Snack Food Package Design: Exploratory Study on Children’s Snack Choices and Design Elements

Ladjahasan, Nora; Kang, Sunghyun R.

Packaging is an essential element of design for both consumers and businesses. Product packaging functions both as a communication tool for product information and for brand messages. In addition, the role of visual elements and messages on snack packages are not well understood. This is particularly true from the standpoint of influencing the selection of snack food in children, even though there has been growth in the economic power of children as a consumer group. Therefore, this study examines: 1) the role of design variables such as typography, images, and the stylistic combination of these visual elements in affecting children’s snack food selection; 2) the role of health messages on children’s snack food selections; and 3) the role of perceived ‘healthiness’ in influencing children’s snack food selections. Digitally- simulated snack package images were created and sixty children ages 9 to13 were recruited for this study. From these design variables, ‘preferred-selections’ and ‘perceived healthy-selection’ of children in this age group were identified.

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