How consumers react to visual and conceptual complexity in branding over multiple viewings

This research investigates the effects of visual and conceptual complexity on brand logo evaluations at single and multiple exposures. Building upon the theoretical distinction between visual and conceptual constructs and on a processing fluency account it is proposed that the effects of visual complexity and conceptual complexity on attitude toward the logo change across exposures following opposite patterns, and are driven by the mechanisms of perceptual fluency and conceptual fluency, respectively. The results of a hybrid experimental study suggest that the initially positive effect of visual complexity on attitude toward the logo becomes negative with multiple exposures, whereas the initially negative effect of conceptual complexity on attitude toward the logo becomes positive as exposures increase. The findings contribute to research on consumer reactions to the visual elements of brands, and offer guidelines to brand managers and logo designers for leveraging on visual and conceptual complexity, as well as the number of exposures, in order to raise the attractiveness of logos.

A draft version of the final research paper is available for download below.