Many people still don't know why potato chips have this curved shape.
Why do potato chips always have an impressive curved design? Is it simply a matter of product aesthetics, or are there other interesting facts hidden? Let's explore the story of Pringles - an American potato chip brand with a history of more than 50 years.
Pringles was first developed in 1967 by P&G. In 2012, Pringles was sold to Kellogg's. To date, Kellogg's with the Pringles potato chip brand has become one of the 10 snack manufacturing and trading companies with the largest revenue globally (according to 2020 data from Statista). Standing out with the slogan "Once you pop, the fun don't stop!", Pringles has launched 25 different potato flavors.
Through many developments and changes from logo to product, the brand has persistently pursued a special design and achieved the near-perfect uniformity of the potato chips. It seems like a simple design, but in fact, it is based on the geometric formula of the Hyperbolic Paraboloid curve (different from the Parabolic Cylinder curve design of Lay's potato chips). What is the real reason behind this design of Pringles?
1. Aesthetics
The Paraboloid Hyperbolic curve design with uniform proportions of Pringles potato slices helps them fit together perfectly when stacked in a cylindrical box. This creates an eye-catching image and brings a sense of satisfaction to each Pringles product when it reaches consumers.
2. The fun of the experience
When chewing, you will notice that the potato slices always crumble into many small pieces with different shapes without any rules. This is the result of the special geometric formula of the Paraboloid Hyperbola, contributing to the feeling of "crispy" and more enjoyable when enjoying each slice of potato.
3. Preservation ability
How can the "super thin" Pringles potato slices best limit breakage during transportation? The Paraboloid Hyperbola design has perfectly solved this problem. The impressive curves that match but still create a moderate amount of empty space have helped to minimize the pressure that the potato slices can create when stacked on top of each other in the box. Not only that, the combination of two opposing curves with the U-shaped concave area has balanced the impact of the types of pushing and pulling forces that can occur during transportation. All of these features create a sturdy structure while still ensuring the thinness needed for Pringles potato chips.
In fact, the Hyperbolic Paraboloid curve is not only applied in the design of potato slices, but also becomes an endless inspiration for many architectural works, typically the dome of the London 2012 Velodrome (UK).
