Danger and Graphic Design

Avoiding danger is a basic survival behaviour we all share. Danger can quickly engage the brain into action.

Speed and Graphic Design

People can be very impulsive, particularly when shopping. If your customers can achieve immediate gratification they will be more likely to buy now. When designing marketing material, it’s important to understand what may motivate your target market. Marketing to customers in-store may be very different to how you market to them in their homes through printed material or online. The right message must be used in the right situation.

Options and Graphic Design

A common misconception is: the more options you provide your prospects, the more likely you will make a sale. This thinking comes from the belief that if people are offered choices they are more equipped to make a better decision. The exact opposite proves to be true, more often than not. 

Social Validation and Graphic Design

The bystander effect refers to how people react upon experiencing a sudden event in a social situation. Bystanders seem to largely remain apathetic to someone in dire need of immediate help, even out in public when a large crowd is present. Research suggests a lone bystander seeing a person in physical need is far more likely to help than if they were part of a crowd. Studies suggest, the larger the crowd the less likely it is that someone will respond—providing nobody else breaks the trend and reacts. This reveals something intriguing about human behaviour:

Most people will look to other people first to see how they react before reacting themselves. This is ‘social validation’.

Reciprocity, Reward and Graphic Design

Reciprocity is another intriguing human behaviour that can be used as a means to market your company more effectively. It is a common human trait that works with a person’s sense of obligation. It is natural for people to feel indebted to someone who has been generous towards them, and is common for people to feel the need to repay kindness in some way.