Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?
This neat example demonstrates our brain’s remarkable ability to make sense of messed-up words. It works in other languages too, not just English. It shows how our brains work things out by identifying and forming patterns. To save us the effort of thinking, which is really hard work, it short cuts the gaps and gives us the answers. Good branding works in much the same way. Our eyes scan the screen, shelf, page or pack looking for reassuring visual branding cues. If it all makes sense we buy it. But if things don’t join up easily we have to stop and think. This is now hard work for us, so there’d better be some quick answers. The moment there’s any confusion we’re on to the next screen, shelf, page, pack…
