Today’s market is very complex.
Before, we used to have Tri-media: TV, Radio and Print. Now we have 3 generations in this era that we need to consider, and customers are more easily distracted with the increasing media available. Not only that, they have different preferences when it comes to ads, the current generation likes “snackable” information.
All information should be short. Otherwise, they will not read it. This is especially true on social media; sometimes you get a lot of “likes,” sometimes you don’t.
Recent market studies show that people tend to look at visuals before reading the text. In almost every material—printed posters, digital and social media images, physical flyers, etc.—the most effective marketing communication is through visual cues.
Visual communication is very important to deliver the right message and to connect with our customers. Here are the following reasons why:
1. Effective Content Marketing Tool
Visual communication helps the audience understand the information. It increases the comprehension of the subject matter. Types of two dimensional images represented by visual communication include; drawings, pie charts, industrial design, animation, signs, typography, films, graphic designs, and countless other examples.
This is the perfect example of effective visual communication. Imagine on the left is text heavy and you hardly understand the message, versus the one on the right (visual) which is more engaging, elaborate, and creatively done. This clearly gets the message across. Many similar ads with cute visuals can be found in Japan.
2. Better Retention
Retention of information is certainly the ultimate goal of any content. Visual communication plays an important role. The images are directly deposited and stays in mind for a long-term. A study conducted showed that 10-20% of the participants were able to remember spoken and written information while over 50% of visuals and images were remembered. It is important to aim at retention of information when passing marketing products and services.
Owning a monochromatic rendering as your brand is a brilliant idea. This is a good example of retention; our mind becomes associated with the brand whenever you spot a similar artwork.
3. Show, Don’t Tell
The majority of people respond quickly to visual images instead of texts. Humans can grasp a sense of visual scene within 1/10 of a second. Videos and images express more impactful experience while text-heavy content will certainly discourage readers. Nowadays, people love watching images, GIFs, graphic videos rather than listening to words. The mind remembers images faster than words or texts.
Good visuals have always worked to convey messages and have a positive impact in boosting your business. Without good design, even the best story is lost. Coming up with an appropriate image for an advertisement may take some time, but the end result it produces is worth it. Visual communication is making texts understandable to all groups of people.
If you want to get a positive result, start applying visual communication techniques on your business.
Rock Cleo teaches creative design and innovation. He facilitates design thinking and design spirit and helps individuals and organizations alike to create social media following and gather like-minded people to form a community.
