In 1933, the German psychologist Hedwig Von Restorff conducted a series of memory experiments using word lists. She discovered that when an isolated item is placed in a list of otherwise similar items would be better remembered than if the item was in a list where all the items were similar.
red blue YELLOW green
The words could be longer, a different type face, font, language etc.
Thus was born the Von Restorff (or isolation) effect or to put it in a nutshell, we remember things that stand out.
How can we use this?
Make sure that what you want people to notice and remember stands out against a homogeneous background. You could do this by using:
Colour e.g. an orange sign-up button on your site.
Style e.g. the use of humour in your information.
Shape e.g. a different design on your page.
Contrast e.g. an offer that offers way more value than others.
