Using color and imagery to drive engagement is critical in today’s hyper-connected, hyper-engaged world. As a marketer you have milliseconds to engage the viewer in your message.

Reports indicate that 65% of the population is visual learners. I wasn’t able to find the exact reference point as in these days of internet proliferation; it’s difficult to find original sources. With that said, I think this statistic is relatively close.

The key here is that the brain processes images and concepts fast. According to MIT Researchers the brain processes an image in just 13 milliseconds. The researchers went on to draw the conclusion through their research that when processing the image the brain tries to understand what it is looking at so it applies concepts to the image.

Therefore, when you think about getting your envelope opened, you should help your recipient engage with your mail piece by including full color graphics on the outside. This allows the recipient to apply appropriate concepts and attention to your marketing piece once they see the colorful image and message.

Research from Leflein Associates recently reported, “A mail piece is 2 ½ times more likely to be opened when color graphics are added to the outside of an envelope.”

There you have it… the science and research that shows full color graphics gets your mail piece opened and engages your recipients faster.