ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces literature on the visual design of products, the generic design factor harmony, and consumer response to visual harmony, including a comprehensive overview and empirical studies. It reviews effects of self-construal on consumer behavior follows, with a particular emphasis on the role of self-construal in the evaluation of visual design. The chapter explores empirical results of a large international study detailing the moderating effect of self-construal on the design harmony—attractiveness relationship. It deals with a discussion of implications for research and practice, elaborating guidelines for optimizing products, packages, logos, and typefaces. The chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the literature on the concept and consequences of harmony in visual design, reports empirical studies that focus on self-construal and its impact on consumer behavior. It examines how self-construal influences attractive consumers find visual design low versus high in visual harmony across different types of marketing stimuli and countries.
