Logo designs have an important emotional role to play in
influencing decision making, particularly when time or information is
restricted. Neurobiologists have been examining on how the brain comprehends
and distinguishes a logo, and how it affects the decision making. Following is
some of what they've researched so far.
What happens when
someone sees a logo design?
When a person looks at a logo and his/her eyes transmit a
signal from the fusiforrn gyrus to the Primary Visual Cortex (VI.) It, first,
comprehends color then discovers the form and shape of the logo design.
What your brain is
looking at:
Color:
As per the scientists,
your eye doesn't see color at all—your brain creates it through neural
processes that take place along the fusiform gyrus, the Hippocampus, and the
primary visual cortex located at the back of the brain.
Shape:
After identifying the color near the visual cortex’s back, a
signal is directed forward to "what pathway" near the visual cortex’s
front where objects and shape are distinguished. It can even see shapes not
present there (such as objects shown by the white space of logo designs).
Meaning:
While shape and color are the "bottom up"
information, i.e., it is assembled from the immediate environment; meaning and context
is "top down" information imparted by your memory to assist you in understanding
and thinking about what it all entails. This process uses countless parts of
the brain, but above all the amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex, the spots where
emotions and rewards are being processed.
What Science Says as
regards A Logo's Effect on Viewer’s Thinking?
Over the last two decades, neuroscientists have utilized
brain imaging (WIRD to have a closer look at the way we think about logo designs.
Here are some of the extremely interesting findings:
Logos are not processed on just a single place in the brain.
Sports and luxury brands (such as Nike and Mercedes) activate responses in precuneus
and the medial prefrontal cortex, while value brands (such as Walmart) trigger
neurons in anterior cingulate cortex.
Brands we like, bring out activity in ventral medial frontal
pole that is the part where we form self-esteem as well as the conception of
who we are. This might suggest that our preferred brands play a deep role in the
way we see ourselves.
Our acquaintance with a logo design specifies which area of
the brain thinks of it when we look at it. "'Strong"' brands tend to set
off activity in the brain’s area that is linked with positive emotions and
reward, whereas unknown brands activate neurons in parts of the brain linked
with negative emotions. This proposes that people use experience, in place of declarative
information to evaluate brands.
Logos can actually change behavior. When scientists showed
(subliminally) an Apple logo to some students, and an IBM logo to others, the
students who saw the Apple logo performed better on a creativity test. Students
shown a Disney logo (again subliminally) performed better on an honesty test than
student who saw an E! TV logo.
