CRAP principles applied to supermarket organization and design

CRAP Principles

The acronym "CRAP" is used to abbreviate a number of design principles that are usually applied to the visual advertising industry. These principles are also used in documents, to indicate the most visually pleasing way to present printed or electronic information. As indicated by the acronym, the principles include Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, and Proximity. Although less conventional in terms of application, these principles can also be discussed in terms of the American supermarket, where the organization of goods might be said to follow these principles in terms of visual presentation.

The first principle is contrast. This entails that items that are not completely the same should be contrasted completely. In a text presentation, this could refer to the types of font being used or the layout of the document. In an American supermarket, this could relate to different makes of the same product, such as shampoo. Two manufacturers of shampoo may supply their product to the same supermarket. These will most likely be displayed in the same department, but they will contrast completely in terms of packaging, pricing, and other features. In a supermarket setup, this creates a clear choice for consumers. Some buy items on the strength of price, others on the strength of previous experience with the particular product, and others becaue of the presentation of the packaging.

Repetition refers to a repeated aspect of the design throughout the document or piece of advertising. It provides consistency and unification throughout the piece, while also creating for the reader a sense of meaning throughout the piece. When applied to the supermarket setup, this can apply to the layout of the environment. The shelves and isles are basically of the same length and size, while different items are displayed in the different departments. The tills are also arranged in a neat row, and they are designed to look the same, each with one person to help people check out the items they bought. These elements are also arranged on a single floor, which further provides consistency for the supermarket's design.

The third principle is alignment, which means that all the items on a page or document should have some visual connection with something else on the same page or in the same document. Nothing should be placed arbitrarily, and a sense of purpose should be at the basis of all the design elements. In a supermarket, this principle can be seen by the one connecting element among all the items, which is that they are all consumer items. Although there is little visual connection between a piece of cheese and a household item like a table cloth, they are bound by their nature as items that are found within a supermarket. All items are then placed within their specific departments. While there is therefore not a clear visual connection between every item within the supermarket, they are connected by the same underlying idea.