In the studio portion of my thesis I examined numerous areas that I could pursue using my thesis topic of Food Allergies. Throughout the process of creating a system I decided that, since food itself is of paramount importance to the system, I should make the word “food” be an integral component of my brand’s logo. It is in such a way that, after numerous sketches I decided on the Food logo.
My thesis is compromised of numerous parts within a system I created. One part of the system I created was a sticker using food vapor technology. If an allergen is present in the air, the sticker would change color and an image would appear. People who have food allergies can sometimes smell the allergen in the air and this causes them to have an allergic reaction. In the event that the allergy sufferer is unable to communicate, this sticker would indicate that the person is being exposed to the allergen. As a result of this technology, a more intense reaction may be prevented.
At the conclusion of my thesis was a gallery show in which I wanted to mimic the chaos which surrounds the experience that a food allergy sufferer must navigate on a daily basis. I quickly realized that my system for allergy sufferers extends beyond the hospital setting. In an environment where there is no choice for an allergy sufferer to eat, there is a need for a system of indicators. I used red dots as a visual indicator to let the viewer know where the selected designs are located on my wall. The posters are hidden just as food ingredients are often hidden in an allergy sufferer’s life. Below are some photos from the show: