It’s amazing to me how many advertsing pieces I see that could improve their subliminal messages by applying small steps that a lot of designers DON"T seem to practice.
One such example is the EYES test. Think with me for a moment. If you enter a room and suddenly everyone turns and looks to the left, what are the chances that you too will look left? I think if you’ve got an ounce of human curiousity within you the answer is 100%. You WILL look left to see what everyone is looking at. Whether this derives froum our human desire to go "with the herd" or whether it’s simply a defense mechanism to alert of us to danger or be aware of our surroundings. . . YOU WILL LOOK.
So let’s take that principle and apply it to some other areas. In a design piece (especially a double page spread) It’s important that my subjects are "looking" the right way. If my images seem to be staring off the advertisement, chances are the reader will look off too. And that means, I’ve lost them. They have moved on, flipped the page, or set down my flyer. However, if the subjects are looking inward to the inside of the spread, or in the direction of my most important headline or information, then subliminaly it tells the reader that they should look there to. And to be one of the crowd, chances are they will do just that.
Let’s take it a step farther. In most countries, people expect to read from Left to Right. So if my primary target audience are english speaking, then I do not want to place anything on the left side of the page that will hinder the flow of their eyes. If, on the left side of the page, I have an image that is facing to the left, I have created a continual loop that will keep the reader from seeing the rest of my advertisement. If they do see it, they will feel very uncomfortable looking at the piece.
However, take the same piece and let the subject of the image be facing to the right, and suddenly there is a natural flow created for the reader to let their eyes follow the path of the images and read the rest of the advertisement.
This is an excellent point. It applies to photography as well. Leading the viewer with a subject that appears to be moving or looking in the direction of “flow”. This is a simple principle that is often overlooked.
Never really thought about it, but great point!!