Client:
FDA
Project
Title: What’s in your Protein?
Duration:
Fall 2016
Team:
Florida International
University Graphic Design History Group 1 Class:
· Professor:
Silvia Pease
· Students:
Santiago Cevallos, Samantha Gonzalez, Kimberley Espinoza, and Yekaterina
Lobuzova
Project Brief
There
is an increasing concern of what ingredients and chemicals are put into meats
or proteins. There needs to be a labeling system put in place in order to
inform consumers on what is in their protein (meat or tofu). The World Health
Organization released a report classifying processed meats as level 1
carcinogen and red meat as level 2 carcinogens.
The
group is going to build a system that is similar in appearance to a traffic
light that will let you know if the protein products contain 0 chemicals (organic)
or contain more than 10 unnatural ingredients. 0 chemicals will be represented
with the color green. If the protein has a moderate amount of chemicals, then
it will be represented with the color yellow. If the product has more than 10 unnatural
ingredients, then it will be classified as red. This will be put on all packaging
labels so consumers can quickly see if they want to purchase the product or
not.
Budget
The
group did not have a budget, but the general idea of the labels are already
designed to sell the FDA the project so they can get a taste of the look and
feel.
Research
Blippar.com
– Augmented Reality advertising and marketing app.
Buycott.com
Chemical
Maze
Films
· Food, Inc.
· King Corn
· GMO OMG
· Seeds of Death : Unveiling the
lies of GMO’s
Books
·
Naveen
Thayyil: Biotechnology Regulation and GMOs
· B Nelson : Genetically Modified Organisms in
Agriculture
·
BERNHARD A. KOCH : Damage
Caused by Genetically Modified Organisms: Comparative Survey of Redress Options
for Harm to Persons, Property or the Environment
·
Dayna Scott : Damage Caused by
Genetically Modified Organisms: Comparative Survey of Redress Options for Harm
to Persons, Property or the Environment
Articles:
Strategy
What’s in Your Protein will be
implemented into the printing process of all protein-based products sold at any
grocery store. It will be introduced to merchants first. A brief workshop will
be held to help them become knowledgeable on the new protein labeling system
and be prepared to answer any questions customers have on this new system.
Customers will
become aware of the new labeling system on their products through smart
advertising throughout the store. The labels will be legible through the use of
the same recognizable color system of Red, Yellow and Green. When launching the
new labeling system, What’s in Your
Protein will have posters throughout the market explaining what each color
means and how consuming this product will affect your body to help the customer
become accustomed to this new labeling system.
Challenges
The biggest
challenge would arise when getting the approval from the Food and Drug
Administration to include these symbols on all of the food labels. It would be
inherent to provide the right amount of research and data to back up our claim
that different kinds of protein needs to be labeled in order to inform the
consumer about the chemicals within the product.
The group needed to create a simple labeling
system that would be eye-catching and straight to the point. Several designs
had to be proposed before all agreed on the “traffic light” idea. Working as a
group had its challenges as well and each member’s strengths needed to be
utilized to come up with the concept.
The label design had its own
challenges. The group had to design a shape that would be simple to recognize
for the consumer when it was placed on a certain protein product. The group
decided that the shape of the label would represent that of a chemical symbol
of a protein: the hexagon. Also, the shape needed to have a certain color that
would describe the level of critical chemicals located inside the product. A
series of three labels would be created with their respective red, yellow, and
green colors. With the chosen colors the idea became clear that as a whole the
label could be representative of a traffic light. Overall, the system needed to
be clear and effective in order for the consumer to understand what type of
protein they are purchasing and putting into their bodies.
Effectiveness
Though not yet
actualized, this project is set to create awareness and work in tandem with
many already used and trusted apps to further raise awareness of what people
are consuming. Brightly colored labels in the familiar “traffic-light” sequence
help create an association with already set in place ideals. For example:
Should a consumer see a green hexagon on their chosen product the association process
should cause that consumer to think “Green-good-god”. At the least, making their
decision process faster, more informed and simpler.
After the
labels become well known this system should be implemented by major apps such
as Blippar and Buycott. Consumers will then be given the option of scanning
these labels to receive details on what exactly is present in their food.
The labels will
focus on protein-based foods and the chemicals present within them, hence the
basic hexagonal shape (a rough translation of what a protein sequence appears
to look like) to distinguish it from other labels and information on packaging.
The connection to apps also allows for social media connections to further
spread awareness. Students around campus should have no trouble identifying
these labels and understanding the simple design formula as it is based off the
traffic-light systems.
Those that have
seen the virtual prototypes have stated that they would approve of this program
to be put into effect across college campuses. This system could promote a
healthier lifestyle especially for those that workout frequent on campus gyms
and consume meals with high amounts of protein.
