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- Volume 1, Issue 2, 2016
International Journal of Food Design - Volume 1, Issue 2, 2016
Volume 1, Issue 2, 2016
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Colour–taste correspondences: Designing food experiences to meet expectations or to surprise
Authors: Carlos Velasco, Charles Michel, Jozef Youssef, Xavier Gamez, Adrian David Cheok and Charles SpenceAbstractRecent research demonstrates the existence of a number of surprising associations (otherwise known as crossmodal correspondences) between seemingly non-related features in different sensory modalities, such as between basic tastes and colours. These correspondences have been incorporated into a dish called ‘The Four Tastes’ by chef Jozef Youssef. The dish is presented with four separate elements, each having a distinctive colour. Diners are instructed to match the colour to the appropriate taste (bitter, sweet, salty and sour). After establishing the association, the modernist chef, molecular mixologist, food designer or culinary artist can then either choose to design tasting experiences that align with these crossmodal correspondences or else play against them (to create incongruency and surprise). The former strategy typically leads to increased liking, possibly as a result of the diner being able to process the sensory information more fluently. The latter, by contrast, can elicit disconfirmed expectations, which can result in positive or negative experiences. While surprise is something that a growing number of diners are coming to expect when they visit a modernist restaurant, it tends to be a much harder approach to implement successfully in other contexts. Here, we present the literature on colour/taste correspondences, and discuss the implications of crossmodal (in)congruence in food design.
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What design can bring to the food industry
More LessAbstractEven though designers are specifically trained to create and build new products, their contribution to innovation in the food industry is relatively small. The industry seems unfamiliar with the ways in which designers operate and may be unaware of the added value they may provide. Therefore, this article identifies the potential roles that designers could fulfil within large food companies. The development of new consumer products requires knowledge of target consumers, production technology and the business environment. These three types of expertise are often concentrated in different departments. Although highly experienced product experts such as culinary chefs may be able to integrate this knowledge, involving designers may be a more fruitful strategy. First of all, designers tend to approach design challenges holistically, which broadens the scope of the project. As a consequence, designers will provide more innovative solutions, which can guide multiple project aspects simultaneously (production, packaging, marketing). Second, designers shape their own tools, which will engage the others involved. Third, designers are equipped to manage the product development process and can facilitate cooperation between the disciplinary experts. Fourth, designers can play a role in bringing together and integrating the knowledge from the different disciplines. By strengthening these roles, large food companies can deliver innovations that address actual consumer needs, provide a positive contribution to society and consolidate long-term profitability and growth.
For designers, foods represent interesting prototyping materials, which are firmly rooted in daily, cultural practices and can be enjoyed through all the senses. Their regional, seasonal and perishable character challenges designers to connect consumers with agriculture, trading and processing methods.
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Searching for vernacular concepts in the contemporary scene: The Turkish floor table as a source of design inspiration
More LessAbstractFollowing reforms resulting from westernization, domestic culture in Turkey and related styles of using household items changed considerably. In the context of transformations regarding the withdrawal of vernacular items and practices, adapted, globally sourced forms of furniture became common in Turkish middle-class homes. This article focuses on the furniture and items related to eating, in which the modern dining table, connoting an established residence, is depicted as very different from the floor table which was representative of nomadic culture. Thus, the vernacular floor table and the contemporary dining table and other eating units are analysed in terms of their dichotomies – mobility/stability, lightness/heaviness, visibility/invisibility and emptiness/fullness – to ascertain ways to encourage the possibility of wider adoption of vernacular design qualities. Text and visual analyses were conducted on recent interior architecture and decoration magazines to seek out relationships to the vernacular design qualities to assess their adaptability to the contemporary environment. Research results illustrate that mobility, lightness, invisibility and emptiness are highly desired concepts but with novel diffractions and interpretations, still making the floor table a rich source of design inspiration.
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Book Review
More LessAbstractDESIGN FOR FOOD AND NUTRITION, ADIPER (2015) Milan: ADIper srl, 247 pp., ISBN: 9788894033922, p/bk, €30
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