How our brain processes images

Understanding primary emotional engagement has always been fascinating to me.

I was doing some research and came across perhaps the most well articulated reason for good design that I've come across from a lady called Laurie Manwell. In a video I was watching Laurie says this of our brain working out imagery:

"We assume that when we are looking at something we are analysing it based on the visual information that is entering the brain from the eyes, but this is not entirely accurate. In fact visual stimuli transduced by the rods and cones in the eyes and sent by electro chemical signals to the central nervous system via the optic nerves does not go directly to the occipital cortex which is the primary region responsible for processing information. Instead it first goes to the lateral geniculate nucleus of the thalamus, another region of the brain that is a part of the limbic system and important to emotional arousal.

To put this in simpler terms, this means that you can experience an emotional reaction to something before you are consciously aware that you have even seen it, which in turn effects how you see it."

If you didn't already understand how important good design is, perhaps this helps shed a little light on things.


Simon Bell

Director
Sensation Creative

Updated branding for Art in the Heart

Updated branding for Art in the Heart.

Art in the Heart is an inspirational art gallery and gift shop offering a vibrant range of original paintings, ceramics, sculpture, glass, textiles and accessories. 
They source all pieces from talented artists, many nationally or internationally recognised, who want to share their passion for creativity with all art lovers.

About the updated logo design

The ‘signature’ logo design takes inspiration from the nature of the business including; name, type of product offering and retail style. The new logo for the visual identity is symbolic of this dynamic flow. 

Relationships with the new branding

The products on display and being sold at Art in the Heart are predominantly small quantity, limited edition runs, or one off original pieces of art. Due to their exclusive nature, and as a direct reflection of accompanying handmade and personable qualities, I have designed a logo ‘symbol’ that is a unique piece of art – free of any pre-created fonts, which has been crafted by hand. I felt this was necessary in order to inject deeper meaning in to the brand creative: richer connectivity with artists and arts based products, greater authenticity and provenance.

The logo type (font, below displaying ‘Art in the Heart’), is simple, clear and free of unnecessary clutter. It creates a sense of authority and has been chosen so that it does not detract or conflict with the feel and direction created by the logo symbol. This helps to position overall visual communication style.

From a business perspective, the logo has real purpose. A great deal of logic and sense is attached to the creative and emotional context of the design. In addition to communicating what Art in the Heart does, attention has been carefully applied during the design process to help create positive engagement with the logo.

Although by its very nature, art (and therefore design) is subjective, there are steps that can be taken to guide reaction. Some of these include omitting negative elements (clutter, unnecessary complexity), and including aspirational qualities (seen in positive shape and flow), is also a key part of how this design works.

It is hoped that emotional stimulation will lead to a positive relationship with the logo subconsciously and/or consciously; on impact, during future participation with the brand and through memory recall.

The new logo is a big step forwards, yet remains true to the original concept in positioning the letter ‘A’ within a heart shape. In terms of overall experience the design delivers warm, friendly and expressive feelings. It has a refined, crafted nature to the design which adds a touch of class, elegance and personality. All of which are traits often attributed to the art world, and all of which we tend to warm to as humans.

I hope you like it.

Simon Bell,

Director

Sensation Creative

My big question is...

My question is: 'what comes after love in branding?'

Inevitably, it opens up more questions; What will happen when people are sick of emotionally driven content and are turned away from it just like benefit driven, yell-to-sell, style advertising? Will we switch off our emotions or discover/find engagement in a more complex communication strategy?

Is there a level up on love; perhaps a multi-layered sensual experience that taps in to intelligence quotient and emotional quotient whilst delivering the brand message.

Is a constantly re-framed formula based on desire, the right path to tread? In other words, will we take a step back from nirvana, to create branding with more strength and appeal based on what we can not resist?

The former seems to be inevitable, the latter, it's already started but a level up on love?

Neuro-science will categorically provide new proof of the brains way of processing emotion, bringing tangible quality to creativity - something that is still fairly new but hugely significant. Will this transform the way we do everything and even reform education?

I happen to think so.

What an incredible time to be a part of the global mix.

Whatever happens, I'm very much intrigued, and looking forward to the next 30 years plus in business as part of the creative industry. During this time, and wherever this takes me, I hope that I'll discover an answer to all these questions and more.

Simon Bell,

Director

Sensation Creative

The Holy Grail of Business

It's the holy grail of business: create a branded product that people like so much that they end up falling in love with it.

As a result, they don't just buy your branded product or service once or twice - they become loyal to it. And not just for a reason, but beyond reason; beyond price, beyond attribute often becoming a life long repeat customer and brand champion promoting it freely whenever the opportunity arises.

Which business inspired person doesn't want this? Yet you'd be surprised at how many people in business will not place the words 'love' and 'business' any where near each other. 

