Design that works on every sense
Sight, touch, taste, scent, sound, the best brands speak to all of them.
The psychology of why design works
People don't choose brands rationally. They choose them because something feels right, the weight of a business card, the warmth of a colour, the authority of a typeface, the atmosphere of a space. These are sensory responses, and they happen before a single conscious decision is made.
Sight Research shows that customers attribute meaning to visual cues before they read a single word. In a digital world saturated with imagery, the brands that connect are the ones that give the eye something worth stopping for.
Sound Brand has a voice before it speaks. The rhythm of a tagline, the tone of a website, the language on a label, all of it carries emotional weight. We work with businesses to find a tone of voice that resonates with the right audience, because the words a brand chooses tell people as much about who it is as the logo does.
Scent Of all the senses, smell is the most direct route to memory and emotion. A brand can't always control the scent of its environment, but it can control every other signal that triggers the same response. The materials, the colours, the textures that evoke a particular feeling, freshness, luxury, warmth, the outdoors, are all part of the same sensory vocabulary.
Touch The weight of a business card. The texture of a packaging material. The smoothness of a printed surface or the grain of a recycled stock. Touch communicates quality before the conscious mind catches up. We consider the physical experience of every brand asset we design, because what something feels like in the hand is part of what it says.
Taste From the typeface on a menu that complements the food, to a colour palette that resonates at the heart of a personal brand, to the materials in signage that signal a luxury environment, every detail is a decision. We partner with businesses to plan a design strategy, then collaborate to make choices that connect with customers at every touchpoint. The right location. The right materials. The right typography. The right texture.
Thinking that shapes our practice
Great sensory design doesn't happen by instinct alone, it's informed by research, psychology and a genuine curiosity about how people experience the world around them.
One of the most important voices in this field is Sarah Hyndman, founder of Type Tasting and author of Why Fonts Matter. Sarah's research explores the psychology of typefaces and the multi-sensory experience of design, why certain shapes make food taste sweeter, why a particular font signals trust or playfulness or authority, and how designers can use that understanding to create more powerful brand experiences.
We are proud that Sarah is Course Patron for the MA Graphic Design (Online) at Arts University Bournemouth, the course we designed and lead. Her thinking sits at the heart of how we teach the next generation of designers to approach brand experience: not just as a visual exercise, but as a fully sensory one.
Bringing the conversation to Dorset
Sarah has invited us to establish a Dorset branch of The Sensologists, her growing community of designers, thinkers and creative minds exploring the intersection of design, psychology and the senses. Having visited the London group and shared experiences first hand, we are excited to be launching locally later this year.
If you are curious about sensory design, whether you are a designer, a business owner or simply someone who has ever wondered why certain brands feel so right, we would love you to be part of it.
Get in touch to find out more.
What should your brand feel like? Align your brand with the senses.