The impact of semantic fluency on consumers' aesthetic evaluation in graphic designs with text

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the influence of semantic fluency on consumers' aesthetic evaluation in graphic designs with text and the mediating effect of visual complexity in this relationship.Design/methodology/approachThe hypotheses are examined in three experiments. Experiments 1 and 2 both verify that Chinese consumers rated the designs with low (vs high) semantic fluency words as more beautiful, and Experiment 3 further confirmed this effect in non-Chinese speakers.FindingsConfirmed by Chinese and non-Chinese consumers, high fluency text leads to lower perceived visual complexity and less aesthetic perception of the entire design.Research limitations/implicationsFindings enrich the theory of beauty standards and put forward challenges to the positive relationship between processing fluency and aesthetic pleasure. Findings are limited to the decorative function of text, and lack discussions on how designers should balance when the informational function of text is equally important.Originality/valueThis study is the first to discuss how designs with text influence consumers' aesthetic perception and provides meaningful guidelines of transnational marketing for fashion designers and enterprises.