But they should because people love lots of stuff; from other people to products, brands, places, and so on. I love my family and friends. Professionally I love to understand brands and branding. For fun, I love cooking, and the related tools I have to help me make dishes. I love Tangle Foot beer. There are loads of other products I love too. I also love the Lake District and India. Now that's a 'whole lotta of love' as Led Zeppelin once sang - a band I love. 

Out of necessity, you'll probably purchase something. How many times have you made a purchase, with partial need attached because you had to have it? And did you end up paying more than you could have paid with a similar product? Even more intriguing, did you willing pay for something that isn't as good as another product and pay more for it?

For example: the top of the range Windows phone is technically better in just about every area, but more people will pay more money for the iPhone 6. The stats prove this. That's love working in business right there. If you can create a product that people love, it makes business sense.

When everything else is the same; the same big data, the same technology, the same type of service or product, seeking to creating meaningful, emotional connections that carry human value seals the deal. Lovemarks by Saatchi & Saatchi proves this time and time again.

So okay great, if people love stuff they will pay more for it. My question is:

What is love?

To gain some understanding on this would be to gain a massive edge in business. Why? Because people are willing to pay more for stuff they love.

To start with, how would you describe love?

Most of us would agree with this statement: 'Love is an emotion'. And perhaps you would also agree this statement 'love is the strongest emotion of all'.

But have you ever thought about 'how' and why we fall in love with someone or in the case products that business creates and sell, with something? Is love at first sight possible or is it something profoundly more complex? Or is it a mixture of lots of different things all coming together a precisely the right moment?

Dr Barbara Frederickson a distinguished professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, author, keynote speaker and a lady whose work I greatly admire describes love quite brilliantly: Love can be thought of as ‘micro-moments of positivity resonance.' The more we experience positive moments, the more we build up a rapport with who ever or what ever is providing it.

There is a lot of science behind this idea which you can read about in Dr Frederickson's book; Love 2.0. But what makes these micro-moments so attractive to us that we actually fall in love? Are we learning to love through rationalisation of our thoughts or is there something that strikes us even before this happens?

Great thinking is changing. Science is adding its weight and our understanding of our own self is evolving; Rene Descartes famously said 'I think therefore I am'.

However based on scientific findings, neurologist Donald Calne is famously quoted as saying: 'The essential difference between emotion and reason is that emotion leads to action while reason leads to conclusions.'

This would suggest that humans are emotionally led. We act primarily on our emotions, before rationalising them as part of a past experience process which leads us to being able to form our own conclusions.

Now remember Descartes: 'I think, therefore I am'. But is this actually correct?

Enter Neuroscientist/neurobiologist Dr. Antonio Damasio. Described 'As a leading neuroscientist, Damasio has dared to speculate on neurobiological data, and has offered a theory about the relationship between human emotions, human rationality, and the underlying biology'.

His thinking takes our understanding to another level.

Damasio's work is responsible for an updated, and in my opinion corrected version, of Descartes famous quote with one dramatic and fundamental change to the wording. Damasio replaces reason with emotion to read: 'I feel, therefore I am.' A closer inspection of his work provides conclusive evidence to support this.

You feel; this is an emotion.

You rationalise; this is thinking.

You conclude; How do I rate this experience.

You choose: Do I want more or less or this. (Will I build up positivity resonance and fall in love)

'I feel, therefore I am'. Emotion trumps reason. Studying Dr Damasio's work will provide you with the evidence to support this. You can find out more by taking a look at the Neuromarketing World Forum 2014 Keynote given by Damasio.

This is why smart brands invest so much in to emotional based marketing and advertising. They're seeking to create these micro moments of positivity resonance. This is because savvy brands realise that the brand boom time is over, people realise that most comparable products do the same thing; all beer tastes pretty good and gets you drunk, washing powder washes your clothes to a brilliant white and so on. 

In order to keep up and win your attention in a time where people have simply switched off to advertising, brands are becoming more caring, more authentic and more emotionally orientated in their communication. In effect, more human, more loving.

Why is this important to understand? When you get an understanding of how we work as humans, not just at face value, but understanding the real deep emotional context of what we truly crave, we can begin to create things with real purpose; from human relationships all the way through to love of our favourite products.

If you want to truly win in business, you'll not dismiss the fact that love and business are, by their very nature, intrinsically related. Act on love, get it right and you'll get a serious return on your money.


Simon Bell,
Director,
Sensation Creative

An irresistible edge

As the supermarket price wars continue, the consumer is winning and the traditional big 4 are losing out.

After the recent news on Tuesday that Tesco had issued its fourth profit warning in a year and lowered trading profit expectations by £1bn, an article in the Financial Times asked: What has gone wrong at Tesco? And they aren't the only ones asking the questions.

I don't know many people that claim to love food shopping. Right there, with a lack of love, it's going to be hard to create a premium.

In the UK food is treated by the masses as a non precious commodity - it's seen as a 'right to have'. Therefore largely, it's perceived value has been lowered. Supermarket discounters such as Aldi and Lidl have realised this and delivered what the consumer wants. Unless you're a massive foodie with a high interest and likely higher value perception of food, the chances are you'll be tempted by the lower prices that the discounters offer.

