Which One Won? Capturing a company’s essence in a logo

March 13th 2019 By Tara Porter

Sam Bass, designer of popular logos such as AT&T, Warner Brothers, and United Airlines, once said, “Logos are a graphic extension of the internal realities of a company.”

That puts a lot of pressure on a company to create the perfect logo.

Many companies use PickFu polls to help them test and see how effectively their logos and identity systems depict their mission to their audience. One company recently created a PickFu poll to test two different logos. It asked the test panel, “Which logo evokes a sense of luxury and appeal?”

Which One Won? Does Sex Sell on Thriller Covers?

February 27th 2019 By Tara Porter

We hear the phrase “sex sells” tossed around quite often in advertising. But does this apply to selling thriller books as well?

A recent PickFu poll helped give us greater insight into how much sexuality to include on the cover of a thriller.

The author asked the test panel which cover for a thriller novel they liked best.

Option A shows a page with different images separated by paper rips. The most eye-catching image is one of a woman lying on a bed, looking at the camera.

Option B shows a semi-transparent silhouette of a woman, whose back is to the camera as she looks out at a beach.

Can you guess which one won?

Which One Won? One Book Cover for Two Genres

February 20th 2019 By Tara Porter

Which One Won? A Book Cover for Two Different Genres

Readers tend to have certain expectations of what a book cover should look like for a particular genre, whether it be a couple on a romance novel, blood on a murder mystery book, dragons on fantasy fiction, etc. People look for elemental clues on the cover to determine which type of book it is and whether they want to read it.

But what if a novel spans multiple genres? How can the cover capture the interest of readers of each genre?

One author created a PickFu poll to see how a target audience would react to two different covers for a fantasy fiction novel about time travel that also includes an element of romance.

Which One Won? Displaying Packaging on an E-commerce Listing

Modified: March 21st 2019 By Tara Porter

What’s the right balance of text to photo on an Amazon listing? Do users prefer seeing the product packaging on a listing? These were some of the questions addressed in a recent PickFu Poll.

Here’s how this Amazon split test was set up. A company asked a test panel of men and women, ages 18-44, “Which design do you like most and why? Would you leave 5-pack circle on or not? Why?”

Option A shows five different burp cloths laid out, giving consumers a view of the pattern on each cloth.

Option B shows each cloth rolled up with a picture of the cloths in the packaging on the side.

On both images is a large teal-colored circle that reads “5-Pack.”

Can you guess which one won?

Which One Won? Book Covers with Mixed Messages

February 6th 2019 By Tara Porter

One small decision you make on your book cover can send a different message to your intended audience. One PickFu pollster was surprised when testing two different book covers.

He tested two covers for the book The Last Lessons of Christ.

Option A featured a dark red image of the back of Christ against a white and grey-toned background.

Option B showed Christ in a yellow-ombre color against a similar but brighter white and grey background.

Can you guess which one won?

Which One Won? Tips for a Winning E-Commerce Photo

Modified: February 7th 2019 By Tara Porter

Which One Won? Tips for a Winning Health Supplement Photo

Creating e-commerce photos for health supplements can be tricky. Not only does the product need to address the health benefits for the potential customer, but it also needs to look appetizing.

One company tested two photos for an e-commerce listing of its matcha green tea powder. It asked the test panel, “Which label looks better for green tea powder?”

Option A featured a pile of bright green matcha powder in a white bowl against a bright white background.

Option B shows the product made into a green iced drink against a white background.

Both images show the same text.

Can you guess which one won?

Double-barreled Questions and How to Avoid Them

Modified: May 13th 2019 By Kim Kohatsu

Double-barreled questions are one of the most common but easily avoidable mistakes we see at PickFu. In this article, you’ll learn to recognize and avoid double-barreled questions.

Which One Won? Creating a Winning Headline

Modified: February 21st 2019 By Tara Porter

Advertising expert David Ogilvy stated, “On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.”

In other words, if you want your product to sell, then you better have a winning headline.

To find its winning headline, the company LeapIN created a PickFu poll, testing out two different headlines for its landing page. It asked the audience, “Which tagline makes more sense and better relates to what the company is doing?” The audience consisted of men and women, ages 25-54.

Option A reads, “Independent work made simple.”

Option B reads, “Empowering Independent Work.”

Can you guess which one won?

Which One Won? The Right Level of Mystery for a Book Cover

January 16th 2019 By Tara Porter

Which One Won? When Mystery Novel Book Covers Can Get Too Mysterious

Designing a mystery cover can be tricky. You want to capture the mystery of your book without giving the reader too much information.

In other words, you want a mystery book to appear… mysterious.

The problem is, if you make a cover too mysterious, you can stump readers. With few clues on what a book is about, an individual can have little enthusiasm to buy the book.

We observed this phenomenon in a recent PickFu poll. A novelist asked the panel which book cover they preferred and provided two different options.

How a Guide for Short Guys Grew in Sales

Modified: January 15th 2019 By Kim Kohatsu

“You don’t seem that short,” people often tell author Seth Ulinski.

At 5’7″, Seth is three inches below average height. In the introduction to his book Amazing Heights: How Short Guys Stand Tall, he jokes that perhaps he could chalk it up to “really” being 5’7″ and a half. But it’s more than that: an attitude. A posture. A frame of mind. And his book serves as a guide for the estimated 60 million other men in the “short guy fraternity” to gain the same confidence.

“I decided to write the book after I noted that there were limited resources addressing the unique challenges of the not-so-tall,” Seth said. The book “examines society’s height bias and provides ways for readers to build their presence,” including how to shop for height-maximizing clothes, career tips, and advice on dating.