The Psychology of Visual Design: How Ads Can Be Appealing to the Human Eye

As a creative agency, it’s our job to create powerful, visually appealing ads in the campaigns we run for clients. We are constantly thinking of how we can improve our designs, from the photos we select to the visual elements we use. To understand how we can draw in our target audience, we need to understand what makes an ad appealing to the human eye.

Whether you’re using Instagram, Facebook, or even X (formally known as Twitter), you are bound to see ads that have been fine-tuned to your interests and needs. However, it’s not always guaranteed that you’ll stop and look at every ad that comes your way. In the split second, you see the ad as you’re scrolling through your social media feed, your brain makes various judgments to determine whether you should stop scrolling and look at the ad or continue on your way and scroll past the ad. What factors does your brain use to determine whether an ad is worth your time? How can you adjust your design to make people stop and look at your ad?

Use High-Quality, Unique Imagery

One of the biggest elements of the visual design of a lot of ads is the imagery they are using. If you are selling a product, you want a powerful image that portrays the product being sold but is unique enough to stand out from your competitors; this may require your imagery to be creative in the use of its background, colors, perspective, and angles.

Because our minds are constantly consuming media, our brains will automatically begin to filter out images that are too similar to each other. Many viewers will begin to think, “Ah, I’ve already seen this before.” and will scroll past generic ads. However, if the ad is visually unique, a viewer may stop at the ad and think, “Wait, what’s this?” and become interested.

Have a Clear Message/Typography

Sometimes, having an image alone is not enough to draw a viewer in. In the case of advertising a service, it may not be as easy to explain what your service is just through images and may require some written text to get your message across. Having written text on your ad can be advantageous as it saves the viewer time to figure out what is being advertised.

For example, let’s say you’re advertising a school and need to enroll students in grades 6-8. A lot of parents who are looking for schools to enroll their children in are not as used to the digital landscape of social media because of generational differences and inexperience with technology. Because of this, it helps to have the information laid out in your ad as clear and concise as possible. These ads may have something as simple as “Enrolling Grades 6-8.” Though the copy can be a lot more creative, it is enough to draw parents’ attention, causing them to think, “Oh, my child is in that grade! I wonder if this school is good for them?”

This is the same for any call to action (CTA’s) you may want to feature in your ads. No matter what it is you’re trying to say in your ad, make sure it is clear and doesn’t complicate your design.

Make Sure Your Design is Balanced

There may be a lot you want to say in your ad, but a little can go a long way. As we’ve talked about previously, we’re constantly consuming media, so a viewer’s brain may be fatigued when it comes across your ad. If the design is too complicated, whether it’s using too many images or features long strings of text, the viewer may simply scroll past the ad, deeming it too much work to figure out. Make sure that your design isn’t overwhelming to the human eye. It’s a bit of a balancing act to say the least.

Evoke Emotion

A powerful strategy ads have utilized is to appeal to the viewers’ emotions. If it’s possible, create your ad so that it tells a story. Viewers will engage with an ad that feels like it resonates with them. For example, if a dog shelter is trying to gather donations, they’ll utilize the sad imagery of their sheltered dogs, telling their story of how they were saved from the streets. Many people can’t resist the pleading eyes of a sweet dog and will stop to listen and maybe even leave a donation.

These are just a few ways that ads can be visually appealing to the viewer’s eye. Understanding these factors will help you create an ad that draws your viewers’ attention. If you need help fine-tuning your advertisements or even need someone to handle it for you, we’re here to help! Feel free to fill out a contact form and schedule a free 30-minute consultation call today!

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