Creating a Brand Positioning Map for a Logo Redesign

The short answer

A brand positioning map, also called a perceptual map, is a two-axis chart that plots how a brand and its competitors are perceived on attributes that matter to customers. Each axis represents one dimension, such as price level or tone. Each brand appears as a point. The map shows where your brand sits today, where competitors cluster, and where a different position might be available.

In a logo redesign driven by repositioning, the map is a strategic input, not a design file. It answers "where are we moving the brand?" before anyone opens a vector editor. The logo is then judged by whether it signals the target position rather than the old one.

Scope note: no evidence was supplied about a specific brand, competitor set, survey, template or software product. This article therefore covers the general method and widely accepted principles. It contains no measured results or case-specific figures.

How a positioning map differs from related tools

Tool | What it captures | Role in a redesign

Positioning map | Relative perception of several brands on two chosen dimensions | Shows the shift the brand intends to make

Positioning statement | A written claim about audience, category, benefit and proof | Sets the message the new identity must support

Competitor visual audit | How rival logos, colors and type actually look | Shows visual conventions to follow or break

Mood board | Collected visual references for a desired feel | Explores aesthetic direction, usually after strategy is set

The map is the only one of these that is explicitly relative. A brand is never "premium" in isolation, only more or less premium than the alternatives a customer is weighing.

Building the map step by step

• Define the decision. State what the repositioning is meant to change, for example moving upmarket or appealing to a new audience. The map should inform that decision.
• Choose the competitive set. Include the brands customers actually compare you with, not only the ones your team watches.
• Pick two axes. Each should reflect something customers use to choose between brands, differ meaningfully across the set, and be largely independent of the other axis. Price and quality often move together, which can collapse the map onto a diagonal.
• Gather perception evidence. Customer surveys, interviews or review analysis carry more weight than internal opinion. If the map rests on team judgment, label it as a hypothesis.
• Plot current positions. Place each brand, including your own, as customers see it today.
• Mark the target position. Draw where the brand intends to move and note the distance from its current point.
• Interpret gaps carefully. An empty quadrant may be an opportunity, or there may be no demand there. Test before treating it as one.

Examples of axis pairs used in identity work include traditional versus contemporary, playful versus serious, accessible versus exclusive, and specialist versus generalist. These are illustrations of the format, not recommendations for any particular market.

Turning the map into a logo brief

Once the target position is set, translate each axis into visual implications. A move from traditional toward contemporary might call for reconsidering serif lettering, heavy detail or crest-like containers. A move toward exclusivity might favor restraint and fewer elements. These are editorial judgments about common visual associations, not fixed rules. Concepts should still be checked against how the intended audience reads them.

Some teams build a second, purely visual map that places competitor logos on the same axes. This shows whether the category's visual language already crowds the target space. If every brand near the target uses similar marks, the redesign may need to signal the position while still looking distinct.

Practical notes on logo files used in the map

Competitor logos placed on a visual map are often gathered from websites, press pages or logo directories. Several file distinctions matter here.

• A file extension does not prove the artwork is vector. An SVG, EPS, AI or PDF can contain an embedded raster image instead of editable paths. Open the file and inspect it before relying on it to scale cleanly.
• Many logos online are raster previews such as PNG or JPEG. These are usually adequate for an internal comparison chart at modest size, but they blur or pixelate when enlarged for presentation boards.
• Being able to download a logo is not permission to modify it, redraw it or use its fonts and trademarks elsewhere. Using competitor marks unaltered in an internal analysis is a different matter from reproducing them in published material. Check the owner's usage terms, and seek legal advice where publication is planned.
• Build the map itself as editable vector artwork, with axes, labels and points as separate objects. Positions can then be adjusted as new research arrives without redrawing the chart.

Limits to keep in mind

A two-axis map simplifies a brand to two dimensions, so it can hide other factors customers care about. Plotted positions are only as reliable as the evidence behind them. A logo redesign alone rarely moves a brand on the map if the product, pricing or service stays the same. Treat the map as a statement of intent that the new identity supports, and reassess actual perception after launch rather than assuming the move has happened.