An analysis on the effect of packaging design on purchasing behavior in product choice and a curriculum suggested for packaging design

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of packaging designs devised with an eye to packaging elements, design components, special types of printing, target audience and product properties on consumer purchasing decision, develop and apply a curriculum for graphic design students to enable their development in packaging design, and measure the effect thereof on student success. The study was based on qualitative and quantitative research methods and was planned to comprise two stages. In the first stage, survey model was employed for theoretical framework and sector views, whereas the second stage had an experimental design involving a pre-test and post-test control group. Use was made of the survey model to determine the effect of packaging designs devised with an eye to packaging elements, design components, target audience and product properties on consumer purchasing decision. A packaging design curriculum was developed based on results obtained from literature review and the responses and requests given by packaging industry experts to the interview form. A quasi-experimental pattern involving a pre-test and posttest control group was used to determine the developed curriculum's (DC) effect on the students' packaging design. The results obtained were assessed by a team of 3 field experts. Support was received from 14 sector employees, 1 curriculum development specialist, 1 measurement and assessment specialist and 1 design specialist to generate the curriculum contents and to identify how to perform the assessment thereof, with the curriculum being applied to 60 participants at Sinop University Design Department in 2019-2020 spring semester. Study data were collected and analyzed in the period between 18.02.2019 and 07.07.2020 through semi-structured interview forms, weekly evaluation forms and a design application analytical evaluation scale. At the end of the study, it was seen that DC created positive effects on students' packaging designs, meeting the expectations of both the sector and consumers. The findings suggested that the standard packaging design curricula applied in several higher education institutions failed to meet the criteria influential on purchasing decisions, made the students feel incompetent to satisfy the expectations in the sector, and failed to enable the students attain skills in terms of smart packaging, technologic add-ons and 3D modelling. In this study, a packaging design curriculum was developed that is thought to contribute to the training of students well-equipped to engage in packaging design. Suggestions were made to design lecturers, students and educational institutions for supporting the design and printing process with technological novelties, taking account of sector expectations, and updating of curricula in parallel to ever-developing design sector.