#industry project

[aslezak]

Industry Project Feedback and Reflection 11/4/23

I got some very kind feedback from Leigh about my work for the Industry Project. I do have some counter thoughts for myself about communication of ideas and how successful I was with this work.

My intentions with this project were not really about veganism and vegetarianism. If that's what someone decides is the solution to the problem for themselves then by all means-- that's fantastic. However, like Leigh says, I was really trying to be careful in the way I presented my message as not to critique the individual consumers and rather the normalized industry practices and Tyson the company specifically. It was not necessarily telling people to be vegan because there are a lot of barriers to access with veganism and individuals should not be bombarded with ideas that this is their fault and they need to change their diet and their behavior to solve the problem. I was rather trying to show that Tyson sucks! And they should not be as trusted and as reputable as they are. And I am not sure people are fully aware the extent to which they treat their employees like they treat their animals. My intentions were more about awareness of what's happening (because Tyson definitely does not what people to know or care) and to highlight how much control they have over what people are eating and consuming. Including how much of the market they actually own -- which would be made clear if I actually was able to go out and put these stickers on all their products in a grocery store. I wonder if I was actually successful in this? Or if this critique is too tied to veganism to be thought of outside of this context? Or if my illustrations are putting too much emphasis on the animals and not enough on the people packing them?

This is definitely something to think about as I approach my work in the future. Is my message actually clear? And I guess you only ever really know when you show people.

Again, totally in support of people going vegan and vegetarian but I am very aware that it is not possible for everyone to do that. My intended ideas were about awareness and education. Also that maybe instead of choosing a Tyson product, consumers choose a competitor to cut Tysons profits. Since corporations only ever change their behaviors if they lose money. I hoped to make it more about Tyson than the consumer in this way.

[aslezak]

WIP Crit 2/3/23

My presentation and notes on the feedback I got from Cat and Tom during the WIP critique are below.

I found their input very useful and encouraging. I think Im going to steer more towards the arena of stickers placed upon packaging and lean more into the human employees side of the emotional appeal. I plan on making one more line of characters that is people squished together, 3 more of the Daniel type stickers.

I need to explore some copy writing and spend developing more of a brand identity. I also need to decide on what I would like to mockup and how it can interact with the packaging that already exists.

Thankful for the opportunity to present my work and get feedback. I feel excited to continue working on the project with my goals more solidified by the client's opinions.

[aslezak]

4 Sketches in Progress 1/3/23

Here I have included in progress stills of my first four illustrations in progress. These are the four I will include in my WIP Critique presentation.

They include the line of squished chickens, the line of squished cows, Daniel, and an emblem for clear packaging.

I illustrate by first blocking in in red, getting more detailed in blue, and then inking over top. All done in procreate but informed by printmaking styles and comic book styles.

[aslezak]

Additional Research 1/3/23

I think for a part of the project I want to reference what Lush has done where they put the name and a picture of the person who made the product on the product. It makes the products feel more personal and connected with the consumer. I think I can exploit this dynamic between buyer and product to create a more emotional reaction to what is happening in the meatpacking industry to the employees.

I decided to also do some local research into the UK packaging for meat just in a Lidl grocery store. The packaging is much more minimalist in comparison to ones I am familiar with in the US. This sort of solidified my choice to focus on Tyson and their branding instead of trying to encapsulate multiple brands across different international audiences.

The photos are included below.

[aslezak]

Meat Experiments 28/2/23

I wanted to explore texture and unconventional materials to see if there could be any interesting textures or materials that could help me better convey my messaging. I used what I learned in my Linocut Induction to cut a small chicken head design in linoleum. I then used red paint to print the image onto the meat. I tried printing multiple times, tearing the meat, and also embroidering into the meat just to see what it would look like.

While I like these, I'm thinking of saving it for a future project. I think it would be cool to make an embroidered and printed book out of meat. I will have to see if there is a poem or content in my backlog that would be well served by this as a medium. Or, build content with this idea in mind.

[aslezak]

Food Inc Documentary 28/2/23

I watched the film "Food Inc" for research purposes. I borrowed the DVD from the LCC library. My notes are included below.

This film made me want to specifically target Tyson and their practices because it really illustrated the insane impact they had on the industry -- particularly with the ownership of the market statistics and the way they completely redesigned the chicken for efficiency purposes.

The documentary did a good job in terms of a general overview of the problems with the industry and the publics lack of knowledge of them. This lack of awareness is sort of the problem I want to solve.

[aslezak]

Online Research 27/2/23

Resources that I have used to develop illustration concepts for the project. Looking at examples of meat packaging that is already in the store and how I can contrast with that. Thinking about ways I could potentially interact with the illustrations and designs already present on current packaging. Transparency? Editing?

I plan on rewatching the film "Okja" by Bong Joon Ho. I remember it being an extremely successful critique of meatpacking and the industry overall. It really appealed to emotions through humanizing the animals.

Notes/Ideas I had while engaging with these resources:

List of Illustration Ideas:

Line of squished chickens

Convertor belt with chopped fingers and meat on it

Hi my name is Daniel and I lost __ fingers making this for you (Daniel is waving with missing fingers) - several of these?

Skeletons prepping meat

Hanging thing with people on it (see Biblioteka image)

What I am specifically referencing:

Abusive working conditions -- Packed together very close, the belts move so fast that injuries extremely common, the companies discouraging healthcare/visits to the doctor, no breaks, treated like machines. (exasperated by COVID-19 pandemic - employees killed when they wouldn't shut down the plants)

Tyson?

Okja (2017) - IMDb

Okja: Directed by Bong Joon Ho. With Tilda Swinton, Sheena Kamal, Michael Mitton, Colm Hill. A young girl risks everything to prevent a powe

Images of branding for meat packing from online: