused on decoding the symbolic and emotional impact of design.
Benefits for Designers, Clients, and the Industry
Designers gain a practical framework and validation tool to guide decisions with data.
Clients benefit from reduced risk and clearer rationale behind visual choices.
The Design Industry moves closer to having a formalized, repeatable process—much like marketing or UX design.
As one interviewee noted, “The more design research you do, the more you mitigate risk.”
Feedback from the Field
Interviews with design professionals validated the model’s usefulness and flexibility:
It mirrors how many already informally work—but gives them language, structure, and credibility.
Designers can scale the process depending on the client’s size, budget, or project complexity.
Some suggest making the model more circular (less linear) to reflect real-world iteration.
Others encouraged clearer terminology—differentiating visual design terms from marketing language—to avoid client confusion.
Final Thoughts
This model invites a shift in how we design: from instinct to insight, from style to strategy. It helps us understand how meaning is made, not just how visuals look. It strengthens trust between designer and client, and it elevates design’s role as a business-critical function.
By integrating research into each design phase, we can create brand communications that aren’t just beautiful—they’re meaningful, measurable, and made to connect.