Multimedia Design






Introduction

Pre-set Tastebuds is a speculative design project centered on the rise of pre-packaged and industrialized food, examining whether mass-produced flavors are reshaping public taste.

Situated within a standardized and efficiency-driven food culture, the project questions whether consumers choose their preferred flavors, or whether those flavors are systematically training and pre-configuring perception.






In the present world of material abundance,
the freedom of taste both exists and seems to be absent






















As food production becomes more automated and mass-produced, greater emphasis may be placed on uniformity and consistency in the preparation and presentation of dishes.
Concept

The project originates from observing the logic of pre-packaged food production. To ensure efficiency and consistency, flavor is reduced to standardized formulas and data-driven models.










As taste becomes a set of controllable parameters, individual preference operates within predefined limits.






This phenomenon is translated into a designed food system in which “liking” is no longer instinctive, but the outcome of prolonged exposure and reinforcement.

By visiting food processing factories and frozen food trading centres to learn about the production process and its market, according to the industry, food development is more like a combination of different recipes, with ingredients and cooking instead becoming the most insignificant part.







Process

We analyzed and classified a wide range of industrialized dishes in the market. Using artificial intelligence, we gathered data on 160 dishes and identified four taste tendencies based on regional and dish category classifications, including Chinese, Western, Japanese, Korean, and Southeast Asian cuisines, as well as main dishes, snacks, soups, and desserts.










With the aid of AI, we created models for 16 common additives in commercial food. Combining them visually with four taste tendencies, it provokes reflection on food industrialization and the variability of personal taste.







Using the program node, relevant models and data are fed into it to generate the corresponding taste world.















Outcome














Reflection

The project constructs a systemic model illustrating how taste is conditioned through industrial standardization, translating the logic of pre-packaged food into a perceivable dining structure. Future development could expand into a comprehensive speculative food brand, mapping a closed loop from taste data collection and algorithmic modeling to product development and packaging design, positioning preference as an optimized outcome embedded within everyday infrastructure.