Where shape and color grab the attention of your customers your brand name and/or brand messaging takes them to the final step, explicitly articulating the benefits of your company, product, or service.Īs we mentioned earlier, some brands are so well known they no longer need linguistic content in their logos. With complexity, of course, comes richer and more nuanced meaning. More cognitive effort is required to extract the significance of even a single word than that of an “arrow” shape, or bright yellow “caution” indicator.
Unlike shapes and colors, the significance of words necessitates a decoding process on the part of the brain. Not surprisingly, language comes in as the most complex element in the sequence of cognition. The brand’s trademark red has been etched into our subconscious over a lifetime of repeated exposures, along with associations like sweet and refreshing. When scanning the shelves at the supermarket, for example, we don’t have to search very hard for Coca-Cola. Studies even suggest color can have up to a 60% influence on purchasing decisions. This is because the effects that colors have on the human brain range from the physiological (hunger, blood pressure, adrenal activity) to the psychological (excitement, trust, anger). Brand color psychology is a complex subject that’s been explored for decades. To capitalize on this, successful brands architect their color systems to express their personality and stand out from the competition. For this reason, it’s arguably the most visceral visual stimuli, capable of triggering persuasive subconscious reactions. Next up on the ladder of complexity, color is the most emotive of visual cues. The Nike swoosh and Apple icon require neither color nor typeface to be instantly recognized by consumers around the world. If a brand audit reveals that the majority of your competition uses circular logos, you might want to consider a different shape for your own mark.ĭon’t underestimate the lasting power of the shape you choose, either. And while you don’t need to be literate to identify shapes, you have to be able to identify shapes in order to read.įor this reason, the shape of your visual identity is the most fundamental opportunity to differentiate your brand. Even someone who is unable to distinguish between colors can differentiate between shapes. Let’s take a closer look at the steps in the sequence of cognition to see how each plays a role in branding and the brain. Every time you see golden arches and associate them with the smell of French fries, the connection between the two is reinforced. Visual perceptions trigger associations, after all, which are reinforced after repeated exposure over time. This is because when you design your brand’s visual identity with the sequence of cognition in mind, you can more effectively differentiate it, and foster deep, subconscious connections with your customers. Understanding the sequence of cognition can help you build a more powerful brand. Content, particularly linguistic content, is the most complex, as it must be deciphered before its significance is evident. Color is slightly more complicated, as it’s tied to instinct and emotion. Shapes are simple, and processing them first allows for quick decision-making.
This all happens in a fraction of a second, of course, but as Alina Wheeler notes in her seminal branding book, Designing Brand Identity, the progression of visual complexity starts with shape, then color, and finally content.Įverything you need to know about rebranding your business-and avoiding costly mistakes. The best way to avoid being eaten by a tiger is to see it coming, after all.įrom the earliest days of avoiding predators, the human brain began gathering, processing, and interpreting visual stimuli in a very predictable fashion: it starts with the simplest type of information and then moves on to increasingly more complex data. Visual perception is our most primary source of information about the world around us. Specifically, the sequence is: 1) shape, 2) color, 3) content. The sequence of cognition is the order in which our brains process visual information. So, what is the sequence of cognition, and why is it important for your brand? In what follows, we’ll take a look at the answers to these questions and more. It turns out there’s a very predictable way our brains make sense of the visual stimuli they receive. The sequence of cognition outlines how we process visual information. The science behind branding and the brain is extensive, but it all begins with the way we perceive the world around us-the process of visual perception known as the sequence of cognition.
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