Orth, U. R., & Malkewitz, K. (2008). Holistic Package Design and Consumer Brand
Impressions. Journal of Marketing, 72(3), 64–81
Introduction
Package design involves several considerations ranging from protecting package contents to
articulating and communicating desired brand impressions. This study focusses on design elements
that create a package’s visual appearance. Package design: the various elements chosen and blended
into a holistic design to achieve a particular sensory effect. It’s a highly influential and persuasive
medium. Two knowledge gaps: research examining generalizable, holistic designs and their
underlying factors, guidelines; and insight into the relationships between key types of package
designs and generic dimensions of consumer response.
Package design literature
Part-whole perceptual differences: a single element doesn’t say anything, content and meaning
emerge from multiple elements which construct a whole. Stimulus categorization/recognition: two
designs might have similar features but differ in terms of which ones are made more prominent (the
figure) and which are treated more as the background.
Design elements are combined into more complex (cognitive) components or factors of design,
which are then aggregated during perception and convey particular characteristics (i.e., of a brand)
to consumers.
Categorization, classification, and type theories suggest that generic dimensions exist during the
progression that occurs as initial design perception moves to interpretation. Categorization is based
on the perceived similarity between a given package and exemplars of various categories. Type refers
to an association of a certain set of traits in certain relationships, such that they are recognizable as a
whole.
Underlying design dimensions: (1) Natural: combines lower-level characteristics, such as
representative and organic, like a leaf; (2) Harmony: combines symmetry and balance; (3) Elaborate:
a combination of design element complexity, activity, and depth: design richness.
Package design should be studied from a holistic perspective: namely, in terms of higher order design
factors that differentiate generalizable holistic package designs.
Our research focuses on generalizable consumer brand impressions inferred from package design. A
particular design should evoke the same intended meaning across people: brand communications
should convey a single, clear message that is difficult to misinterpret. Brand personality has emerged
as a key tool to capture and categorize facets of brands systematically in terms of generalizable
impressions responses: five basic dimensions: “sincerity,” “excitement,” “competence,”
“sophistication,” and “ruggedness.” Managers also view brand personality as both a means of
differentiating a brand and a common denominator for marketing a brand across cultures. Package
designs are especially critical for impressions formed for new brands.
This research empirically investigates how firms can develop package designs for achieving desired
responses.
Method
Selecting a product category appropriate for the research question: wide variety of consumer goods,
unfamiliar brand names, importance of package design, variance: wine category.
Determining representative stimulus characteristics: used and adapted an initial list of design
elements: finally 62 design elements.
Selecting stimuli for the research: asked professional designers to design samples. Finally 160 wine
bottles. In study pictures of these were used.
Impressions. Journal of Marketing, 72(3), 64–81
Introduction
Package design involves several considerations ranging from protecting package contents to
articulating and communicating desired brand impressions. This study focusses on design elements
that create a package’s visual appearance. Package design: the various elements chosen and blended
into a holistic design to achieve a particular sensory effect. It’s a highly influential and persuasive
medium. Two knowledge gaps: research examining generalizable, holistic designs and their
underlying factors, guidelines; and insight into the relationships between key types of package
designs and generic dimensions of consumer response.
Package design literature
Part-whole perceptual differences: a single element doesn’t say anything, content and meaning
emerge from multiple elements which construct a whole. Stimulus categorization/recognition: two
designs might have similar features but differ in terms of which ones are made more prominent (the
figure) and which are treated more as the background.
Design elements are combined into more complex (cognitive) components or factors of design,
which are then aggregated during perception and convey particular characteristics (i.e., of a brand)
to consumers.
Categorization, classification, and type theories suggest that generic dimensions exist during the
progression that occurs as initial design perception moves to interpretation. Categorization is based
on the perceived similarity between a given package and exemplars of various categories. Type refers
to an association of a certain set of traits in certain relationships, such that they are recognizable as a
whole.
Underlying design dimensions: (1) Natural: combines lower-level characteristics, such as
representative and organic, like a leaf; (2) Harmony: combines symmetry and balance; (3) Elaborate:
a combination of design element complexity, activity, and depth: design richness.
Package design should be studied from a holistic perspective: namely, in terms of higher order design
factors that differentiate generalizable holistic package designs.
Our research focuses on generalizable consumer brand impressions inferred from package design. A
particular design should evoke the same intended meaning across people: brand communications
should convey a single, clear message that is difficult to misinterpret. Brand personality has emerged
as a key tool to capture and categorize facets of brands systematically in terms of generalizable
impressions responses: five basic dimensions: “sincerity,” “excitement,” “competence,”
“sophistication,” and “ruggedness.” Managers also view brand personality as both a means of
differentiating a brand and a common denominator for marketing a brand across cultures. Package
designs are especially critical for impressions formed for new brands.
This research empirically investigates how firms can develop package designs for achieving desired
responses.
Method
Selecting a product category appropriate for the research question: wide variety of consumer goods,
unfamiliar brand names, importance of package design, variance: wine category.
Determining representative stimulus characteristics: used and adapted an initial list of design
elements: finally 62 design elements.
Selecting stimuli for the research: asked professional designers to design samples. Finally 160 wine
bottles. In study pictures of these were used.
