THE INFLUENCE OF DESIGN CRITERIA FOR THE BRAND PERSONALITY

As products in many industries are technologically at the same level, their success depends increasingly on design, since functionality and quality are a given. Still, the question remains open how far certain design features influence the perception of a brand. Taking the example of a car interior, an online study with 160 student participants examined the relationship between design features and appraisal of brand personality based on a model by Hieronimus (2003). Using images, the participants were asked to evaluate different car interiors, in which the colours and materials of certain components were systematically changed. The study has shown some initial indications of the relationship between design features and certain aspects of brand personality. Thus, different colours of the interior resulted in different appraisals of the dimension ‘trust and safety’, whereas materials were shown to have a particular impact on the dimension ‘temperament und passion’.