David Billings

Graphics Awesomizer
Sandy, Oregon

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Getting Emotional with Your Images

How to create a successful marketing or advertising image that makes long term impact for the viewer. Is it all about fonts and colors or is there something deeper?

Written Feb 18, 2008, read 4877 times since then.

In business it's often said that it's better to be unemotional and detached. I subscribe to this philosophy when it comes to negotiating contracts, doing my taxes, or flossing after lunch. However, in marketing and advertising it's all about creating an image that sells, and successful creatives can't afford to be detached and analytical in the process.

To be sure, there are certain steps to be followed when creating a successful ad or marketing design. Sometimes these steps are repetitive, more science than art. Sometimes they need to be a little chaotic and weird. It's the difference between prepping vegetables and creating a melt-in-your-mouth ratatouille. Think for minute about why a well-prepared meal inflames your senses. Is it a simple order of steps that you can punch up in a computer? If you can program your computer to say “Bam!” does it become Emeril Lagasse?

Think about creating a design for a national ad campaign. Is creating a successful image just a matter of choosing the right RGB values in Photoshop? Do pretty colors and 3D effects equal attention-grabbing images or is there something deeper than fonts and color wheels?

Those “Think Different” Apple ads from a few years ago should tell you that pretty colors aren't always the answer. Those ads were black and white and darn successful, too. “I want to be like Albert Einstein and think different, too.” Deep down I know that a new macbook won't make me Einstein, but the ad made me pause and think about Apple.

It's true that people are initially drawn to an ad, a book cover, or a piece of artwork because the bold color (or lack of) calls to them. In a way, we're like moths to a flame and we can't help but be attracted by the light. Unlike moths, we need something to keep us there, to hook us. It's something moths don't have. It's called emotion.

Think about one of the most successful ad campaigns ever, the Nike “Just do it” ads created by Wieden+Kennedy. At this moment I can't recall any particular advertisement from the campaign, but the image of the Nike swoosh and the words “Just do it” are emblazoned on my brain forever. No, it's not pain from the aforementioned emblazoning, it's the feelings of anticipation, power and belonging to a group of like-minded athletes that hooked me. To me, it said “Get up off your bum, you lazy moron and go run.” That was powerful and it made me pay attention.

How about the Keebler Elves? There's a powerful image in cookiedom, thanks to Leo Burnett. Years before I saw the Nike ad I was probably hooked by the cartoon image of an elf who baked in a tree. Together, Nike and Keebler could keep my emotions out of balance for a long time. Do I run or do I snack? That's the power of an image that sticks with you long after the campaign is over.

Have you ever been assaulted by a piece of direct mail? Ow, that hurts. Your eyes, I mean. You might know what I'm talking about, there's one at the bottom of your recycle bin. It's the one with lots of spheres and gradients, maybe a REALLY BIG SENTENCE IN CAPITALS, and a nice... 3D explosion in the background. Does something like that draw you in by appealing to your emotions or is it merely an attack on the senses? It's a good bet that you wouldn't throw away something you were emotionally attached to.

Graphically speaking, it could even be technically correct. The design books say that red is a warning color and grabs attention fast. Cool graphics like 3D spheres and explosions will definitely draw reflexive attention. What lingers in the audience's mind long after the image is gone is where you want to have the most impact. It's easy to get attention, but holding attention requires more thought.

If you really want to reach people, you've got to do it on an emotional level. It's not so important what emotion(s) you're appealing to, as long as it reaches your intended audience in the way you meant it to. If you want to get people to revolutionize a small country, you might appeal to their anger. If you want someone to pay your company to do their taxes, you might try a little fear. Are you going to hit everyone the same way? No, because everyone is wired differently. Fortunately, it's not as simple as pressing buttons on an emotion machine. If it were that easy it wouldn't be very rewarding. That's the art part of the business, a new creative solution every time.

Sometimes when I work with a client to develop an image, they'll start by telling me what colors they want, rattle off a few fonts, and point me to a web site that's sort of like what they want. Slow down Buckaroo, I say (yep, I will say Buckaroo if the situation calls for it). Those things are going to be important in the final design or illustration. Before we get there, I try to explain that I need to understand something about their vision, goals, and who their intended audience is. Otherwise it's like trying to design a new home by picking out a paint color first.

Creating art or an image that stirs emotion isn't a scientific process. To some people, that can be a frustrating concept and difficult to accept. “Aren't there rules, didn't you go to school and read books about this stuff?” the most frustrated clients ask. The answer is that rules and guidelines for creating images that sell aren't set in stone. If they were, all advertising would look like a Moscow pep rally circa 1951. What works for one person turns another one off completely. To some people, the “Just do it” campaign made them frustrated enough to pop open that box of Keebler crackers. Thankfully in the creative business there's never one answer that applies to everything. Um, think different, to coin a phrase.

So, more importantly than picking the right font or a piece of 3D clipart (don't even get me started, Buckaroo) is understanding what emotions you're trying to stir. That's where your audience lives and that's where you achieve long term impact from your images.

