Neuromarketing: How Does the Brain Perceive Logos
A well-designed logo attracts attention and trust, positively appeals to the target audience, and makes a company recognizable. There are many reasons for creating a logo. However, before designing a company logo, you should know some fundamental things about how logos are perceived in the brain. If it is not optimally designed, you may not achieve the desired effect with your logo. In the worst case, it may even evoke negative emotions. Therefore, it is best to consider the neuroscientific insights described here about the perception and cognitive processing of logos! In the last two decades, logo processing in the brain has been extensively researched using imaging techniques (MRI), leading to a new form of marketing: Neuromarketing.
What Happens in the Brain When We Perceive Logos?
When we see a logo, our brain processes the perceived image so quickly that it may seem to us as if all the details are perceived simultaneously. This is not the case! Although the brain only needs 400 milliseconds to grasp a logo, this process takes place in several stages.
- The eye sends the visual information through the fusiform gyrus in the lower part of the brain to the visual cortex located at the back of the head. The visual cortex first captures the color, then the outline - both the outline of a foreground object and the outlines of any empty spaces - and the shape of the logo.
Today, scientists believe that the eye does not perceive color as a whole but identifies it during the processing in the brain. In addition to the fusiform gyrus and the visual cortex, the hippocampus is also involved in this process.
2. In the next step, the visual cortex combines these individual pieces of information into a complete image.
3. The brain then links this complete image with possible previous experiences and memories. If this image is already stored in memory, it recognizes the logo and associates it with the corresponding brand.
4. Finally, the brain connects the logo and the associated brand with the keywords that have been stored from previous experiences. This allows the perceived image to be assigned a specific meaning, such as typical characteristics that the brand represents, a slogan we may have heard or read at some point, as well as our individual experiences and current desires related to the associated product.
In this final process of assigning meaning to the logo, various brain regions are involved. The amygdala, where emotions are generated, and the orbitofrontal cortex play a significant role. In the orbitofrontal cortex, possible decisions are weighed based on their pros and cons and ultimately made.
How Do Logos Affect Our Thinking?
Not every logo is processed in the same area of the brain. Scientific studies have shown that when looking at logos of well-known sports and luxury brands, the medial prefrontal cortex and the precuneus are activated. In contrast, when viewing logos of inexpensive brands, neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex are activated.
When we like a brand, the brain area in the middle of the forehead comes into play. This area also determines whether and to what extent we ultimately identify with it. Scientists have found that popular brands trigger reactions in the same brain regions involved in human relationships. The brain treats brand relationships almost as equivalently as relationships with people!
It also influences the brain's response whether it is a familiar logo or an unknown brand. Logos that are widespread and familiar to us activate brain regions responsible for positive emotions: the palladium, the posterior cingulate cortex, and the prefrontal cortex. In the best case, even the ventral striatum, the brain's reward center, is activated. This was demonstrated in a study conducted by the NeuroCognition-Imaging research group at the University of Bonn with 30 participants using the example of the organic seal. In contrast, unknown logos tend to activate the insular cortex, which is associated with negative feelings.
Moreover, it has been scientifically proven that logos can influence people's behavior. In a study led by the US researcher Gráinne M. Fitzsimons, one group of 341 participants was shown the Apple logo during a creativity test on the screen, while the other group was shown the IBM logo. The logos appeared so briefly that they could not be consciously recognized. However, those participants who saw the logo with the bitten apple had more creative ideas than those shown the IBM logo.
Conclusions
For a logo to have the desired impact, all aspects should be well-coordinated. From the facts described above, the following practical insights can be drawn:
- Choose the color and shape of the logo carefully! Pay attention not only to the foreground shape but also to the outlines of the spaces in between.
- Of course, the logo should evoke appropriate associations with your company. However, also consider the emotional impact! When potential customers view the logo, positive feelings regarding the associated service should arise.
- Design your logo to establish a relationship with the customer! To achieve this, you need to understand the needs of customers interested in your offering and empathize with them.
- Ensure that your existing logo becomes known in combination with your company! As awareness grows, the chance of it being positively evaluated by the viewer's brain increases - especially if the brand is already associated with positive experiences. Your logo should be present everywhere you advertise your products or services, whether on your website, business documents, business cards, email signature, or company pages on social networks.
For more information about Harald Sturm and Neuromarketing, visit:
http://www.excellente-unternehmer.de/redner/harald-sturm-keynote-speaker-buchen-vortragsredner.html
