Hearing different genres of background music can affect purchasing in various ways, but British retailer Marks & Spencer has opted to remove it from its shop floors altogether. Can the decision really influence sales? And if so, will it be for the better?

When it comes to food, it’s all about flavour – right? Canvas8 spoke to Charles Spence, the psychologist behind ‘gastrophysics’, to discover howallsenses impact on how we taste and to find out how brands are using packaging, colour and sound to radically alter our flavour experiences.

It’s been established that our perception of food isn't influenced by taste alone. Studies show that rounder foods are perceived as sweeter and yellow foods can be considered zestier. Now, research suggests that perceived gender allocations can psychologically alter the way things taste too.

Great audio logos can work as branded signifiers - and the subtleties of sound are increasingly being incorporated into products, too. But how much noise is too much? Are there really any benefits to owning a microwave with its own soundtrack?