The Subtle Power of Imagery: How Visuals Shape Brand Recall in the Age of Information Overload
- angelikaattwood
- Sep 17
- 4 min read
By Angelika Attwood, Dje'ka Creative Director
It’s no surprise that we are bombarded with an overwhelming amount of content daily. Capturing attention has become increasingly challenging, but what studies indicate is far more intriguing than we ever realised. The digital users are exposed to thousands of images each day, with research suggesting that consumers scroll through approximately 300 feet of content per day on social media platforms alone. This constant exposure has led to a significant reduction in attention spans, making it crucial for brands to leverage effective strategies to stand out.
The Science of Memory and Brand Recall
I’ve always been fascinated by how our brains remember things. Human memory isn’t just about words, right?
It’s deeply tied to our senses, especially what we see. Psychologists tell us the brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text. That’s mind-blowing when you consider how much content we scroll through every single day.
It’s not enough to have a clever tagline or a nice logo, if your visuals don’t grab attention in that split second, your message is gone before anyone even registers it.
This is where repetition comes in.
The mere exposure effect shows that we grow familiar with and even start to prefer things we see repeatedly, even if we aren’t consciously paying attention.
That’s why brand recall should never be seen as tricking someone with subliminal messages or sneaky manipulation.
It’s about meeting distracted humans where they are, in the midst of endless scrolling and content overload, and giving them something clever, bold, or striking enough to stick in their minds.
Some might think subliminal messaging works, but studies suggest its impact is minimal. The real power comes from cleverly capturing attention, not deception.
A bold image, a striking colour, or a powerful symbol isused to strategically cut through and connect with people, whose attention is fleeting and fragmented.
When done right, it’s subtle, yes - but honest.
It’s a nudge, a spark, a way to make your brand memorable without ever being manipulative.
In the end, brand recall should never be perceived as fooling the subconscious but foremost respecting the human brain’s limits and giving it something worth remembering.
And in a world drowning in content, that’s exactly the skill every brand needs.
The Role of Imagery in Brand Differentiation
We are living in a busy world, that's why we often process information passively. Strong imagery serves as a critical differentiator. Brands that utilise bold colours, distinctive symbols, and evocative visuals can create lasting impressions that transcend the noise of competing messages.
It's a tough industry to try to get your brand out there. It's even more challenging seeing many founders and marketers choose brand colours or symbols based on personal preference. Prioritising what they 'like' or feel drawn to. That’s a natural instinct, but it can clash with the brand perception they actually want to create.
Colours, shapes, and symbols carry deep psychological weight. Red can spark appetite, blue builds trust, green signals growth - but assign the wrong color, composition, or symbol, and suddenly your carefully crafted message gets lost.
Suddenly, you’re spending months burning your budgets trying to convince the world to see your personal vision, rather than the one your brand truly needs to communicate. That’s time and energy wasted on the wrong direction.
When imagery is chosen thoughtfully, with attention to human perception, eye tracking psychology and emotion, it becomes a shortcut into memory leaving a lasting impression without exhausting yourself or your budget.
The right visuals do the heavy lifting, so your brand doesn’t just exist, it’s remembered.
Ethical Considerations and Consumer Perception
While the allure of subliminal techniques in marketing is undeniable, ethics always need to come first. That’s why the The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in the UK, outright prohibits subliminal messaging in advertising, emphasising transparency and respecting consumer autonomy.
But let’s pivot to a different, perhaps more urgent debate: the role of AI in brand creation.
Personally, I’m not worried about creatives 'losing' their ideas to AI or copyright theft.
If you’re truly creative, you love the craft, you’ll always generate original, meaningful work. The problem arises elsewhere.
The real challenge comes from non-creatives. People who aren’t marketers, designers, or strategists, who assume that AI can generate an entire brand strategy for them.
They rely on AI logo generators, idea prompts, or outsourced templates, believing the machine can replace the nuanced thinking that goes into building a brand.
AI works by scraping the work of real creatives. It doesn’t 'create' in the human sense; it recombines existing ideas.
That leaves a critical question unanswered: how do we protect the intellectual property and copyright of the original creators?
Your hard work, the logos, concepts, campaigns you’ve poured your energy into, can be rewritten and disseminated globally, often without attribution or acknowledgment.
Traditionally, creatives surround themselves with other creatives, drawing inspiration, learning, and paying respect. It’s a collaborative, iterative process, not a copy-paste exercise.
But with AI, that balance shifts. Suddenly, it’s harder to discern what came from your vision and what was borrowed from someone else’s creativity, now repackaged by a machine.
This isn’t about fearing technology, it’s about maintaining respect for the craft, the intellectual labour behind great ideas, and ensuring that originality and human creativity don’t get lost in the rush to automate everything.
Attention has become is scarce and competition is fierce.
Brands must prioritise creating memorable visual experiences. By understanding the psychological impact of imagery and adhering to ethical standards, marketers can craft campaigns that not only capture attention but also foster genuine connections with consumers. As the landscape continues to evolve, the fusion of creativity, psychology, and ethics will define the future of effective branding.
— Angelika Attwood Marketing Ethicist. Creative Realist. And lover of great ads with even greater intent.
References:
Boise State University – Subliminal Messaging in Advertising How Embedded Subliminal Messaging Affects Consumer Behavior in Advertising https://www.boisestate.edu/cobe-marketing/2024/04/26/how-embedded-subliminal-messaging-affects-consumer-behavior-in-advertising
OWDT – Research on Subliminal Messages What Has Research Shown About Processing Subliminal Messages? https://owdt.com/insight/what-has-research-shown-about-processing-subliminal-messages/
OWDT – Effectiveness of Subliminal Advertising Does Subliminal Advertising Work? https://owdt.com/article/does-subliminal-advertising-work/
Camphouse – Subliminal Advertising and Ethics Subliminal Advertising: Strategies, Ethics, and Impact https://camphouse.io/blog/subliminal-advertising
Admetrics – Subliminal Advertising: Ethics and Impact https://www.admetrics.io/en/post/subliminal-advertising-strategies-ethics-and-impact
UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) – CAP Code Advertising rules and guidance in the UK https://www.asa.org.uk/static/uploaded/3760a9e4-5136-4b4a-85aec3bcc6a3321c.pdf
Wikipedia – False Advertising / UK Consumer Protection
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