I wrote this article on a mac, while wearing Nikes and eating a box of graham crackers. I think I'm going to Starbucks now. I hear “there's a lot going on inside.”

Learn more about the author, David Billings.

Posted by Chas Martin, Portland, Oregon | Feb 19, 2008

Before "Just do it!" came along, Nike was already established as different. My recollection of the first Nike ad I saw was a (probably stock) photo of a straight road that stretched on forever. The headline was "Because it's there." I believe it was produced by DavidStrongDesign from Seattle. I could be wrong on that, but it was a powerful image and a powerful statement that was based on emotion. We think with our heads. But, the buy decision is usually, ultimately, based on what our hearts tell us to do. Incidentally, the guy who was at Nike for "Just do it." and at Starbucks after that when they went global is Scott Bedbury. I think he moved on to do some work with Jones Sodas. I think he also has your motivations figured out.
Posted by David Billings, Sandy, Oregon | Feb 20, 2008

Wow, I think I remember that "Because it's there" campaign. I'd love to see one of those again. Sometimes the best things are very simple, no?

Thanks for commenting!
Posted by Tonya Kirkland, Mill Creek, Washington | Feb 21, 2008

That you for the brush up! I am working on several different marketing ideas, and can always use a few tips or more :)
Posted by Noel Javier, Portland, Oregon | Feb 22, 2008

Great work David. I always sit down with a design client and talk about their target audience prior to setting design in motion. I also like to understand their pre-existing design (if any). Building a sense of who your client is is just as helpful as coming up with a visual way to enchant an audience.
Posted by David Billings, Sandy, Oregon | Feb 22, 2008

Hey, thanks for the comments, everyone. It's my first article on biznik and I'm learning a lot on this site.

It's pretty cool to be here. Everyone is so great about sharing information and helping each other in business. I hope to write more and contribute to the pot of knowledge.
Posted by Judy Dunn, Seattle, Washington | Feb 22, 2008

David,

How refreshing to meet an illustrator/graphics person who "gets it." You're right. Somehow we got the idea that a business should not try to elicit emotions in its marketing pieces. I think that direct mail (the old snail mail letters that people dismiss as "junk) had it right all those years (and in some ways are still getting it right). The copywriters who create these letters try to figure out where the prospect is emotionally when she opens up their letter. Then they hit her on the head with it.

The old marketing rule (The copywriting guru Michael Masterson said it, I believe) applies here: people buy for emotional, not rational, reasons. Otherwise no one would buy chocolate cake. There's no logical reason. It has no nutrients, it makes you fat, etc. Why does it sell? It makes you feel good.

The direct mail experts know that once you are sold emotionally, then you need to justify your decision with rational reasons. Regardless of your opinion of those direct mail letters, they do those two things very well.

Excellent article!
Posted by David Billings, Sandy, Oregon | Feb 22, 2008

Thanks, Judy!

Actually, I've seen some very well-done direct mail pieces out there. I think what differentiates the well-done from the cheesy and horrific is the term you used, "Direct Mail Experts." Key word "experts!"

I hate to see business people creating their own marketing campaigns because they think they'll save money and off-the-shelf software makes it look like a breeze.

You and I know that's what experts are for. ;)

Thanks for commenting!
Posted by Havi Brooks, Portland, Oregon | Apr 17, 2008

This is great! Love the powerful images (yes, images) that come across in the written descriptions here as well. Which is a nice reminder that when the words work and the images go pop and zap it all works.

Also agree on the whole "creating focus and feeling without bonking people on the head" thing, aesthetically speaking.

Ooh, and extra points for use of the word "cookiedom". High approval rating!
Posted by Alma Gray, Akron, Ohio | Jul 23, 2008

Bravo! Absolutely magnificent article...and I'm not being sarcastic (for once). I agree, emotion is integral to advertising. Knowing your target consumer and what makes 'em tick will create an effective ad.
Posted by Sherry Darrow, Duvall, Washington | Sep 14, 2008

Very helpful article as I begin the journey of creating an identity for my product. Thanks, Sherry
Posted by Stacy Blackwell, Binghamton, New York | Sep 15, 2008

Co-Branding is another way to help start an image for products or service. Team up with a well established name and that will help back the quality of your product or service from the start!

Thanks,

Stacy www.MyChannellockTools.com
Posted by Joe Vissichelli, Valley Stream, New York | Feb 12, 2009

You've got it right, David. While I can always create an all-type layout that will make do, I much prefer to work with good images. I tell clients the pictures make the layout. They're the most inspiring (or, in the case of bad images, deflating) elements to work with.
Posted by Cheryl Dixon, Sandy, Oregon | Sep 23, 2009

Moscow pep rally circa 1951...? I love this line, but I don't know why. What would a Moscow pep rally-circa 1951 look like? History makes me think of Stalin, death of an Empire society, WW11, nothing but black and red (it was a horribly bloody time). You did make me think, so a big thank you for something that was of real interest. Cheryl