The numbers have been tallied. The spreadsheets all rolled up and put away for another year. And this year’s Best Global Brand is (insert dramatic pause and drum roll here) Coca Cola! The numbers tell us that out of all the brands that meet Interbrand’s global criteria, Coke again comes out on top.

Everyone knows two things about designers. One, we can’t spell. Two, complex math confounds the majority of us. As chief creative officer, no one trusts me with a calculator, so the massive amount of analysis behind the annual BGB report falls to others. But as I look at the league table, it’s easy to see that design makes a considerable contribution to the brands that have risen to the top this year. To prove my point, look no further than number one on our list.

Coke has an incredible assortment of visual assets. The shape of the bottle is recognized worldwide, and Coke leverages that shape to a spectacular degree. At my local grocery, a quick count produced no fewer than six physical executions of the bottle shape, in both glass and plastic, as well as two visual executions where the bottle shape was graphically depicted on the cans. There is the signature type, recognized globally whether it’s in English or other languages and alphabets. There is the classic Coke swoosh, and even, arguably, the color. All of these assets and I haven’t left the product yet! We need to count the polar bears, the Classic Santas and a newer ‘tattoo’ graphic the brand has used recently. When you have such a rich portfolio of visual brand assets to use as tools to communicate what you’re about, getting to number one and staying there seems a whole lot easier.

As someone who keeps his finger on the pulse of the QSR industry, I feel like the “breaking news” of McDonalds spending US $1 billion dollars to renovate its restaurants is so “2000-and -late!” Design and experience is something McDonald’s has been paying close attention to for some time. Way back in 2008, while doing global tours of QSR concepts, it was clear that McDonald’s had discovered that investing in the brand experience would pay off.

A visit to its freestanding prototype in Munich proved to engage customers of all ages with an innovative and comprehensive collection of experiences under one roof. The MacCafé space had a modern but friendly vibe with comfy seating, dramatic lighting, and even highly productive working space for those Wi-Fi squatters. A kids zone, with its whimsical décor and private party rooms created a place just for youngsters. Finally, the over-the-top play area appealed to kids and teens with a climbing structure, basketball hoop, and rideable video games.

In fairness to all the “other guys” McDonald’s has triple the locations of the number two burger chain and boatloads of cash. And these Taj Mahals are lab restaurants where many of the innovations will not be rolled out. What is impressive to me is that for an industry where speed of service and operations are such a laser focus, it is still willing to think creatively about the “front of the house” – in other words, what matters to the customer. Over the years it has been methodically exploring through prototype after prototype: What will make customers pass up Panera and the other fast growing fast casual players, in favor of a burger joint. Well, in case you haven’t noticed, McDonald’s is not a burger joint any more.

Great consumer insights, experience design, product innovation, brilliant marketing, all continue to evolve the McDonald’s brand. This is what keeps it on the right path and my guess is that it will pay for itself faster than the Wall Street pundits think.

It looks like consumer frugality is settling in for a long stay. For most shoppers, the new thriftiness is a cautious choice in the face of an insecure future. There is money to spend, but there is a new social consciousness around the idea of value. Value has less to do with price and more

Consumer insights key to creating prototype with smart space allocation to maximize brand and ROI