I’m about talking caricatures like [these](https://grepless.com/c/pictures/the-50-most-brilliant-celebrity-caricatures). The faces are completely morphed out of shape, yet our brains have little trouble figuring out who they are.
In: Biology
Depending on what specific kind of response you measure, our brain actually responds more strongly to cartoon faces and caricature faces than realistic faces in some ways. The most likely explanation is that facial recognition areas “hyper-recognize” caricature faces since they’re so dramatic and have such strong face-like features. Anyways, we are still able to recognize distorted faces as faces because our brain recognizes faces by combining face-like features. As long as something has face-like features, we can recognize it as a face even if it’s distorted.
This is part of the reason why we see faces in random objects/patterns when they are not literal faces (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia, and there is also r/Pareidolia for more pictures). You might also be interested in research at the Sinha lab at MIT (https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wired.com/2011/07/ff_caricature/winamp/), and I would also recommend reading about the fusiform face area (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusiform_face_area). This is the part of the brain I’m talking about when I say that our brain responds more strongly to caricature faces than realistic faces in some ways.
Most caracature drawings focus on key details that set the subject apart or identify them and emphasize those details. Facial hair, signature clothing like a hat or glasses, hair styles, etc. Often making them exaggerated or otherwise highlighted, so our brains. Also, it has to be someone you already recognize, so that you can translate those exaggerated details to a memory of an actual person.
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