According to a study by the University of Oxford, consumers associate tastes, aromas, and flavors with the shape, name, and sounds of packaging. Understanding these combinations of sensory perceptions can help packaging designers improve communication with consumers.
How Taste Is Related to Shapes and Sounds
The sweetness and acidity of a food are commonly associated with other senses. Sweet flavors are associated with rounded shapes and low-pitched sounds, while sour flavors are associated with angular shapes and high-pitched sounds. These concepts can be applied to packaging design to take advantage of these associations.
It is possible to communicate with consumers without using words, by providing sensory stimuli that engage other senses. The product may make a sound when pressed or shaken. Consumers can gauge the amount of product in the package by listening to the type of sound it makes.
After having the participants listen to low- and high-pitched sounds, they were asked how these sounds influenced their taste expectations. The study did not consider any tastes other than sourness and sweetness. Furthermore, the study did not attempt to test multiple shapes other than rounded and angular ones. Further research is needed to uncover the various responses to different shapes.
Study Results
The study, led by Carlos Velasco, tested the associations people make between shapes and sounds, using a variety of combinations—such as rounded and angular font styles paired with low and high-pitched sounds, as well as sweet and sour tastes. The results revealed that participants responded more quickly to names in the rounded font than to those in the angular font. Participants also responded more quickly to rounded fonts when they were paired with high-pitched sounds. Angular fonts elicited a faster response when combined with low-pitched sounds.
Participants associated sour tastes more quickly with angular fonts than with rounded fonts, while rounded fonts were more quickly associated with sweet tastes. Angular shapes associated with angular names elicited a faster response than rounded shapes associated with angular names, while rounded shapes associated with rounded names elicited a faster response than angular shapes associated with rounded names. Participants classified angular shapes as sour more quickly than rounded shapes, while rounded shapes were more quickly associated with sweeter flavors.
The researchers analyzed the interactions between shape, font, name, and sounds, concluding that items classified as sour corresponded to high-pitched sounds, while those classified as sweet corresponded to low-pitched sounds. Sour classifications were also more closely associated with angular fonts, while sweet classifications were associated with rounded fonts. Angular names and shapes were perceived as sour, while rounded names and shapes were perceived as sweeter.
One of the main conclusions that can be drawn from this study is that rounded variables were associated with sweetness, while angular variables were associated with sourness. The study also showed that low-pitched sounds were rated as sweeter, while high-pitched sounds were rated as more sour. The results were consistent with previous studies conducted by researchers such as Liang, Roy, Cheng, and Zhang. A large number of similar studies have been conducted since the 1990s and confirm these associations between packaging shapes and sounds.
Improving the Sounds and Shapes of Packaging
Designers can make the most of this knowledge about the relationship between a package’s shape and the sound it makes by first defining the expected perception. For example, foods that are supposed to be sweet should be packaged in rounded shapes, perhaps with a rounded font as well. When the package is shaken, it should produce a low-pitched sound so that the associations align with expectations.
The future of food packaging designs could be based on further research that links different flavors to specific shapes. Currently, there are many opportunities to conduct this type of research more comprehensively. The key takeaway for designers from these studies is that shape generates a sensory stimulus that triggers certain expectations in people’s minds.
References and Further Reading
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- Tough package, strong taste: The influence of packaging design on taste impressions and product evaluations (2011) Liza Becker, Thomas J.L. van Rompay*, Hendrik N.J. Schifferstein, Mirjam Galetzk in: Journal of Food Quality and Preference, Volume 22, Issue 1, January 2011, Pages 17–23
- Read more at Luxury Packaging by Alex Cosper
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