In our everyday lives, we are surrounded by designs that we absorb subconsciously. Pictures and graphics can have a bigger impact on our emotions than we might realize and invoke some kind of response from us. Brands that know this will use it cleverly, using media design, logos and graphic design to better connect with their customers.
There are several popular brands that have become well-known all around the world for their use of this, including Google, Apple and Coca-Cola. Even if the brand name isn’t included with the logo, you know exactly what business it is, and it might invoke certain emotions.
Graphic design can be used to impact moods and convey emotions. Many designs use this to come up with creative graphics and visuals that have a huge impact on how we feel.
How Emotions are Used in Graphic Design
Humans tend to connect anything and everything that we come across with emotions. Many people navigate the world based on how situations or things make us feel or impact our mood. Visuals play a huge role in this. Seeing things from our childhood can make us feel nostalgic, for example, or when we see an ad with bright colors, it can leave us feeling energized and happy.
Graphics and Websites
When designing a business website, the graphic design and the overall look and layout of the site can make a huge impact on how the visitors feel about the business overall. When viewing a website, visitors will use the graphic quality, the theme or layout, and colors to form their first impression of not only the site but the company overall. With these customizable themes, you can invoke positive emotions in your visitors and encourage good feelings about your business.
The Feel-Good Factor
Successful brands will use design, color, and visuals to have a direct impact on the thoughts, feelings, decisions, and behavior of their customers or viewers. Often, the feel-good factor will overpower rational thinking, with many customers opting for products that appeal to them simply because they have a good feeling about it. Sure, it might not be the cheapest option, and there might be options available that are just as good or functional, but the product that makes you feel the best might be the winner, simply because of how it looks. If you’ve ever purchased something that you didn’t really need, just because you liked how it looked and how that made you feel, then you’ll know exactly how this feels.
The Ways Graphic Design Impacts Emotions
There are many factors in graphic design that might often be unnoticed by us, but directly contribute to how we feel. The aesthetic, design, colors, patterns, fonts and more in marketing can often provoke emotional responses.
The Use of Colors
The influence of color on emotion often has the biggest impact on audiences as it is very powerful. Colors impact us psychologically, and therefore can influence us a lot. For example, brands that use bright, shocking colors like neon pink or bright yellow not only stand out from the crowd, but also invoke emotions like excitement or happiness. On the other hand, brands that use calming colors light like green or light blue can have a softer impact on customers, making the audience feel safe and in good hands. Because of this, when choosing colors for your website, product packaging, and other graphic design applications it’s important to consider what you are trying to achieve with your product and how you want it to make customers feel.
While we might not always notice it directly, graphic design and the use of colors can have a bigger impact on our emotions than we might realize.