Today, the illustrations directly conveying the properties of a product to the audience have started to be replaced by more modern, highly aesthetic and surrealistic illustrations. Presenting the product identity as well as the messages intended to be delivered and the philosophical meanings of these messages by means of surrealistic compositions and metamorphosis approaches to the audience provides the respective product, packaging and trademark a positive standing compared to their counterparts. The current growth in the group of consumers who attach more importance to the visual quality of a product than an actual need for the product gives the designers a ground for making use of these techniques. The objective of this study including the packaging illustrations prepared by the approach of metamorphosis, such as a teapot turning into a means of travel, a human becoming a finned fish, the beaks becoming a fruit, and the antlers turning into a huge colored tree, is to call attention to the changing consumer preferences and provide information about the likely influence of the surrealistic illustrations prepared to address these preferences. In this study, the metamorphosis illustrations used on 5 different food packagings were examined via the content analysis method. According to the findings, it is understood that the illustrations prepared by the metamorphosis approach would contribute to the aesthetics of the packaging, make the trademarks evocable, and establish an out-of-the-ordinary communication channel between the product and the consumer. Conveying the useful information to the sector about the power of the metamorphosis approaches to readily deliver a message to the consumers as well as turn a packaging into a work of art lay emphasis on the study. With this study, it is intended to develop an aesthetic perspective for the packaging illustrations in the design and marketing sectors and provide contribution to the literature.


Keywords: Packaging design, graphic design, illustration, metamorphosis, consumer preference