Navigating Comfort & Disrupting Patterns

Everyday, we are inundated with visual brands. Each logo that we see communicates a message to us. In a split second, we absorb vast amounts of conscious and subconscious information. Every element of the brand contributes to a message. Understanding the power and strategy of font, color, shape, and presence of images and numbers is vital in creating your visual brand.

A well curated visual brand can quickly and efficiently influence viewers toward a purchase or conversely, drive business elsewhere. The human mind is always scanning for patterns. For example, when we look at an image of a tree, our minds will expect to see the colors brown and green. When patterning is in order, the human mind will ignore it, but if that tree is blue and pink the patterning is out of sync, and the mind will naturally give that tree a heightened attention.

Unfamiliar images, do the opposite. Our minds question what we are seeing and this can results in a decreased attention span. So, while the abnormal colors of the tree helped to draw attention to the brand, the tree itself offered a baseline comfort and set a frame for that attention. Without the familiar shape, there would be a converse effect. It’s vital to have a balance of both familiarity and something a bit different, in order to draw attention to your visual brand and keep it.

The bottom line…when creating new brand designs, it’s crucial to find an intermediary pattern breaking and comfort. By interrupting common patterns and creating comfort, we can design a brand that will be cognitively successful and effectively communicate your brand to your audience.