Using Label design to Prime the Brain

Whilst we do have limited attention spans, certain things that the brain deems to be important do get through quickly and forcefully. Your own name or aspects of danger, for example, can push their way right to the front of your awareness, even in loud and hectic surroundings.

The non-conscious, emotional part of the brain is more automatic and influential than the conscious, rational part. We tend to buy with our hearts and then justify our decision with our heads. To help us make decisions, we rely on rules of thumb or shortcuts known as heuristics. For example, when a shelf is untidy and stock is low, we can assume that the product is popular and therefore worth trying.

Did you know that humans are hardwired to notice faces? Our eye-tracking experiments revealed that people were 14% more likely than average to look at an item featuring an emoji and 18% more likely to look at a label first if it featured a face. Emotional images like hearts and words like ‘lovely’ also draw the primal gaze and even help people look at your label for longer.

Consumers will take their cues about how to perceive and respond to an item like a parcel from the labels it has. Before they even open it up a label will prime their expectation and level of excitement. A label suggesting high quality can lead to increased product consideration and perception, but it works both ways - a cheap design can suggest a cheap product.   

When you next design your blank labels, think about ways you can prime the brains of your customers to recognise and appreciate labels quicker. You can design labels using our free software, Design & Print along with the advice from our branding study by following the hashtag #LabelStories or visiting our label stories website.