Clean Conscience - Design€¦ · Clean Conscience DESN 410 F001 2D Core Design Studio Process Book Cindy Lee. ... approach. In particular, my focus group was women in their middle

Clean ConscienceDESN 410 F001 2D Core Design Studio Process Book Cindy Lee

The Prompt

This is a subject I have often though about before, but gave it serious consideration during the summer when I was still deciding as to what I should work with for my grad project. When I was standing inside a store comparing 2 different brands of lip glosses I was quite confused over the ingredients list. I found I had issues understanding what each of the chemicals did, and a majority of them had names which were difficult to pronounce. In addition, I had no idea if the presence of one ingredient in one product, that was absent in another was a good or bad thing. And so, in my early research I looked to existing literary material and examples in order to better educate myself in this area of interest.

“Not Just a Pretty Face” Stacy Malkan “No More Dirty Looks” Siobhan O’Conner & Alexandra Spunt “There’s Lead in Your Lipstick” Gillian Deacon

Literary Review

A lot of the written material I found were aimed at a female audience. This didn’t come as much of a surprise to me as the subject I was researching was catered more towards women. Fundamentally they addressed health concerns of superficial beauty products such as lipstick, mascara, and other cosmetic items that temporarily enhanced external appearances.

Beauty Alert! Stacya SilvermanWhat’s Inside? Shopper’s Guide to Dirty Dozen David Suzuki Foundation

How Much Body Lotion Will Be Absorbed in Your Lifetime? Burts Bees

Precedence Research

I also looked into other promotional material. As a case example, Beauty Alert Labels (pictured in the bottom left) is an initiative started by Stacya Silverman as a campaign to address the dangers of using expired beauty products. Her approach to this issue was to create a system of sticker labels that periodically reminded women when they pulled out their cosmetic item, how much time has passed since it was first opened. Another campaign endorsed by Burt’s Bees showed a public display of how much product can be accumulated over one’s lifetime.

Precedence Research

A lot of ingredient health and safety was already being covered in the cosmetic industry. I wished to direct my focus towards somthing that could benefit from more attention. As I still wanted to work with an aspect of body care, I looked to instead, ingredient labels in bar soap and body wash. Among the many toiletry items such as toothpaste and shampoo, soap had more presence in status as basic and staple hygiene item in the bathroom. In addition, it was also somthing that had an affordance for providing a stronger gender-neutral base. Like make-up items, soap is also subject to Health Canada’s Cosmetic & Drug Labelling Act which requires that all products to carry an ingredient list on the outermost packaging.

Why This Matters

There are several thousand kinds of different chemicals used in the making of soap. Alot of them do not have thorough studies to ascertain the possible effects they could have on health. There are certain loopholes in the current laws set forth by Health Canada that allow for some of these questionable ingredients to go through. One example is parfum or fragrance which Health Canada allows to be listed as one ingredient, but is actually a mixture of a dozen or more chemicals. Fragrance recipes are considered trade secrets so manufacturers are not required to disclose the exact chemicals in the list of ingredients. Many of unlisted ingredients are irritants and can trigger allergies, migraines and asthma symptoms. In addition, some individual fragrance ingredients have been associated with cancer and neurotoxicity among other adverse health effects.

Audience

Initially I wanted to target both male and female audiences. As the term ‘cosmetic’ is generally understood to be synonymous with make-up, it is often assumed that many safety concerns surronding such care products are not applicable to men. However from more research analysis and insight including an in-class group session, feedback suggested that narrowing my target audience to just women would be a more effective approach. In particular, my focus group was women in their middle ages around 30s - 50s. The rationale behind this was: • Women are the hub centre of families. They are in a position of providing care (ie: spouses, children) • They are the prime group responsible for making all purchases for household neccessities • Women had more of an inclination to spend time deciding between products when making a purchasing decision ( as opposed to men) • Women control about 70% of all household purchases and $20 trillion on consumer spending worldwide (“Women Want More” by Michael J. Silverstein, Kate Sayre & John Butman) And so, this was the group I was working with, when I was conducting some primary research through a survey. . .

When shopping for bar soap/body wash what is the biggest influence when making your purchasing decision?

How often do you stop to take the time to look at the ingredient label?

