Exploration of visual appeal and local cultural identity in wooden packaging design

Abstract

As the coffee market continues to expand and new consumption patterns emerge, a brand’s cultural philosophy has become central to market differentiation. Consequently, innovative coffee packaging designs that integrate regional culture have drawn attention among designers and consumers. This study designed and evaluated wooden packaging prototypes. First, a repository was compiled of representative Yunnan cultural elements and four design schemes were developed. Next, 10 experts in the field of packaging design were invited. A multi-criteria evaluation framework was constructed, and the FAHP and CRITIC computed composite weights were determined for each index. Subsequently, TOPSIS was used to rank the scheme. An eye-tracking experiment was conducted with 44 test subjects to assess differences in visual attraction across schemes. Results showed that the FAHP–CRITIC–TOPSIS pipeline reliably identified the top-ranked scheme, and eye-tracking metrics corroborated its superior visual salience. The integrated approach combines subjective and objective evidence, rendering the weighting process more defensible and linking quantitative rankings with observed viewing behavior.

Full Article

Exploration of Visual Appeal and Local Cultural Identity in Wooden Packaging Design

Shiyu Zhang  and Rui Jiang  *

As the coffee market continues to expand and new consumption patterns emerge, a brand’s cultural philosophy has become central to market differentiation. Consequently, innovative coffee packaging designs that integrate regional culture have drawn attention among designers and consumers. This study designed and evaluated wooden packaging prototypes. First, a repository was compiled of representative Yunnan cultural elements and four design schemes were developed. Next, 10 experts in the field of packaging design were invited. A multi-criteria evaluation framework was constructed, and the FAHP and CRITIC computed composite weights were determined for each index. Subsequently, TOPSIS was used to rank the scheme. An eye-tracking experiment was conducted with 44 test subjects to assess differences in visual attraction across schemes. Results showed that the FAHP–CRITIC–TOPSIS pipeline reliably identified the top-ranked scheme, and eye-tracking metrics corroborated its superior visual salience. The integrated approach combines subjective and objective evidence, rendering the weighting process more defensible and linking quantitative rankings with observed viewing behavior.

DOI: 10.15376/biores.21.1.188-207

Keywords: Wooden packaging design; Eye-tracking; FAHP; CRITIC; TOPSIS

Contact information: Department of Art and Design, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China; Corresponding author: 2017500078@buct.edu.cn

Graphical Abstract

INTRODUCTION

With the sustained expansion of the global coffee market, the role of packaging design in brand communication and cultural expression has become increasingly prominent. As a crucial interface connecting products and consumers, packaging not only delivers information and signals aesthetics, but it also conveys cultural value. Wood serves simultaneously as a functional substrate and a carrier of cultural meaning, making its application in coffee packaging particularly well founded; furthermore, as a renewable and biodegradable material, wood aligns with the sectoral shift toward sustainable practice. However, despite these functions, designs across brands remain stylistically similar: persistent homogenization and insufficient use of regional cultural symbols reduce brand recognition. Recent studies have advanced packaging design and user-perception research. Carvalho et al. (2020) found that the tactile properties of packaging material influence experts’ and consumers’ judgments of the coffee’s basic taste. Pinto et al. (2024) developed a novel eco-friendly capsule material for coffee. Liu et al. (2023) fabricated a biodegradable film derived from coffee by-products with natural pigments; it improved barrier performance and elicited color-driven affective responses toward the packaging. Current literature lacks systematic user-based validation of regional cultural expression and visual appeal, yielding homogenized packaging solutions. This study anchored design in local motifs and employed wood as the material substrate to produce multiple stylistic wooden packaging prototypes, and it established a multidimensional evaluation model integrating the FAHP-CRITIC- TOPSIS. Design performance was then validated through eye tracking experiments to provide reproducible empirical evidence and decision support for regionally informed packaging design.

Localized Packaging Design

“Locality” in packaging design refers to the articulation and integration of indigenous cultural elements and local values into packaging, primarily reflected in the localized adaptation of visual-cultural elements. Many coffee packages communicate their origins’ culture through visuals, constructing distinctive brand narratives. For example, Latin American coffee packaging often employs warm palettes with ethnic motifs and uses Spanish or Portuguese text (Fig. 1A), whereas African-origin packaging frequently features bright indigenous patterns and local scripts to highlight traditions and terroir (Fig. 1B). Numerous studies have underscored the value of incorporating local cultural elements. Atmaja (2024) found that distilling salient local symbols for packaging can enhance brand recognition and market appeal. In a study on Pu’er coffee in China, Yin et al. (2025) reported that integrating symbols from ethnic apparel, architecture, and other artifacts can increase brand awareness and willingness to pay. Locality also relates to supporting place-based sustainability: many origin brands prominently display organic, fair-trade, and other certification marks to signal alignment with local ecosystem and community development. Swasty et al. (2023) designed a packaging scheme in an Indonesian coffee community emphasizing eco-friendly concepts, strengthening environmental positioning and improving product competitiveness while contributing to local sustainability. A survey by Mabalay (2024) showed that packaging made of eco-friendly materials and embedding local elements is preferred by consumers, elevating perceived quality and sustainable value and thereby raising purchase intention.

