Book 2

Building Context Connection in Foods

Arlene Birt

Book 2

Design Research Experiments

Overview

This book highlights a selection of research, experiments and sketches towards a practical approach to the thesis project ‘Context Connection: Visual Indication of Food Backgrounds’.

The Context Connection project aims to make the connections between a product and its global impact (social, environmental, economic) visible to consumers by directly attaching indications to the ‘bigger picture’ to the product. This is meant to be a visual education tool for consumers: focusing on telling the background story rather than assigning an eco-la-bel or other stamp which ignores the larger context of the life of the food. If a consumer becomes aware of how they are personally affected by the long-term global impact that their food purchases contribute to; over time, such education can lead to more sustainable purchasing decisions.

Intended for an audience of western consumers, the following project began with a focus on food and food products; which evolved into a more targeted focus on chocolate. The element of user participation is important; therefore experiments with 3-dimensional visualization within the context of catering greatly inform the graphic design direction of this project.

More in-depth information on the background research of this theory is found in the accompanying book, Context Connection: Visual Indication of Food Backgrounds.

The two books are part of a June 2006 graduation thesis for the Man and Humanity Masters Program at Design Academy Eindhoven.

Vision

In the face of global environmental issues, many consumers feel they have no real power over social and environmental changes; and that it is not their responsibility. I want people to be informed about the global impact of their purchases. I believe that making processes transparent will facilitate greater consumer understanding of systems; thereby under-standing their role in the system.

Mission

In order to do this it must be understood how such a system can fit into society, and designed to meet the needs of the stakeholders involved. To do this, I will explore opportunity for communicating backgrounds in the food sector and finally provide example designs within the chocolate industry.

Statement

Over time, providing information on the social and environmental impacts of a product can educate consumers towards more sustainable purchas-ing decisions.

Objective

The design portion of this project aims to create a system of consumer education which provides indication on the backgrounds of food products. The system should be creative and visual enough to involve the consumer as well as provide indication to the ‘bigger picture’ behind foods.

In this project, I am especially concerned with referencing the product’s life-cycle, origin, journey (transport) and the production process. I also intend to indicate to people involved in the process (society) and the environment, in order to highlight information from a company’s policy or Corporate Social Responsibility report.

The long-term aim is to initiate more sustainable purchasing behavior in consumer’s purchasing patterns.

Design Directions

This book documents exploration of approaches to communicating the backgrounds of foods from within two contexts: point-of-sale (where food is sold) and immediate consumption markets (where food is served). The point-of-sale retail market focuses on labeling and packaging for within the context of the supermarket. The immediate consumption market includes dining establishments, restaurants, cafeterias and catering con-cepts: for experiences with food.

As such exploration progressed in the general food sector, chocolate was selected for further concentration, and for development of a graphic labeling/interface for consumers in a point-of-sale market. Chocolate is a good example for exploration of the graphic indication of backgrounds because, as a sector, the chocolate industry already addresses diverse issues related to social and environmental sustainability, and provides adequate information on these issues to the public. Such issues include; fair-trade, organic, safe-guarding the rainforest and biodiversity, emphasis on location of origin, tradition and history.

Though the final outcome of the project is targeted towards point-of-sale and is more graphic in nature, an element of consumer experience has come into the final design as informed by explorations that were directed towards the restaurant/catering/immediate-consumption market. This element of experience is particularly important because it helps the con-sumer establish more of a personal connection to feel that they play a role in the bigger picture of the system.

Details of the target audience depend on each context and product that the background communication is being done about. As a general rule, this audience is (in the Roper consumer classification system) comprised of ‘sprouts’ and ‘grousers’. ‘Sprouts’ feel concerned and are willing to en-gage in environmental efforts occasionally when little effort is involved. However, though they have higher median incomes than average, similar to those of greenbacks and true blue greens, they refuse to pay more for greener products. They constitute a “swing group” that could poten-tially evolve into greenbacks or true blue greens were they given more information on environmental issues. ‘Grousers’ are not inclined to act for the environment, do not feel indifferent to the environment, but rather feel they have no real power over environmental changes and that it is not their responsibility. Their age and income profile is similar to national averages.

The client for such a system would be the companies who voluntarily use this technique to communicate on the backgrounds of their own food products. These are companies that are already advocates of transpar-ency, on the road towards sustainability and are interested to share their progress with consumers.

Though there is potential to use the theory as a tool for activism, the fo-cus for this project is on the opportunities for this theory to be developed in collaboration with honest companies. This is not intended to encour-age a falsified infusion of meaning on otherwise average products.

Criteria for design, as established through analysis, research and personal experimentation:

Information should be presented positively, both for the consumer about global issues and from the client, or company who employs the system.It is best to use a mix of graphic indication with written explanation. This same pattern is evident in language in general, as “all full writing systems are a mixture of phonetic and semantic symbols.” Focus around the individual consumer’s realm of impact: the circle of influ-ence.Start with the consumer’s area of interest. (personal benefit or damage)Provide a clear hierarchy.Aim for an overall summary so the consumer can tell at-a-glance what they’re looking at and make a comparison between different products with the same type of label.

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Socially and Environmentally Damaging Aspects of the Food Industry/System

Agribusiness Harms small farmers Monopoly- abuse of natives, developing nationsUnfair Trade Especially in coffee, tea, chocolate – economic distributionLand Degradation Topsoil depletion and soil erosionPesticide and Herbicide Use Hazards to health for producer and consumer Polluting the water supplyLoss of Biodiversity (Mono-Cropping) Increased potential for large-scale disease problems, food supply Example of the Irish potato famineUse of Water Global freshwater is becoming scarceUnsustainability of Agricultural Subsidies Developing economies are unable to compete, and go deeper in debtUnequal Distribution Hunger and starvation Meat production requires more resources than vegetarianism McDonalds and fastfood generation Growing obesity in the developed world Loss of Food Traditions and Culture “Forgotten” foods

- Positive Trends for the Global Social and Environmental Impacts of Food

Growth of VegetarianismGrowth of Market of FairTrade Products Heirloom ProduceGrowth of Local Focus Increase in farmers markets Local production – self-sustainingGrowing Awareness of Food Traditions and Culture Slowfood Food tourism Multicultural focus (global)

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Good Food Criteria

HealthyEnvironmentally sustainableSocially sustainableEconomically sustainableCarries out cultural heritageLocally basedExpands choice, learning (both culturally, and by taste)Tastes good (smaklijk)Nice to eat (texture, appearance)Personal memories are attached/formed (gets passed on)

Design Research Chocolate Experiments

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Communication on the Backgrounds of Foods.

Design Research Catering Experiments in

Fruits suspended from their country of origin.

A reminder for catering that everything comes from some place.

Air emissions from the travel of a Dutch apple vs. an Argentinian apple (consumed in the Netherlands).

Communicating the impact of foods on air quality.

Carrots have a larger life than on this plate.

Communicating indication on the backgrounds of carrots: a catering experiment.

Small reminders of the bigger picture of the food on your plate.

Elements of the life-cycle sculpted into a plate.

Manouri is an artisan cheese: a specialty of Greece.

And it is the Starter of a special menu for EU Day at deWitte Tafel Restaurant.

Créme Caramel has its origins in France.

And it is the desert of a special menu for EU Day at deWitte Tafel Restaurant.

Goulash (Gulyáshús

in Hungarian) is traditionally a shepherd’s dish in Hungary.

And it is the main course of a special menu for EU Day at deWitte Tafel Restaurant.

Differing amounts of air pollution come from foods that travel by different modes of transport.

As implemented by Martin, Daniela, Valentina and Jin for the lunch of Sustainable Design Week.