How to combine visual and tactile influences in commercial design. The capabilities and principles of modern tactile design.

Tactile effects in a design: touch and feel

Commercial design appeals to all the senses. It’s not enough for people to see, they need to feel. The famous saying “To love is to want to touch” is applied here at 100%. Tactile sensations enhance emotional connection while their skillful use in commercial design is an effective means of targeting audience management.

Modern technologies provide you to create a variety of textures on many materials. Imitation of sand, leather, paper, fabric, wood, or damp surface is possible, and that’s not the whole list. The use of tactile effects is able to make even the simplest design solution expressive and extraordinary.

Tactile effects increase the impression

Marketing research shows that 7 out of 10 buyers will choose a product based on how their feelings and prefer a product with pleasant to the touch tactile surface. That’s why consumers are attracted to packaging and labels with tactile effects.

You can focus on a certain quality of the product by using the tactile effects. For example, the sand touch effect on a travel brochure makes a beach holiday literally tangible and real.
Nowadays, the lack of sensation caused by massive changeover to digital space is a demand for compensation among many people. That’s one of the good reasons why tactile design has become a real trend.

Tactile contrast effect enhances interest

A person expects habitual sensations from familiar objects. And if, for example, touching the glass, he suddenly feels the soft roughness of the sand, this causes amazement and is instantly being potentiated somewhere in his brain.

This tactile property can be used to draw attention to products and increase brand awareness. For example, developing a label design for drinks is the mind to use a sand touch on its surface.

You can add size to the image and highlight some details by combining various tactile effects. Thus, smooth glossy design elements of the label are visually advanced to the foreground on a matte background which is provided by structural-tactile varnishes with a sand touch effect.

Tactile effects are providing common ground between the consumer and the product. Using tactile effects, the manufacturer can express concern for the customer and show that he understands his needs. They can evoke consumers’ positive emotions as well as emphasize the properties of the product. In turn, this contributes to enhancing customers’ loyalty and incentives and leads to an increase in demand.