Tesco and the like can win again but building soured / broken consumer relationships takes time and effort. To get back on track, traditional supermarkets will have to offer price and great user experience which delights and inspires.

And they better be quick. Aldi are already making stores bigger and better, making the weeks shopping less painful financially and enhancing in-store experience. To really win, traditional supermarket brands must do all this more effectively and show that they are helping to make the world a better place - all at the same time.

We know that technology changes markets and abundance drives down market value. Tesco and the like can hide behind stats but simply, savvy, switched on consumers are voting with their feet and they are saying that Aldi broccoli at 49 pence tastes just as good as the rest. This consumer movement would also suggest that the other discounted items all either taste great or they do the same thing.

You can see why the discounters are winning. But there is something else that I've noticed that is giving Aldi an unseen edge...

Having visited Aldi, Morrisons, ASDA and Tesco recently, in my area all the staff are all quite friendly. However, the staff in Aldi have an irresistible edge. Why? I think part of the reason is due to a united team spirit and also because they are winning as a business - it creates a feel good factor.

I've said this before; humans do business and we react to this. We don't often rationalise it, but subconsciously we can feel it: it's authentic, rubs off on us and if it's good, we feel good.

You can't buy this feeling but you can experience it and the Aldi staff are creating it. This is a huge part of internal brand communication. When it's done authentically, it becomes irresistible. It's viewed entirely differently by consumers who long ago have become deaf to the standard corporate auto-cue.

To fix a problem, first you have to recognise it. It's nearly always the small businesses and entrepreneurs that notice these market opportunities whilst the corporate giants sit pretending that nothing is happening. For savvy SME's it could be time for some 'Branding from the Edge'. Learn more > 

Simon Bell

Director

Sensation Creative

Where great ideas are born

Branding from the edge, where great ideas are born

Great brands and branding are so because they are authentic or are considered to be authentic. They are built from great ideas that come from the edge. 

The tools for creating brands and branding for business have never been more accessible. Due to the advancement and subsequent availability of technology, it's become possible for just about anyone to create a logo or a website. Furthermore, these basic branding elements and others can be produced for little or no cost.

Today, largely due to this, nearly every business has basic branding elements: a logo, stationery, a website - all the usual platforms that have become the communication standard.

Yet the inevitable paradox has created a new problem for businesses; our world is now overloaded with brands vying for our attention, meaning it's much harder for them to be heard. Additionally, the glue that binds branded communication platforms together is often missing, resulting in an inconsistent, watered down version of a brand message meaning it's not nearly as effective as it might have otherwise been.

The brands that will win are adaptable. They carefully position themselves on the edge, are fearless and inspire movements with an irresistible feel about them. They are the brands that understand the 'now' and lead by example with sustainable, authentic qualities. SME's must start thinking along these lines if they want to be heard.

We believe that brands that are considered, empathetic and authentic become more than a focal point - they become the very heartbeat of business. If branding programmes are correctly implemented; brands will be talked of favourably and help to inspire loyalty, providing growth and prosperity for business. Brands that adopt this style will create new meaning and relevance with the consumer and win a place in their heart.

Where great ideas are born, they will go on to help inspire great brand design. It's these brands will break away from the stranglehold of the middle and sit brilliantly at the edge, full of creative flare and individuality. Ultimately, these are the brands that will be doing the business.

Read the full article here> 

Simon Bell

Director

Sensation Creative

Logo: The projection of a brand's heartbeat

Just reading the Wally Olins Brand Book at the moment - incredibly interesting and truthful. It's written with true artistic style.

The late Olins appears not to have wanted to gain specifically from the publication but more to pass on his wonderful life experience of understanding and creating brands.

I really like his understated, 'buzz-word-bingo' free style. Even as a book, it's away from fads and trends and seeks to operate in an environment where really great ideas (and people) sit. I've always believed that 'good design' is so because of this. Good design functions as a solution to a problem, that is all. The longer it is able to function for, the better.

In my area, 'brand design', should be able to enjoy a long life; attracting a constant wave of new consumers, seamlessly transcending, able to communicate a consistent message and tell a great story.

When you look at brand architecture; corporate, endorsed or branded, they all share these common factors even though they are driven by differing levels of scale and strategy.

Often described as 'Just a logo' by today's 'savvy' consumer is a true testimony to the great people in my industry. These are the people that have helped to influence and build global economies by providing choice, creating brand loyalty, sometimes 'beyond reason'.

Logos are the heart beat of a brand - they are a projection of the entire brand feeling; good, bad or ugly. They have the ability to make you feel good about your shopping decisions in the process and make your life 'a little bit better'. 

To add my own spin on a Paul Rand quote: The fact that people in general are seeing all this as being so simple is why designing brand identities, is in fact, so complex.

Simon Bell,

Director, Sensation Creative.