Visuals vs. Text- What is Easier to Process?

Visuals are an important component of individual and branded storytelling. We are all tapping into social networks to share our stories in visual ways. Brands are using specific image types, like infographics to tell more detailed stories. Let’s face it- we’re all drawn to GIFs with cute animals.

Scientifically speaking, why are we drawn to pictures?

There are scientific reasons we are drawn to images over text. Visuals help tell a more compelling story that our brains can interpret faster than the written word.

The human brain can process images 60,000 times faster than text, the average attention span is 8 seconds, and 65% of us are visual learners.

When we apply this data, we begin to understand on a scientific level why people are more likely to process this.

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3 quick tips to utilize visuals in communications:

• Create infographics to showcase large amounts of research
• Include a relevant image in your Multimedia News Releases, and possibly your media pitches that helps communicate your story
• Use pictures in blog posts to draw readers in, and spark their interest in reading the text

Visual information sticks easily into our long-term memory, transmits messages faster and improves comprehension. For these reasons, pictures have been used to tell stories for thousands of years, from paintings in caves made by our prehistoric ancestors to the modern use of illustrations in a variety of contexts such as graphic novels or advertisements.?