The world bombards us with visual information every day. From the packaging that catches your eye at the grocery store to the website that compels you to click, graphic design plays a powerful role in shaping our behavior. But how exactly does it work its magic? Let’s delve into the fascinating intersection of graphic design and human psychology, exploring how design influences us and how to leverage that power to connect with your audience effectively, all while ensuring accessibility for everyone.

The Silent Language of Design

Graphic design isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s a form of communication that speaks directly to our subconscious. We’re wired to respond to visual cues instinctively. Colors evoke emotions, shapes guide our attention, and typography influences how we perceive information. A skilled designer understands this “silent language” and uses it to craft visuals that resonate with the target audience.

Color Psychology

“Colors are not inherently meaningful. Meaning is something we give to colors through personal experience and cultural conditioning.” (Michael Bierut). Colors have a profound impact on our moods and emotions. Red is often associated with excitement and urgency, while blue evokes feelings of trust and calmness. Green conveys a sense of nature and growth, while yellow embodies optimism and energy. By understanding color psychology, designers can use colors strategically to influence how viewers perceive a brand or message.

Shape and Hierarchy

Shapes are another powerful tool in the designer’s arsenal. Sharp angles can create a sense of urgency or danger, while curves evoke feelings of comfort and approachability. Designers use shapes to guide our eye, drawing attention to specific elements and establishing a visual hierarchy. For instance, a prominent call to action button on a website might be a bold, contrasting color and a rounded shape to encourage clicks.

Typography and Trust

The typefaces we choose also contribute to the overall message. Typography is often an overlooked element, but as design guru Ellen Lupton states in Thinking with Type, it’s the invisible art of making the written word visible. The right typeface can make information clear and engaging, while the wrong one can create confusion and hinder communication. A playful, whimsical font might be perfect for a children’s brand, while a serious, serif font would better suit a financial institution. Fonts also influence how easy it is to read and understand information. A clear, well-spaced layout with a legible font builds trust and ensures the message is received effectively.

Connecting with Your Audience

Understanding the psychology behind design allows you to connect with your audience on a deeper level. Here’s how:

• Know your audience: Who are you trying to reach? What are their needs, wants, and pain points? By tailoring your design to resonate with their specific psychology, you’ll grab their attention and hold it.
• Evoke emotions: Don’t just present information; create an emotional connection. Use visuals that evoke the feelings you want your audience to have, encouraging them to take action or engage with your brand.
• Clarity and simplicity: In today’s information-overload world, simplicity is key. Use clean layouts, concise language, and clear visuals to ensure your message is easily understood.

Accessibility for All

While we’ve focused on the psychological impact of design, it’s crucial to remember that good design is inclusive design. “Designing for accessibility is not a separate process. It’s about good design from the beginning.” (WebAIM). Here’s how to ensure your design reaches everyone:

• Color contrast: Ensure sufficient contrast between text and background colors to improve readability for people with visual impairments.
• Alt text for images: Provide alternative text descriptions for images, allowing screen readers to convey the image’s content to visually impaired users.
• Clear hierarchy and navigation: Design layouts that are easy to navigate for users with cognitive disabilities.

Conclusion

Graphic design isn’t just about making things look pretty; it’s a powerful tool that can influence our emotions, guide our behavior, and ultimately impact our decisions. By understanding the connections between design and human psychology, you can create visuals that truly resonate with your audience and leave a lasting impression. Remember, accessible design is not an afterthought; it’s an essential part of the equation for effective communication. So, the next time you encounter a well-designed logo, website, or poster, take a moment to appreciate the silent language at work!

If you are in need of creative branding and design services for your business or organization, contact Coeus Creative Group at info@coeuscreativegroup.com today!

Download this free resource here: Eye See You: How Graphic Design Speaks to Our Minds

Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, and Editors (Ellen Lupton)

How to Use Color Effectively (Michael Bierut)

WebAIM: Web Accessibility Initiative (https://webaim.org/)

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By Madison Bennett, Associate Content Creator

In part 1 we talked about the main psychological factors you need to consider when you’re building your brand to ensure its success. In part 2, we’re going to take a deep dive into the specifics of those to help you build the brand of your dreams.

