International Journal of Graphic Design
Vol. 4 No. 1 (2026): April | IJGD: International Journal of Graphic Design

Beyond CTR and VCR: LLM-Assisted Design Evaluation with Eye-Tracking Validation for Graphic Advertising

Qiwen Zheng (Integrated Marketing, New York University, NY, USA)
Xiaochen Li (Marketing Analytics, Bentley University, MA, USA)
Fiona Wang (Applied Analytics, Columbia University, NY, USA)



Article Info

Publish Date
30 Apr 2026

Abstract

Digital advertising design is often judged with delivery or response metrics such as click-through rate (CTR), video-completion rate (VCR), and viewability, although these measures do not describe whether a banner communicates through a clear visual hierarchy. This study evaluates whether large language model (LLM)-assisted scores and lightweight image features can support graphic advertising review while keeping design-quality prediction distinct from measured visual attention. GraphicDesignEvaluation provided 1,200 principle–image rating rows for alignment, overlap, and white space. Under grouped five-fold cross-validation by base design, the GPT-only Ridge model reached R2 = 0.408, RMSE = 1.566, MAE = 1.257, Pearson = 0.639, and Spearman = 0.634. Direct GPT–human agreement was uneven: overlap was strong (Spearman = 0.769), white space was moderate (0.637), and alignment was weaker (0.519). An external construct analysis used 1,000 advertisements from ADD1000 with aggregate human fixation-density maps and matched EAID ratings. A combined gradient and local-contrast proxy modestly exceeded a center prior (CC = 0.457, SIM = 0.562, KL divergence = 0.637), while lower fixation entropy was associated with higher aesthetic ratings (Spearman = -0.319). BannerRequest400 was used only to describe brief, CTA-language, logo, and format constraints because it contains no human design-quality or gaze labels. The findings support a preliminary, human-supervised design-review framework: LLM scores are useful screening evidence, especially for overlap, but they do not replace human creative judgment, eye tracking, or advertising-performance measures.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

ijgd

Publisher

Subject

Arts Computer Science & IT

Description

This journal is a peer-reviewed and open Visual Communication Design Publication Journal. The fields of study in this journal include the sub-groups of Performing Arts, Arts, journalistic, Crafts, Media, and Design. The Art, Design, and Media ...