How do you evaluate your graphic design branding strengths and weaknesses?

1 Define your goals and objectives

The first step to evaluate your graphic design branding is to define your goals and objectives. What are you trying to achieve with your branding? Who are you trying to reach? How do you want to position yourself in the market? What are the key messages and values you want to convey? Having a clear vision and purpose for your branding will help you measure its success and identify areas of improvement.

2 Conduct a brand audit

Conducting a brand audit is the next step, which involves a systematic analysis of your current branding elements, like your logo, color scheme, typography, images, and icons. Utilize tools like Brandfolder or Canva to organize and review your brand assets. Compare them with your goals and objectives, and ask yourself if they are consistent across all platforms and channels, aligned with the target audience's preferences and expectations, distinctive and memorable in your industry or niche, adaptable and scalable for different formats and sizes, as well as up to date and relevant to current trends and standards.

3 Gather feedback and data

The third step is to gather feedback and data from your clients, customers, and potential users. You can use surveys, interviews, reviews, testimonials, or social media to collect their opinions and impressions of your graphic design branding. You can also use analytics tools like Google Analytics or Facebook Insights to track and measure your branding performance, such as traffic, engagement, conversions, etc. Look for patterns, trends, and insights that can help you understand what works and what doesn't in your graphic design branding.

4 Identify your strengths and weaknesses

The fourth step is to identify your strengths and weaknesses based on the feedback and data you collected. You can use a SWOT analysis to organize your findings into four categories: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Strengths are the positive aspects of your graphic design branding that give you an advantage over your competitors. Weaknesses are the negative aspects that limit or hinder your branding effectiveness. Opportunities are the potential areas for improvement or growth that you can exploit. Threats are the external factors or challenges that can harm or reduce your branding value.

5 Set goals and action plans

The fifth step is to set goals and action plans to improve your graphic design branding based on your SWOT analysis. You can use the SMART framework to make your goals specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. For example, you can set a goal like: "Increase website traffic by 20% in the next three months by redesigning the homepage and optimizing the SEO". Then, you can create an action plan with the steps, resources, and deadlines you need to achieve your goal.

6 Monitor and evaluate your progress

The final step is to monitor and evaluate your progress towards your goals and action plans. You can use the same tools and methods you used in the previous steps to collect feedback and data, and compare them with your baseline and expectations. You can also use tools like Adobe XD or InVision to create prototypes and mockups of your graphic design branding and test them with your clients, customers, or users. You can also seek feedback from other graphic designers or experts in your field. Be open to constructive criticism and suggestions, and make adjustments as needed.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?