Eco-Responsible Labeling

Eco-Responsible Labeling

What if consumer education about the side effects of microplastics was at the forefront of producers and grocery stores? My thesis began as a surprise sticker attack at a grocery store. Still, after evaluating the waste and legality of these stickers, I pivoted to creating a small display of products and signage with language aimed toward consumer education. This includes assessing the current packaging standards, such as the "Nutrition Facts" label, FDA requirements, and sustainable language on the package.

A Critique of Our Plastic Consumption
In this modern age of convenience, we interact with many different types of plastic every day, including microplastics. Microplastics are tiny particles of broken-down plastic, and a recent study suggests that people ingest about a credit card’s worth of microplastics each week, which doesn’t even include microplastic exposure through inhalation and direct skin contact.¹

By corporate design, most consumers are unaware of the side effects of plastic production and packaging. Plastic packages are misleading, implying they can be recycled, which rarely happens despite their recycling logos, with no federal regulations on the packaging about health and environmental effects of microplastic contamination. These labeling problems prevent consumers from making informed decisions about a product packaged in plastic.

My work suggests ways to remedy these labeling problems to give consumers more accurate information about microplastic contamination and recyclability on packages. This design also highlights health consequences of plastics which damage our reproductive, digestive, respiratory, nervous, immune, and additional systems.²

MFA in Design, 2021-2022

Collaborators
Professors: Dr. Carma Gorman, Sam Lavigne
MFA Cohort: Sarah Martinez, Chloe Gillmar, Kristen Graham, Maria Vidal, Christoph Sokol, Jesus Guillermo de León Pérez

Skills
Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Print Production, Packaging, Templates, Sustainability, Cricut Design Space

Sources
¹ “No Plastic in Nature: Assessing Plastic Ingestion from Nature to People,” World Wildlife Fund for Nature, 2019
² “Plastic & Health: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet,” Center for International Environmental Law, 2019

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Field Guide to Disposable Creatures

Field Guide to Disposable Creatures

You've probably wondered what happens when a designer hoards every piece of plastic they own and stockpiles it all in their hallway for five weeks...

Every day, I walked through the piles of plastic packaging. I saw the consequences of my habits. I thought about the responsibilities of a plastic producer, graphic designer, and consumer. Plastic waste is typically hauled away and hidden from Americans, and we don't end up seeing the full impact of our consumer habits. I also documented my five-week experiment on social media. It helped with accountability and attracted some interest from a few friends.

After conducting my five-week experiment, The Field Guide to Disposable Creatures came to be. It was a book I designed for my Design Studio I class to help identify the most common kinds of plastic litter that exist out in the "wild." I imagined the Field Guide as a way for people to experience the volume of plastic waste in an accessible, presentable, playful, and nonjudgmental way.

A lot of the plastic packaging from my hallway experiment came in handy. I used them to create the Field Guide's front cover and "product" images for the plastic bag section. I designed selected spreads of the Field Guide for my end-of-semester presentation and used Illustrator and Photoshop to create my mock-ups.

MFA in Design, 2020

Collaborators
Instructor: Gray Garmon

Skills
Plastic Packaging Hoarder, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Social Media, Product Photography, Photo Editing

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