Color Versus Form: Which Matters More in Children's Preferences of Package Design?

This research investigates the effects of age and gender on children's color-form preference of package design. With two datasets from China and the U.S., we also explore cultural differences. Two separate 2 (color) x 2 (form) experimental surveys were conducted among 837 and 761 children of age 3–12 from China and the U.S., respectively. The results reveal that Chinese and U.S. children share the same tendency of switching from color to form with the increase in age. Nevertheless, gender effect and age-gender interaction are found in the Chinese sample only. More Chinese boys than girls show preference by color. The difference in the color-form package preference between Chinese younger girls and older girls is significantly greater than that of boys.