Give someone a piece of information and three days later they will be able to retain 10% of it. Pair that same information with an image and three days later they will remember 63% of it.

The above information is not made up for the sake of this blog. It was part of a 2018 report that can be viewed here.

Digital marketing is a lot about getting people’s attention while they’re scrolling. When a potential customer looks at your ad or social post, what will catch their eye at first glance? Words, no matter how eloquently written, cannot have the same hook to them as an image.

The first representation of a brand is the logo. So, sure in the working of the company and the making of products (although packaging) graphic designing is of very little importance but when it comes to the marketing it can make all the difference.

We’ve broken the reasons down into bullets for your convenience. Read and learn, dear reader.

Active and Passive Attention:

Active attention utilizes brain power and demands cognitive focus, while passive attention is when your mind is distracted by different things but you can muster enough attention to perform basic activities and tasks.

Well drawn and clear images do not require active attention. They can transmit information and imprint the logo on a prospect’s mind, in passing, in other words, while scrolling.

Implicit learning

There are active and passive forms of learning too, but they are not as important to our subject. What we’re interested in is the part of learning that happens implicitly.

This kind of learning takes place when the person isn’t even aware that it’s happening. And yet it leaves something behind and the person is able to attach meaning to the ideas or images they absorbed.

Implicit learning is especially in the marketer’s favor because the learner is not very critical during it.

Implicit memory

This is the part of your memory where all the implicit learning you’ve done goes. It is usually home to procedures and long term activities. For example, you don’t have to sit down and rote learn the steps to washing the dishes, nor did you have to take a class for it. You learn this procedure through implicit learning from watching a parent doing it.

 Emotional response/attachment

An image can bring joy, excitement, or wonder into a person’s mind. That pleasant feeling then gets associated with the stimulus that caused it. That stimulus is the image and the logo that’s somewhere around it.

Experiments have also revealed that emotive ads (ads extracting an emotional response from the viewer) contrary to popular belief do not command attention. They mostly only result in an emotional response and the viewer is less inclined to analyze it thoroughly before they form an opinion of it.

Decision making through Somatic Markers

The somatic marker hypothesis was introduced by Antonio Damasio and it states that a lot of decision making is guided by emotions. It’s the ‘gut feeling’ you have about something; the reason why you prefer one brand over another even though you might not be able to argue the case systematically.

Somatic markers are also considered to be especially influential when the person is in a rush and can’t sit and evaluate the pros and cons of the options available. In such a situation, they are more likely to go for the one that they have an emotional connection with.

What can create that emotional connection? A nice image. And so we have come full circle.

There are a multitude of other reasons why graphic designers and digital artists can push a marketing campaign to the next level besides these, but those you probably already know.

Therefore, we suggest you put out a call for CVs as soon as your busy schedule allows you. Find a person who understands the kind of art you need for your brand and get to work.