America’s staggering food waste problem in 2022
The slogan-"United States discards 80 billion pounds of food per year" is used throughout this campaign.
Two works highlight the seriousness of the food waste by converting the 80 billion pounds of food into different units.
The other two works emphasize the source of food waste, reminding people more pay attention to the small details in life: As long as they are careful, the possibility of food waste can be greatly reduced.
Role
Information Designer
Visual design, Data Analysis
Course
Information Design Studio at Northeastern University
Duration
November - December 2022
Research
1. Key Data
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Unit Conversion
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United States discards 80 billion pounds of food per year. That is estimated to be 30-40 percent of the entire US food supply
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United States discards 80 billion pounds of food per year = Each of you throw 650 apples every year right into the garbage
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The source of food waste
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80% of Americans discard perfectly good food because they misunderstand expiration labels
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Where the waste comes from: 43% restaurants, 40% homes, 16% farms, and 2% manufacturers​​
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​2. Visual Inspiration
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Adrian Johnson:
The visual theme of this campaign is inspired by the British graphic artist & illustrator that stems from the desaturated color; and the use of simple pattern had to communicate the concepts with minimum means.
Modification
1. Visualize and highlight the amount people waste food in terms of the percentage of trash bin open.
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2. With a big red apple as the visual protagonist, emphasizing the amount of food wasted by one person in the United States in a year.
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3. The barcode evoke the act of buying food, and fresh bread highlights how much food is thrown away intact when expiration dates are misread.​
4. A hand holding a balloon visually symbolizes that all discarding of food originates from human actions.
Solution
1. Postcards ​
2. Outdoor advertising street poster​
3. Tote bag
4. Shopping bag
Future opportunities
Create outdoor visualizations for all other major sectors contributing to the food waste in America.
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