THE SUBLIMINAL LANGUAGE OF GRAPHIC DESIGN: EVALUATING LOGO SEMIOTICS AND THE VISUAL LITERACY PARADOX AMONG URBAN YOUTH

Abstract

Abstract

This study explores the subconscious effects of the use of visual brand assets and graphic design on perceived quality and subconscious decoding with urban youth and their decision of trust. The research lies between graphic design theory, semiotics, and cognitive psychology, and it involves the study of the usage of line, shape, colour, typography and visual symbolism as pre-attentive communication channels. A quantitative descriptive-causal design was used to collect the empirical data from a strong sample of 676 young visual observers (18-30 years) in a highly saturated visual environment in Pune, India. The results show that the vast majority of respondents agree that design has a significant effect on the visceral experience of the brand, with 92.3% saying it has a direct effect on the perceived quality of the product and 90.7% stating that certain colour, font and shape combinations make a brand credible to them. However, the analysis of the visual literacy experiments for the globally recognized, trusted corporate logos of Subway, Baskin Robbins, LG, Hindustan Unilever and McDonald's revealed a paradox—high subjective trust in the design despite the low rate of conscious identification of embedded semiotic cues (ranging from 44.5% to 60.2%). In addition, abstract visual symbolism (Mean rank 1.60) had the highest sub-conscious persuasion whilst explicit, local cultural heritage associations (Mean rank 3.70) were the lowest among urban youth. The results present a challenge to the existing paradigm of Indian graphic design, in which a minimalist, abstract and universal visual language was locally controlled, as globalization has enabled a more democratic access to it. Lastly, the study examines the ethical limits of persuasive design finding that 74.4% of respondents would reconsider their relationship with a brand if they found some deliberate manipulation of the visual design, which highlights the importance of a system of visual communication that corresponds to sustainable design ethics.