The Psychology Behind Design and Advertising
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Advertising is all around us, whether we realize it or not, it is everywhere. From print to digital advertising, we are surrounded by promotions of services, products, and so much more, and there is a reason for that and it’s all in psychology.
Psychologists Breaking into the Advertising Industry
Most of the advertising techniques that are used today were established by psychologists after they ended their careers as psychologists and turned to advertising since they already had a deep understanding of how people think and how to target certain audiences.
The psychologist John B Watson is most known for this and during his time as a psychologist, he focused on his research on the psychology of advertising and later turned to advertising as a career. Based on his research, Watson “concluded that marketing depended not on appealing to rational thought, but appealing to emotions and stimulating desire for the product” even if that desire was not originally present in one’s mind (New Design Group).
The technique of evoking emotion in potential customers is still used today whether it be through humor or tugging at heartstrings, emotion still plays a role in advertising and getting people to buy a product or service, and we have psychologists to thank for those sad Superbowl commercials.
Grabbing Potential Customer’s Attention
Advertisers use many different techniques when convincing someone to potentially purchase their product and it goes hand in hand with understanding how one thinks and the design choices being made in advertisements.
As mentioned earlier, appealing to senses and emotions is a common technique that advertisers use, but why?
When a person sees an advertisement and it makes them feel a specific emotion, then their brain has already made the connection between that ad and the emotion they feel before they even realize it. The brain works in a fast way before we even register what is going on or the connection being made.
When a person sees an advertisement and it makes them feel a specific emotion, then their brain has already made the connection between that ad and the emotion they feel before they even realize it. The brain works in a fast way before we even register what is going on or the connection being made.
In addition to emotion, another technique advertisers use to entice people to spend their money on their products is the use of testimonials and endorsements. According to the Federal Trade Commission Consumer Advice, “featuring someone, like a celebrity, saying how the product worked for them can be convincing” and once again, a potential consumer can easily be swayed when they see someone they look up to endorsing a product.
The psychology of believing a product is worth purchasing after seeing someone people look up to use said product is seen a lot in advertising and seems to build trust between the potential consumer and the brand.
Bringing It All Together
Both advertising and graphic design are intertwined with each other, and role psychology plays a big role in both.
When creating a design, designers need to take into consideration elements such as hierarchy, colors, and typography in order to support the message they want to send to their viewers.
Gundeep S. explains this best by saying:
“The design process is also influenced by psychological ideas like cognitive load and visual hierarchy. By demystifying difficult material and presenting it in a visually appealing way, designers aim to reduce cognitive burden. Additionally, creating a distinct visual hierarchy guarantees that crucial components get the attention they require, enhancing overall usability and comprehension.”
This concept is also applied to advertising through the design choices being made in ads and evoking an emotion or thought in the viewer to convince them that they need that specific product or service.
Psychology is important in many fields, but it thrives in advertising and design because it is based on people’s emotions and how they think which we experience in our everyday lives.
Hi! I’m Amanda Riha!
I’m a graphic designer with a background in advertising and psychology and have a passion for being creative and building connections with those around me.
When I’m not designing, you can find me reading as many books as I possibly can or spending time outside!