When going through the ingredient list, about how many ingredients can you recognize or have some idea of? How influential is a ‘seal of approval’ in your purchasing decision?(Example: Beauty Awards, Not Tested on Animals)

Not Influential 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Very Influential

Price Scent

Design Other _____________________

Never 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 All the time

Less than 2 5-6

3-4 7-8

Survey Questions

Goals & Objectives

Context • The ingredient label was generally skimmed over, and not thouroughly read • Generally an average of 2-3 ingredients were recognized. • ‘Seals of approval’ were generally not a persuading factor

Goals • Extend on amount of information presented • What does it do & why is it there • Give it more prominence and visual heirarchy

• Promote and foster a habit to read and utilize the soap ingredient label in a more effective manner.

Strategy Position • Work directly with the soap ingredient label by reworking it, this gives me the most direct communication route to consumers right at the point-of-purchase scenario

Special Note

Although it was important that the consumer be more informed about the ingredients in their soap products, I was careful to keep in mind that an overload of information was also unwise. What I am trying to draw from users, is to foster a habit of checking the ingredient label more often. Making more informed decisions by knowing what ingredients are beneficial and what ingredients can pose potential health threats. I had to be careful that the message I was carrying did not create an apathetic response or something like. . . “If so many ingredients are linked to a health concern, why bother trying?” Thus it was important that my reworking of the soap label also guided towards healthier alternatives.

Thesis Statement

A common misconception for consumers to believe is it it’s legal, it must be safe. In developed countries, hygiene health on the whole is not a daily struggle However, current Health Canada Cosmetic & Drug Regulations are insufficient at keeping health hazards out of consumer products. This is a cause for concern as it allows for potentially harmful ingredients to go through without the consumers knowledge. I believe that the ingredient list used in soap products can benefit from a reworking in order to present to consumers more information about their product. By providing more information access in an understandable language to consumers, we can start to promote more informed decision making that will lead to healthier choices.

Rejected Phase 2 Concept Directions

Initial Idea 1

• Display worked into point-of-purchase location • Flashcards of “Top 5 Ingredients to avoid!” • Flashcards of “Top 5 Ingredients to include!”

• More general information system. General guidelines rather than pin-pointed to specific products

Initial Idea 2

• Targeted young, expectant and first-time mothers • “Handybook” style full of word-of-mouth know how • Content would be tips & tricks

Main Concept Development

Visual Exploration

Driving Thought. . . What is needed visually to help consumers extract information effectively.

Starting PointAs a follow up to the previous slide, I looked at items such as air fares, bus tickets, receipts, and the nutrition facts for food. I was looking for items that worked on small spaces and had seen some level of standardization in its use so I could get a sense of how information was presented on small surface areas.

Early Iterations & Exploration

One of my early mockups for the prototype involved generalizing the ingredients into categories. Instead of having to look through lists of 20 or more ingredients, it would then be simplified to under 10. I drew symbols and pictograms to add more visual interest (going away from the pure-text of the box). However I did not continue this route for 2 reasons: • It was starting to resemble more and more like a “seal of approval’ • The categories themselves didn’t seem any less confusing than the individual ingredient names. xEarly Iterations & Exploration

After I realized that my previous idea was too similar to the ‘seals of approval’ (which in my primary research showed was not a major concerning purchasing factor). I decided to go with a more straightforward route where I would directly show how much of a particular ingredient was actually used in the product. Similar to a sorts of pie chart.


Then I thought it instead of a pie chart with the circle representing 100% of the ingredient make-up. Having the soap itself become the shape would be more visally interesting. That way consumers could associate easier, the proportions and amounts of ingredients used in the product. Sadly. . .


The information I needed was proprietary information


Continued Visual Exploration

So I continued to explore alternative ways of visualizing what a reworked ingredient soap label might look like.



Product Set

To keep myself focused and prevent myself from being overwhelmed, I chose to work with 6 soap products out of the hundreds lining store shelves. When choosing with the 6 sample products I would be primarily working with I was careful to get a set that would be generally all-encompassing. I looked for brands that were relatively popular and well-known and chose products that were owned by different conglomerate corporations. For example both Olay and Ivory are owned by Procter & Gamble, and so I only chose one brand under that corporation to work with. I chose 2 healthier alternative brands of soap (1 for bar soap, and 1 for body wash) in order to show how my design prototype would contrast against the other products. Also in order to give myself some consistency, I chose to work with all the samples in a single unit form. For body wash this meant I tried to find units that were as close as possible in terms of their total liquid volume. I worked in this way so that if I could develop my ingredient label to fit onto a surface area of that size. Then the label would also have the flexibility to fit onto subsequent larger or mutiple units.

