The implications for marketing are clear. A simple icon, crafted to exploit the visual codes wired by natural selection into the visual systems of consumers, can grab attention with supernormal power. Such an icon can be subtle and thus difficult for a competitor to reverse-engineer, and yet highly effective. For icons used in branding, emotional import is also critical. The goal is not just to grab attention, but to grab the right kind. This typically requires an icon that associates with the brand a specific, positive feeling—say, prestigious and wealthy, or rugged and healthy. An icon that
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