In an age where the internet dominates our lives and people spend the vast majority of their time scrolling through a news feed, advertising has had to adapt to capture attention even quicker than before. The use of visuals in advertising have become even more important as often a potential consumer's eyes will only glance over the advert for a fraction of a second as they scroll past it on their screen.
If you think about it, Instagram is a very strong media platform because it says so much with so few words. People simply don't have the time to sit and to read through pages of information and they want quick, easy access to mass content with quick and easy responses to show their support or appreciation for what is on display.
So how can we apply this to advertising? What visual features make you stand out from an endless stream of mediocrity?
Colour is a very important tool. Your reaction to certain colours is very personal and emotional and can completely change your mood. As an advertiser, you have to decide which mood you want to inflict upon your target audience that would be most effective to persuade them to buy your product. Bold and bright colours will make you stand out from other advertisements and media, but may not portray the message or the mood that you wish to deliver.
Creating a brand and a strong image for yourself is important. If you can reach the stage where a small logo or a simple typeface is immediately recognised as your brand, such as the Apple logo or the purple used in Cadbury's advertising, then you have really implanted your company and your product into people's subconscious. This can be achieved through repetition and ensuring that you have a strong brand and logo. Just be careful not to over stimulate with repetition that they decide to block out your advertising campaigns.
The people in your advertisements obviously play vital roles. Consider the body language of the people in the pictures. Do they look confident? Do they look happy? Viewers of your adverts will automatically assume that your product will have the effect on them that it has on the people in your images.
You have to be careful not to overcrowd your imagery. The use of negative space is very effective as it promotes simplicity and draws focus very quickly to a particular point on the advert. Also when composing your image, consider using the rule of thirds for maximum impact, or to be really direct with potential customers, central composition can also be really effective. Patterns are visually satisfying to consumers and can have a very positive effect.
People remember about 80% of what they see and only 20% of what they read. The way to truly speak to somebody on a personal level is through their eyes and not through words. Imagery is a language that transcends all language barriers, although it can be interpreted differently by different cultures. Especially in today's markets where people simply don't have the motivation to read large amounts of text, it is the quickest and most effective way to promote your product.