I was heading to the beach the other day when I saw this barn at a nearby local orchard, and I knew I’d have to stop by.

A Barn with a Face that Called to Me; Photo. A. Sussman

The barn seemed to have wide eyes that met my gaze and called out to me. So I made a mental note to leave the seaside early since it seemed I had a date!

And when I did get to the old building later, I saw that its face was prominently used to market the place!

T-Shirt with Front Facade of Barn with Face; Photo: A. Sussman

The farm was selling T-shirts emblazoned with the barn’s front facade plus two or three additional face-like patterns. Employees were wearing them. Clearly, I wasn’t the only one drawn in.

Then on the drive home, I saw that a local prep school had just put up this new school sign in several places around its campus.

Sign with Face-like Building; Photo: A. Sussman; Sign by Crosby Design

Another face to promote a place!  Whether marketing cider donuts or something lower calorie, it appears you can’t beat this pattern to grab people.  This is of course exactly what Mother Nature has intended – she’s been doing the same thing, turning animals into sensitive ‘face-i-tects’ for millions of years – and it turns out following her rules for what she intends you to look for first often carries big dividends.

Writer: Ann Sussman
Editor: Janice M. Ward