Although current research on localized expressions in packaging has demonstrated the value of regional cultural symbols for visual communication and branding, particularly through empirical studies in regions such as Africa and Pu’er that showcase local totems, language, and environmental elements, important gaps remain. Existing work largely examines cultural elements in marketed cases, while giving limited attention to design translation pathways that operationalize locality in coffee packaging. Research on scheme optimization and selection remains limited. Furthermore, in coffee packaging design, the combined use of multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods and eye-tracking for triangulated validation is seldom reported.

Fig. 1. Coffee packaging

Application of Eye-Tracking in Packaging Design

In packaging-design research, eye-tracking studies have primarily examined three areas: visual attention patterns, element-level effects, and key-information conveyance efficiency. Hang et al. (2025) combined Kansei engineering with eye-tracking to analyze tea-packaging elements, identifying between-design differences, salient features, and outliers in viewing behavior. Ko et al. (2024) reported that pink cosmetic packaging elicited the highest consumer attention, whereas black, white, blue, and orange were associated with greater attention to the surrounding context. Shahri et al. (2025) found that packaging shape influences attention and choice; greater surface area, convexity, and roundness were linked to a lower selection likelihood. Konoplianko (2024) observed that character-themed visuals, brand logos, and distinctive styles were associated with increased attention and purchase inclination. Guo et al. (2024) reported that reusable packaging and monochrome logos more readily captured attention. Overall, eye-tracking has become a key method for evaluating packaging effectiveness, yielding substantial insights into consumers’ visual-attention patterns and informing design optimization.

Although research has demonstrated the utility of eye-tracking for revealing the effects of packaging on visual attention, most studies concentrate on baseline visual elements (e.g., color palettes, size, structural form, label information). Analysis of cultural content conveyed by packaging remains limited. In current research, eye-tracking is primarily used to record objective metrics (such as fixation count, total dwell time, and average fixation duration) when consumers view packages, serving mainly to corroborate the reasonableness and effectiveness of earlier multi-criteria evaluations.

Decision Methods in Packaging Design Evaluation

The optimal selection of a packaging scheme typically requires multi-indicator assessment that balances professional criteria and user perceptions. Zhu et al. (2025) noted that integrating subjective judgments with objective data can reduce evaluation uncertainty. Xiao et al. (2024) developed a sustainability evaluation model for children’s food packaging: 250 consumers scored design schemes, after which CRITIC-based normalization and information-content analysis objectively assigned weights to sustainability indicators. Zambujal-Oliveira and Fernandes (2024) argued that sustainable packaging must balance functionality, visual appeal, and environmental performance, and that hybrid weighting strategies (subjective plus objective) are preferable. Uzan (2025) reported that MCDM methods such as TOPSIS and VIKOR (VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje) are widely applied in packaging and print-media contexts, improving decision efficiency and accuracy. Wang et al. (2024) used AHP to build a judgment matrix, compute indicator weights, and prioritize sustainable design requirements. Song and Bai (2025) applied TOPSIS to structure a systematic design process for packaging related to intangible cultural heritage.

Although a variety of subjective–objective weighting methods have been introduced into packaging design, deficiencies persist in indicator selection and decision validation. Existing indices tend to emphasize functionality, cost-effectiveness, and environmental factors, while real-world decisions are also shaped by aesthetic fit, brand cultural identity, and ethnic cultural identity. Accordingly, the present study incorporated cultural expressivity, aesthetics, and market attraction into the evaluation system. Most prior studies have relied on weighting-based selection without integrating eye-tracking for triangulated validation. In the present work, a library of local cultural motifs for wooden coffee packaging was compiled. By combining visual design with product functionality, multiple schemes were developed. FAHP and CRITIC were then used to integrate subjective and objective weights within a structured evaluation framework. Finally, TOPSIS was used to rank the schemes, and eye-tracking was used to capture consumers’ visual responses for result validation. By linking cultural-symbol compilation, evaluation decision-making, and user-perception testing, this work addressed gaps in the localized design of wooden packaging and aimed to achieve an operable model to support regional-culture-guided sustainable packaging.

This study focused on Yunnan coffee packaging, with three objectives: (i) build a motif library grounded in Yunnan’s regional culture and generate four style-distinct schemes; (ii) construct a multi-criteria evaluation system for wooden coffee packaging and determine indicator weights; (iii) apply an integrated FAHP–CRITIC–TOPSIS procedure to select the top-ranked scheme, followed by eye-tracking to verify between-scheme differences in visual attention. The findings provide design implications for regional product branding and methodological references for packaging evaluation.

Cultural symbol translation theory was integrated with the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP), Criteria Importance Through Inter-criteria Correlation (CRITIC), Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), and eye-tracking within a systematic investigation. First, representative Yunnan symbols were extracted and curated to form a motif library for wooden coffee packaging; four prototypes were created, each expressing distinct cultural connotations through wood materials and craft. Next, a structured evaluation system was established. FAHP was used to estimate subjective weights, CRITIC was used to estimate objective weights, and their fusion yielded composite weights for each dimension. Finally, TOPSIS was used to rank the four schemes, and eye-tracking data (e.g., heat maps and fixation measures) were collected to validate the decision’s robustness.

