Think about your visual appeal. Are you as appealing looking as an iPhone 4S?
There’s little doubt that when it comes to our technology toys, and even other high-end toys such as cars, design is all-important in making a purchasing decision. But what about your own personal visual design appeal? Is it as appealing to yourself, and to others, as it could be?
Your visual appeal, especially when updated and modernized, becomes the new “shiny object” that other people notice and want to look at. Think back to the days when there were so-called dumb phones and the excitement created by the first generation of smart phones. Their visual appeal is so much stronger than earlier models that it’s hard to separate the functionality from visual appeal.
Sure, you’re just one person. But consider the number of impressions others have of you. When your visual appeal is strong, it positively affects the impressions others have of you, and of the way they treat and work with you. In turn, that makes you feel good about those relationships and about the work you’re doing.
The other crucial impact of your visual appeal is how the way you appear to others does impact the way they interact with you. Think of a remote control with so many buttons that you can’t figure out how to work it, and you are pretty sure that a bunch of those buttons don’t even serve any functional purpose. Well, your visual appeal is similar to that remote control. If how you look seems to be inconsistent, unclear, cluttered, and even chaotic, you’re not going to get people to respond to you in very favorable ways.
When your visual appeal is more positive, you end up having better experiences with other people. But it’s not all about form. Just like a streamlined remote control, your visual appeal functions as a way of encouraging others to do what you want them to do and to treat you as you want to be treated. Managing your visual appeal is hardly manipulative, but it is totally intentional. It’s also not about changing others, but it is about improving yourself for the purpose of having better outcomes. People do tend to respond more positively to people with a strong visual appeal.
It may be controversial to make these statements, but it is the truth. You may prefer to think that visual appearance doesn’t matter, that it doesn’t influence your buying preferences of products, or that it doesn’t impact the way you feel about others. But it totally does.
Joseph Rosenfeld helps high-profile individuals revitalize, manage, and be secure in their personal visual brand. Visit JosephRosenfeld.com for details.
