What?
This master's project is a scientific research process that dwell deeper into how cue utilization, graphic design and packaging design can affects consumer's perception of sustainability and renewability of a product. Anything from colours, perceived materials, labels, and imagery, how do these cues affect people's perception of a product and company as environmentally friendly? How can the results from this research be utilized positively in packaging and are there any misuse to be aware of? The result of this research is concluded in a guide for packaging companies that address these issues. Both tips and understanding of the different cues the consumer see, as well as advices on how to not abuse the knowledge provided.

How?
The methodology utilized in this project was qualitative interviews, in which 25 people were interviewed about different juice carton mock ups made by researcher Henrik Kongsli Gjerde. These mock ups were based the text of a Sunniva orange juice carton, and then alternate designs were made in Adobe Illustrator, inspired by other real life carton designs. They were then added into a custom-made model in Blender, rendered out, and presented to the volunteers. The subjects were then asked to rank them based on sustainability, personal preferences, and give a reasoning for their choices. Additional research includes 69 quantitative answers from a Facebook survey about the mock-ups, as well as desktop research.

Why this project?
Today we a have a huge focus on sustainability and a greener and healthier world. While we are constantly aware of using different materials for a greener world, there is a lack of research on how people are affected what we believe and conceive to be “green” design. Especially on how visuals affect people's perception of environmental design and renewability. By better understanding how the graphic designs affects our perception of sustainability, we can create designs that aid consumers in better recycling and understanding of the products they consume.