Exploring the Role of Cognition in Clipart Design
Clipart is a ubiquitous feature of online content today, and its use has grown in scale with the development of digital marketing and communications. Clipart has become a popular way for designers and marketers to convey ideas visually and is often used to supplement text where traditional images may be too large or inappropriate. While clipart is a simple concept, the cognitive factors that drive its design are complex and not well understood. This article will examine the role of cognition in clipart design in the following ways:
The Role of Cognitive Science in Clipart Design
Cognitive science is a branch of psychology and neuro science that investigates the processes behind cognitive functions such as perception, learning, thinking, and reasoning. The principles of cognitive science pertain to many aspects of design, including clipart design.
The design of effective clipart involves knowledge of what people find appealing and attention-grabbing. Research shows that humans are good at recognizing patterns and organizing visual information into categories. Clipart design must reflect this human cognitive ability to be effective.
Marketers will often choose a specific color pattern or iconography to represent their brand. Effective clipart must reflect this brand identity not just visually, but by appealing to cognitive factors that enhance brand recognition.
Structure and Pattern in Clipart Design
Pattern recognition is critical in the creation of clipart. Clipart designers must identify and utilize common patterns that the viewer is likely to recognize. This process involves blending the use of familiar shapes, colors, and layouts to create easily recognizable clipart.
Clipart designers always default to using shapes that are familiar to them, like stars and circles. These shapes are easily recognized by the brain, which leads to quick and easy identification. (See Example 1)
When designing clipart, it’s essential to incorporate elements that are recognizable to people and have a shared meaning. This shared meaning can help people understand what is depicted in the clipart.
Using Context in Clipart Design
It is necessary to design clipart within a specific context. An enormous white heart outline filled with a red gradient for Valentine’s Day is more likely to be perceived as conveying love than rage.
The same principles of context apply to clipart used in marketing. Clipart designed with contextual cues from the brand’s imagery is crucial to creating a cohesive look and feel in marketing materials. Clipart should not be used in isolation but should be combined with supporting text and other design elements to create a cohesive message. (See Example 2)
Conclusion
Clipart designers benefit from an understanding of cognitive science principles such as pattern recognition, context, and brand identity. By incorporating these principles into clipart, designers can create effective design visuals that are understood and appreciated by a wide audience. The effectiveness of clipart design is multifaceted and incorporates many cognitive factors, but optimizing and balancing these cognitive factors can lead to improved brand recognition and communication.