Color

This section plays hand in hand with distinctiveness, but there is an entire psychology around colors that takes us much deeper into the consumer connection.

Let’s take this shade of red for example. What brand are you thinking of? I don’t need to type the name for you to know what soft drink company I’m referring to.

Outside of being able to associate a specific color to your brand without giving it a second thought, it’s important to remember that colors can also elicit certain emotions. Red brings out excitement, passion, and urgency, which is why it is typically associated with fast-food (McDonald’s and the above brand, Coca-Cola).

Green reminds you of the earth, so many brands centered around health and nature, or with an environmentally-friendly mission, select hues in this color family. I.E. Starbucks, using green to provoke their connection to the world.

White correlates with simplicity, cleanliness, and purity. The perfect example of this is the white Apple logo; their products have a clean, modern design and their software is simple and user friendly.

The colors you use should not only be the symbolization of your brand’s message, but also the emotions you want a consumer to feel and associate with it when they look at the packaging, design, or logo.

Transparency and Consistency

Being transparent and consistent in your messaging will take you a long way in building trust among a community and finding loyal consumers. Here are a few tips from Crestline on how to do so:

• Make a commitment to keep your promises and follow through for your consumers.
• Always be honest and open about your products and the brand.
• Interact with customers openly and honestly.
• Directly address any product issues that might come up.
• Freely share information about your products (how they’re made, ingredients, etc).

When you’re open and honest with your consumers, they will take notice and show their appreciation by investing in your brand. In 2020, this is arguably one of the best ways to create and sustain a following.

Social Media

This is the age of digital media; consumers love to interact with brands via social media and this is why influencer culture exists. This might be specific to certain age markets, but majority of the population has a social media account on at least one platform.

Most brands have social media accounts across all platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and maybe even YouTube (more so for beauty, wellness, and fashion brands). Specifically crafting your content to the platform makes a huge impact. Instagram is visual, so photos and stories on your page need to be carefully curated; Twitter focuses on words, so witty, bold, statements that portray your brand will be successful; Facebook allows you to reach older generations and allows for a mix of photos/videos and wording.

Social media has also generated influencer culture, meaning users with massive followings can help grow your brand by posting on their accounts about using your product, photos of them wearing it, or even videos reviewing it. It’s the same concept of “brand ambassadors,” but in the digital age.

Creating an Experience for Consumers

While having a storefront for your brand might not be necessary or feasible, it’s important to create an experience for consumers whether that is in a storefront, an office, or even solely online.

Let’s focus on your website considering most storefronts are closed right now; your page should be a visual representation of your brand’s core values. This goes along with your choice in color. You might have a primary color (or a palette of colors) for your brand but stick within that family and utilize different hues so you continue to embody those emotions and feelings you want a user to experience.

In the above photo, Starbucks does exactly that, keeping their colors in the green family to remind you of their connection to the world and eco-friendly mission. Additionally, their website makes you feel like you’re virtually in the store. The theme, colors, and even fonts should be similar across the board so consumers feel that sense of familiarity throughout your entire brand.

This is just the starting point for all of the psychological aspects of building a brand. If you need help creating a graphic design, building a website, or running your social media, contact Coeus Creative Group today! Our experts can help you build your brand from the ground up.

The post The Secret to Creating a Successful Brand – Part 2 appeared first on Coeus Creative Group, LLC.

By Madison Bennett, Associate Content Creator

So, you want to build your brand, but… where do you start? Whether you’re running a small business or a large company, understanding how consumers think is the secret sauce to success. In order to appeal to your consumer, you need to understand the psychology around purchasing and what makes people connect to your company and its products. In part 1, we’ll discuss the top factors to consider when building your brand from the ground up.

Loyalty

This is where the psychology of branding starts. As authors Susan Gunelius and Kristi Hedges put it in their article The Psychology and Philosophy of Branding, Marketing, Needs, and Actions, “Consumers build brands, not companies.” The ultimate goal for creating a successful brand is to build a loyal following. Whether it’s yourself as the brand, a company, or a small business, understanding how to keep consumers coming back for more is the most important factor. This starts with creating a meaningful connection between your consumers and the brand itself.

