Each of our sense have different abilities. With visual being of high importance, essential to studying. Our brain obtains most information through our eyes, and it is safe to say that eyes are one of the most crucial organs in our body.

From identifying people and streets, learning to read, operating mechanics, appreciating art, to enjoying a scenery……almost everything within life requires the use of eyes, vision helps us feel the world around us.

Visual intelligence 

To “see” seems like such an easy task, all we have to do is open our eyes.  But we underestimate the complexity of our visual sense. Many people may not know that our eyes are a part of our brain, the two closely connected, and are composed of similar cells as our eyes are a crucial extension of our Central Nervous System. When visual information enters our cornea, our brain is processing the same information simultaneously. The EyeWire program’s illustration of our retinal nerve created by Seung Lab once again proves that, “We observe the world not through our eyes, but through the brain.”

As technology continues to progress, we are living in a time of constant visual advancement. Modern day people are more than ever relying on the presence of images, videos to acknowledge the world, generating a new “eyeball generation.” Endless lines of brands use impactful visual communication to manipulate our perception and consumer habits.

They spend heavy loads of money each year on billboards, magazines and commercials, strongly influencing our consumer impulses. Facing this wave of visual competition, when a brand carries out sales and publicity, taking charge of visual elements play high importance. 

A Generation of Short Attention Span

We all have a natural born gift for observing, of instinct, understanding, and memorizing information. But as Daniel Kahneman mentions in “Thinking, Fast and Slow,” our brain, a majority amount of time, is running on autopilot. And if we don’t concentrate, the information we pick up would be much less than we potentially can. 

Changes in modern day technology and culture requires more than ever speed and efficiency in the spreading of information, but everything comes with a price. As we drown in the sea of information and messages, our brain is constantly being distracted, therefore causing our brain function to slow down. Journal of Experimental Psycology points out, if a student cannot focus on answering a complex math problem, the problem solving time will extend by 40%. Another study from King’s College London states that when an individual is distracted, he will decrease in an equivalent of 10-15 IQ points, a damage greater than marijuana, equalling to a grown man’s IQ dropping to the level of a child’s.

Understanding how the brain worlds can help us avoid being beaten down by the stress brought to us by the fast-changing society. It is a good way to slow down our pace. Impatience is a trap, we don’t need to constantly chase after speed, speed can result in mistakes, and it takes far longer to recover from mistakes than to take our time in work. Give your brain some breathing space, allow it to absorb information that is truly important, give it time to fully store within our memories. 

Visual Communication & Effective Designs

Designs use “visuals” as the main form of communication and presentation, using many methods to create and combine imagery, symbols, colors, and text, to spread ideas and messages.

Effective designs in visual communication is not the creative innovation of a designer, not the subjective cognition of the company, and definitely not the attention-seeking gimmicks. Effective designs are whether they apply to the biological, psychological, societal function of humans. A meaningful, elegant, classic visual communication design, is able to breath, capture, keep, and connect with through our senses.