Waarmakers Studio designs The Helping Plate (Het Helpende Bord), a plate that helps kids to eat more veggies.
With extensive literature research in hand, HAK and DDB Unlimited approached Waarmakers Studio to design a plate that could help tip the scale in the parents’ favor.
The Helping Plate is produced in the Netherlands by Royal Goedewaagen. It is for sale at de Bijenkorf, in its webshop, and in the physical stores.
Mirroring: A child’s brain continuously mirrors its parents’ behaviour. That’s why the plate is not brightly coloured and made of plastic with decorations, but round and ceramic – just like Mum and Dad’s plates. This makes it easier for the child to follow the parents’ healthy eating habits.
Delboeuf illusion: The plate is bigger than a regular children’s plate, which makes the serving of veggies seem smaller. This helps the brain think that the meal will be easy to finish. This effect, known as the Delboeuf illusion, is reinforced by omitting a raised, colourful edge.
More = more: If there is more of something on your plate, you’ll automatically eat more of it. An indentation in the plate lets you serve more vegetables, but it won’t look like more.
The path of least resistance: Food served closer to you is more likely to end up in your stomach. That’s why the indentation for the vegetables was designed so that parents can place it closest to their child.
Tastier by colour: A white background makes our brains see the vegetables as more appetising, which also improves the taste experience. The place where the veggies are served is the whitest area on the plate. This helps make the greens even more attractive compared to the rest of the meal.
Credits
Client: HAK
Concept and creative execution: DDB Unlimited
Research: Wageningen University & Research
Product design: Waarmakers Studio
Plate production: Royal Goedewaagen
