The DOI matches its Crossref record; 98 of the 102 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Crossmodal correspondences between taste and shape, and their implications for product packaging: A review
Abstract
A growing body of empirical research now demonstrates that people associate different basic tastes and taste words with specific packaging shapes. While it may be obvious that semantic knowledge concerning products, based on the packaging and/or design elements (e.g., typeface, logo, label, images), can guide the taste expectations that consumers generate in relation to a given product, here we demonstrate that there are also more fundamental correspondences that operate even with unfamiliar stimuli. Specifically, shape features (e.g., straight vs. curvy, or symmetrical vs. asymmetrical) have been shown to influence the taste that people naturally associate with a given shape. The evidence suggests that, at least to a certain extent, people match such shape dimensions with tastes on the basis of their common affective connotation. Here, we critically review the literature on these seemingly arbitrary, yet systematic, crossmodal correspondences between tastes and shape features. We suggest that they can inform the design process when it comes to product packages and labels with the aim of conveying taste information more effectively. This review is relevant to those researchers interested in taste-vision correspondences as well as to food marketers, and those designers interested in the communication and influence of taste information.
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“People associate round shapes with sweetness, whereas angular shapes tend to be associated with sourness, saltiness, and bitterness instead [62-65].”
From The Role of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Sensory Factors in Sweetness Perception of Food and Beverages: A Review (2019) · cites this paper as [65]
Citations
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Sorted by citations
Digital Sensory Marketing: Integrating New Technologies into Multisensory Online Experience
Petit, O., Velasco, C., & Spence, C. J. (2018) · Journal of Interactive Marketing · doi:10.1016/j.intmar.2018.07.004 · Cited by 587
The influence of scent on virtual reality experiences: The role of aroma-content congruence
Flavián, C., Ibáñez‐Sánchez, S., & Orús, C. (2020) · Journal of Business Research · doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.09.036 · Cited by 246
“…of sensory inputs in the customer experience, particularly with regard to the consistency between the different sensory stimuli (Helmefalk & Hult ´ en, 2017; Krishna, 2012; Lwin, Morrin, & Krishna, 2010; Spence, Puccinelli, Grewal, & Roggeveen, 2014; Velasco, Woods, Petit, Cheok, & Spence, 2016).”
Simmonds, G., & Spence, C. J. (2016) · Food Quality and Preference · doi:10.1016/j.foodqual.2016.11.010 · Cited by 269
Wang, Q. J., Mielby, L. A., Junge, J. Y., Bertelsen, A. S., Kidmose, U., Spence, C., & Byrne, D. V. (2019) · Foods · doi:10.3390/foods8060211 · Cited by 168
Visual Design Cues Impacting Food Choice: A Review and Future Research Agenda
Vermeir, I., & Roose, G. (2020) · Foods · doi:10.3390/foods9101495 · Cited by 195
“It is unclear how quality perception (which is often assessed based on extrinsic product features [32]) is assessed when new colours (for example a brown tomato) are introduced on the food market and how this affects behavioural outcomes (FR 1)? Is quality perception lower than for ‘regular-coloured’ food products? Ho…”
Background
Metadata
- Authors
- Velasco, C., Woods, A. T., Petit, O., Cheok, A. D., & Spence, C.
- Affiliations
- University of Oxford (GB)
- City, University of London (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Velasco, Carlos
- Venue
- Food Quality and Preference
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2016-09
- Volume
- 52
- Pages
- 17-26
- ISSN
- 0950-3293 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2297829261
- Cited by
- 200
- References
- 102
- Citations by year
- 2026: 16 · 2025: 20 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 18 · 2019: 21 · 2018: 33 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 9
- FWCI
- 34.07
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Food Quality and Preference (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Arts and Humanities Research Council (AH/L007053/1)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Multisensory perception and integration
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Consumer Packaging Perceptions and Trends
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Sensory Analysis and Statistical Methods
- Keywords
- cross-modal correspondence, packaging design, product labels, shape features, taste expectations, affective connotation, food marketing
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