Cross-modal interactions and practical applications in packaging design

Today, product packaging is a decisive factor in the act of purchase. What's important is not what people think of packaging, but how it makes them feel: what values and promises are conveyed by its shape, size, feel, colors, etc.? This phenomenon, known as sensation transfer, is based on a complex system of interactions between our senses. All visual information is translated into terms of the packaging's mass and surface condition. But far beyond this, it is also automatically attributed to the packaged product in order to assess its quality, taste and fragrance. In other words, its ability to satisfy a need. Knowing and understanding how these interactions work has therefore become a key element in packaging development.

This article examines how new scientific knowledge on intermodal correspondences can be used as original tools to help designers develop new packaging that is better understood by consumers. After laying the foundations of what synaesthesia phenomena are, and how we can differentiate them from intermodal correspondence phenomena, we'll look more specifically at intermodal correspondences for two senses: vision and olfaction. The interaction between odors and colors will then be examined in greater detail. We will conclude with examples of how this new knowledge can be applied to the field of product merchandising.