AF Audit™ // Smile Materials
Updated: Aug 21
Unleash the Audit.
A material sample box is often the first physical interaction a designer has with a brand, making it one of the most important opportunities to create confidence, curiosity, and preference.
We ran Smile Materials through the Material AF™ Audit Engine and dropped the results on the AF Scorecard™.
Material brand experiences are not one thing. They are a system of signals.
Some hit.
Some don’t.
That variation is where specification risk lives.
Performance is uneven. That’s the point.
Let’s take a look.
The AF Five Scale™
The new standard for material brand experiences. It’s not about budget. It’s about impact. From flatline to unforgettable, here’s how the scale stacks up:
MIA → Missing in Action
No signal. No spark. Brand’s gone dark.
AF1 → Busted
Flatline. Zero vibe. Bust it down and rebuild it right.
AF2 → Needs Work
Spark’s hiding under beige. Tighten it up and bring the heat.
AF3 → Good
Solid bones, clean cut, but too safe to remember.
AF4 → High Impact
Confident. Polished. Loud enough to turn heads.
AF5 → Elite
Unforgettable. Iconic. The material experience everyone’s still talking about.
No Beige. No Boring.™ That's the standard.
Audit Complete. Game On.
The scorecard reveals a system, not a single outcome.
Strength shows up.
So do the gaps.
That’s where specification risk lives.
The scorecard shows the highs.
The Signal Report exposes the gaps.
Your material experience is already being evaluated.
The only question is:
Where is it breaking?
👉 Submit your Material Brand Experience Package (MBXP) for evaluation
👉 Request an AF Audit™ engagement
👉 Start a conversation
Follow Material AF™ on LinkedIn
Use #MaterialAF ◦ #AFAudit ◦ #AFScorecard
Material AF™ — Material Brand Audit Disclaimer
The Material AF™ Audit™ is an independent evaluation based on 30+ years of experience and 75+ criteria across design, presentation, storytelling, and material quality. Results reflect one moment in time and are shaped by what landed on the desk... the look, the feel, the story, the full experience. Audits are commissioned engagements. Results remain independent.
If you crush it, you get the glory.
If you fall short, you get the insight to level up.
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