EXPERIMENTAL

Research Framework

This study adopted Yunnan cultural symbols as the design locus, developing a methodology that links localized expression with sustainable value. The workflow comprised five stages: regional symbol curation, packaging prototype design, consumer visual-behavior data collection, indicator-weight estimation, and scheme ranking and optimization (Fig. 2).

(1) Regional symbol extraction. The scope included ethnic totems, representative geological landscapes, characteristic flora and fauna, folk-costume motifs, and traditional crafts. Through systematic literature review and visual semantic analysis, representative symbols were translated into transferable motifs that convey Yunnan’s regional characteristics. To avoid the ineffective application of cultural elements, symbols were categorized into ethnic totems, landmark landscapes, characteristic flora and fauna, and traditional handicrafts, ensuring that selected motifs for subsequent designs possess cultural value and aesthetic appeal.

(2) Packaging scheme design. Based on the extracted symbols, four Yunnan coffee packaging prototypes were created with differentiated styles and clear market positioning, emphasizing a balance between locality and contemporaneity. The distinctive cultural cues of Yunnan were retained, while prevailing coffee-market aesthetics and environmental requirements were addressed, yielding a diverse stimulus set for subsequent evaluation.

(3) Indicator weight determination. Given the multi-criteria nature of packaging design, an evaluation index system was constructed with six primary dimensions: aesthetics, cultural expressivity, practicality, sustainability, market appeal, and packaging cost. For weighting, FAHP was used to derive subjective weights from expert judgments, and CRITIC was applied to compute objective weights that reflect inter-scheme variability and inter-indicator contrast. The two were integrated via normalized aggregation to obtain a composite weight vector that balances subjective judgments and objective evidence, thereby mitigating single-method bias.

(4) Selecting the optimal scheme. The TOPSIS was employed to compute closeness coefficients, rank the four schemes, and identify a design path that balances locality and eco-friendliness, providing a reference for commercialization and iterative optimization of coffee packaging.

(5) Visual validation of scheme. To objectively assess visual performance, an eye-tracking experiment was designed. Forty-four young consumers participated. Using a remote eye-tracking system, each participant viewed the four schemes in sequence. Items recorded were the fixation count, total dwell time, mean fixation duration, and scanpath length for each scheme. These were used to generate heatmaps and scanpath diagrams. These data quantified attention to different visual elements and revealed preferences across design options.

Fig. 2. Coffee packaging scheme research framework diagram

FAHP Method

FAHP is a MCDM approach that incorporates fuzzy logic into the AHP. Through structured pairwise comparisons, it derives criterion weights and alternative priorities while handling uncertainty and vagueness in design decisions (Liu et al. 2020). In this study, FAHP was used to construct a fuzzy complementary preference matrix for the evaluation index system and, via fuzzy arithmetic, to elicit experts’ judgments on the relative importance of indicators to obtain subjective weights. This rendered the evaluation interpretable and feasible in culture and aesthetics, which are hard to quantify. The steps were as follows.

(1) The evaluation of Yunnan coffee packaging design was divided into three levels: the goal layer (Level A) for overall scheme evaluation, the criteria layer (Level B) for primary indicators, and the subcriteria layer (Level C) for secondary indicators.

(2) Using the 0.1 to 0.9 scale (Table 1), experts performed pairwise comparisons for each indicator pair. After averaging the judgments, the complementary preference matrix was constructed with , , . Here, indicates the importance of indicator i relative to j.

 (1)

Table 1. Scale Method Clarification

 A smaller CI indicates better consistency. CI<0.1 is typically acceptable; otherwise, revise R or reconsult experts to improve consistency.

CRITIC Method

The CRITIC method is an objective weighting technique that considers both intra-indicator variation and inter-indicator redundancy when computing weights. By combining each indicator’s standard deviation with Pearson correlation among indicators, CRITIC derives objective weights for the evaluation dimensions (Diakoulaki et al. 1995). In this study, CRITIC complemented the subjective FAHP weights by processing scheme-evaluation data to obtain an objective importance ranking, providing a basis for multi-source integration. The steps were as follows.

TOPSIS Method

TOPSIS is a multi-criteria evaluation technique that ranks alternatives by their distance to a positive ideal solution and distance to a negative ideal solution, enabling comparative assessment across multiple indicators (Behzadian et al. 2012). To remove unit and scale differences, indicators are first normalized. Then they are weighted using the combined weights obtained from FAHP and CRITIC, yielding a weighted normalized decision matrix. The ideal solutions are identified from this matrix, and schemes are ranked by closeness to the positive ideal.

(1) Assume 𝑚 design schemes and 𝑛 indicators. Let 𝑥_𝑖𝑗 be the score of scheme 𝑖 on indicator 𝑗 , and form:

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Construction of Yunnan Regional Symbol Library

Focusing on Yunnan’s regional culture, this study systematically extracted and categorized representative visual-cultural elements of Yunnan. The motif library comprised 20 coded symbols across four categories, which served as the core material repository and coding scheme for subsequent design experiments (Fig. 3).