MBA Design

I earned a degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Design Management from the University of Westminster, UK. My 2006 dissertation explored how design professionals integrate research into their creative processes, combining a literature review, a proposed model, and interview findings. The work addressed the gap in formal frameworks for embedding research within brand communication design.

Designing with Insight:
A research-based model for smarter brand communication

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.

  • This model helps shift the conversation from “what looks good” to “what works.”

  • The more design research you do, the more you mitigate risk.

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.

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.

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.

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.