Lyon, France - VAND International has begun an independent evaluation of the design value of INTERBRAND's world’s Top 100 brands, from its headquarters in France, describing it as the first systematic global review focused on the human and cognitive impact of design – not just how it looks.
Rather than celebrating surface-level aesthetics or trend-driven creativity, the VAND evaluation examines how brand design affects people’s attention, mental well-being, and sense of calm in a world saturated with visual stimuli. The goal is to provide a transparent, internationally recognized measure of “design value” that reflects clarity, coherence, and responsibility in the way brands communicate.
“Design has become one of the most powerful forces shaping how we think, feel and make decisions,” said Touraj Saberivand, founder of VAND International. “Yet there is still no shared global standard for understanding whether design is helping people or overwhelming them. With this evaluation, we want to recognize brands that treat human attention as something to be protected, not exploited.”
A global jury of leading designers
The evaluation is overseen by a jury of designers, educators, and creative leaders from 28 countries, reflecting a broad spectrum of cultural perspectives and design traditions. Among the jury members are renowned figures, including Lindon Leader, designer of the iconic FedEx logo; Ken Cato, chairman of Cato Brand Partners; Sean Adams, former AIGA president and chair of Graduate Design at ArtCenter College of Design; and Armando Milani, the internationally acclaimed Italian designer known for his humanitarian work.
These jurors bring decades of experience across identity design, branding, education, and social impact.
Criteria that look beyond style
VAND’s approach draws on its broader mission to champion “calm, human and responsible design” as the next era of visual communication. Instead of focusing on novelty or visual spectacle, the evaluation framework looks at three main dimensions:
• Mental clarity: Does the design help people quickly understand what is being communicated, or does it add unnecessary complexity and noise?
• Communication coherence: Are the visual elements, messages, and interfaces aligned across touchpoints, or do they create cognitive friction and confusion?
• Responsibility of visual ecosystems: Does the brand treat users’ attention and emotional state with care, or does it overload them with stimuli, manipulative tactics, or cluttered interfaces?
This methodology builds on VAND’s existing “Human Calm” criteria used in its design awards, which measure how design choices influence comprehension, comfort, and psychological calm rather than simply rewarding personal taste or visual fashion.
“Many awards still treat design as a competition in originality,” Saberivand added. “We look at something different: how design lives in everyday life and how it affects the people who have to see it, read it and use it hundreds of times a day.”
From Top 100 brands to companies of all sizes
While the current review focuses on the world’s Top 100 brands by global visibility and influence, VAND has opened the same evaluation process to companies of all sizes and sectors. Organizations can now apply to receive an independent assessment of their design systems and, if they meet the standards, the official VAND Certified designation issued in France.
Applications are already being received from businesses across retail, technology, finance, health, education, and culture. Many are seeking not just recognition, but a structured way to understand whether their visual communication is truly serving people.
“Companies have learned to report on their environmental impact and corporate governance. We believe design responsibility will be the next frontier,” said the VAND founder. “The VAND Certified mark tells the world that a brand is not only visually sophisticated, but also mindful of the psychological and cultural consequences of its design decisions.”
Certified companies may use the Vand Certified mark on their packaging, digital platforms, communication materials, and institutional documents to showcase their design system's human-centric approach.
About VAND International
Based in Lyon, France, VAND International is a design team dedicated to promoting ethical, human-centered, and socially responsible design practices worldwide. Through evaluations, awards, education programs, and its Design Responsibility Movement, VAND works with designers, brands, and institutions to define and uphold higher standards in visual communication.
For more information about the Design Value Evaluation, the VAND Certified mark, and how to apply, visit vand.org.
Media Contact
Company Name: VAND International
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Phone: +33 6 44 75 57 73
City: Lyon
Country: France
Website: https://www.vand.org/