Distinctiveness

In the article, “Mind Over Matter: The Psychology of Branding” by Nugno, the author spoke with Damien Mcloughlin, Professor of Marketing and Marketing Subject Area Head at UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School in Ireland.

“… according to his colleague, Byron Sharp, author of How Brands Grow, “Differentiation is more important than distinctiveness, and the reason for that is, if you think about your own shopping behavior, most of us buy the same products all the time. If you use Colgate toothpaste, you’ll always use Colgate toothpaste. If you use Barry’s tea you’ll always use Barry’s tea, and it’s the distinctiveness of those brands that cause this. If you show a consumer the Nike swoosh, they’ll be able to recognize the brand. If you show them a particular shade of red, they know it’s Coca Cola.

It’s the distinctiveness of brands that really drive their success. They need to be physically and  mentally available. Physical availability is easy to understand; your consumer must be able to actually get whatever the product is. The idea of mental availability is the idea that when you think about a problem ‘I’m thirsty, I’m warm, I need to buy a new pair of jeans, I’d like to go on holidays,’ whatever it is, that consumers are not aware of the full range of products and services that are available. So, what you want when a consumer thinks about a problem or whatever they want to buy, you want your product to end up in the consideration set.””

We live in a society that is constantly on the go, and with the current state of the world, our minds are all over the place. Creating a distinctive brand is what will create that trigger in consumers’ minds when they’re looking to buy a product. From the design to the logo, you want your brand to come to mind on the consumer’s first thought when considering a purchase.

Loyalty and distinctiveness might be at the top of your list when you’re building your brand, but there are so many factors to consider within just those two areas. In part two, we’ll dive deeper into specific ways to make your brand distinct and create a loyal following.

The post The Secret to Creating a Successful Brand – Part 1 appeared first on Coeus Creative Group, LLC.

In the world of design, everything matters. Each color, space, shape, and angle presents an opportunity to tell a story about many things; from yourself to a company and your products, to your history, mission, and beyond… Even a seemingly basic decision like choosing the right typeface makes a world of difference in shaping your brand’s identity.

As one of the in-house graphic designers for Coeus Creative Group, I’ve learned to navigate the nuances of typeface and studied countless font families. Now, I can’t encounter an ad on TV without theorizing, “I think they’re using Avenir Bold…” So, I’m here to share some insights about the importance of typefaces in design.

Let’s get into some of the secrets of typeface usage and explore the subliminal branding messages they tell us.

Typeface VS Font

First, let’s get some vocab out of the way. Did you know “typeface” and “font” mean two different things? A typeface is the name of the overall design of letters and characters (“Arial”), while a font specifies their weight, width, or style (“Arial Black,” “Arial Narrow,” “Arial Italic”). You can think of a typeface as the umbrella under which slight variation occurs. All of the variations within a typeface are called a “font family.”

Legibility & Readability

When you’re choosing a typeface for a project, the first question is: is it legible? Meaning, can you make out what the words are? If yes, full steam ahead! If no, then it’s back to the drawing board. Be sure to take note of the elements you liked about this typeface; you may find similar characteristics in another, more legible one.

Wingdings is an extreme example of an illegible typeface.

Brush Script MT is another typeface that can be tricky to read.

The second question to consider is: is the typeface readable? Now I know what you’re thinking: “Didn’t we already cover this?” But readability goes a step further then legibility. While legibility asks, “Can you read this?” readability asks, “Can you read this for an extended period of time without strain?” A typeface can be legible in the short-term but not readable in the long-term.

Readability is important for body paragraphs and larger swaths of text, but it’s not a major concern for titles and headings, which tend to be limited to one or two lines. If you’re really drawn to a font that is legible but not readable, then it’s best to limit its usage to titles and headings only.

American typewriter is legible, but not the best in terms of readability.

Franklin Gothic is both legible and readable!

In part two, we will start to look into serif and sans-serif, handwritten typefaces, and identity. In part three we will dive into how typefaces can make or break a brand.

If you’re interested in accessing part two and three they are included in our FREE digital White Paper. Click the link to get it now!

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