Dove • Owned by Unilever

Aveeno • Owned by Johnson & Johnson

Olay • Owned by Procter & Gamble

Pangea Organics

Dial • Owned by Henkel

Dr Bronner

Shape Research

When deciding the actual space dimensions of my label, I did some research into the meaning of shapes. What do people feel when they stare at a circle? A triangle? A square? Shapes do have meaning and characteristics which can covey different messages to the audience. I thought it an important element to study in the visual language of the ingredient label. This was in part, influenced from my earlier ideas where I experimented with using the actual shape to show the ingredient content of the product (refer back to slide 21). Just as a brief overview: Geometric shapes are made up of regular patterns that are easily recognizable. This regularity suggests organization and efficiency. It suggests structure. Geometric shapes tend to be symmetrical further suggesting order.

Circles suggest a whole or completeness. They protect and endure. They have movement Rectangles are familiar and stable. They suggest honesty and represent rationality and order. The majority of text is read in a rectangle. Triangles represent dynamic tension. Their ability to be stable or unstable depending on what side they rest can suggest conflict or strong direction. Based on this research, I decided I wanted to set my information in a rectangle format as I wanted my label to convey a sense of trust and reliability.

Shape Research

My research on shapes also led me to become interested in the

Rough Prototypes

Ingredients: Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate, Stearic Acid, Sodium Tallowate, Lauric Acid, Sodium Isethionate, Aqua, Sodium Stearate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Cocoate, Parfum, Sodium Chloride, Tetrasodium EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, CI 77891

Ingredients: Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate, Stearic Acid, Sodium Tallowate, Lauric Acid, Sodium Isethionate, Aqua, Sodium Stearate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Cocoate, Parfum, Sodium Chloride, Tetrasodium EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, CI 77891

natural organic recyclable

fragrance-freeactive ingredientscolor agents

x

fats and oils

color additives

preservatives

surfactants

natural ingredients

First Formal Prototype

7 Cleanse & Hydrate -Blood Orange Oil -Hemp Seed Oil -Lavender Oil -Lavender Flower -Lavender Mailette Oil - Cardamom Oil -Rosemary Extract

This Product Lists 10 Ingredients

3 Keep it in Bar Form -Saponfied Soybean Oil -Saponfied Olive Oil -Saponfied Coconut Oil

2.7 inches

3.1 inches

Since I didn’t have access to the actual amount I decided to do the most I could with the information in front of me. The shape of rectangle was also influenced through previous exploration and research done into the qualities and notions attatched to certain geometric shapes. The overall rectangle still represents 100% of the product but the portions are divided by the number of ingredients in the list that have a specific function. In the example to the right, of the 10 ingredients listed, 7 are to clean and moisturize. Therefore it takes up roughly 2/3 of the whole space. The remaining 3 ingredients take up the other 1/3.

100%

Breakdown Of Prototype

2 Enhance Appearances -Stearic Acid -CI 77891

2 Extend Shelf Life -Tetrasodium EDTA -Tetrasodium Etidronate

2 Keep it in Bar Form -Sodium Stearate -Sodium Chloride

Parfum1 Hydrates -Aqua


6 Cleanse -Sodium Lauryoyl Isethionate -Sodium Tallowate -Lauric Acid -Sodium Isethionate -Cocomidopropyl Betaine -Sodium Cocoate

2.7 inches

3.1 inches

A glimpse of the prototype using Dove’s White Bar Soap ingredients as an example. • Rectangular format size to fit more evenly with sample product dimensions • Sans-serif typeface to avoid serifs disappearing under small point size • More information balance between text and image

• Intuitive color progression

Prototype Size Considerations

When I first went about reworking the ingredient list for soap I envisioned it with a mindset that this would be something implemented on every soap product and essentially replace the current ingredient label. It would be ntegrated directly into the product packaging rather than being tacked on externally.

However, even within my sample 6 , none of the products had the same package dimensions. Therefore I could either choose to design the label to conform individually to each product, or have one standard size fit all. Ultimately I chose the latter (imposing one size) as the former option would compromise the ledgibility of information (and produce the opposite effect I was hoping to achieve). I also distinguished the standard size of the label between bar soap and body wash as each product had differently size dimension factors which affected the surface area I had to work with.

Type Considerations

Some basic typographical choices I made was to shift all letter casing to lower case. Apart from the standard rules-of-thumb where lower-case is more friendly to the eye, it also has more form variation than upper-case, which made it more interesting and easier to look at. I found that ingredient lists set in entirely upper-case detracted from its legibility and discouraged consumers as it had the same level of ‘visual noise’ and caused it to muddle and homogenize into one block of indistinguishable text.

INGREDIENTS: SODIUM LAUROYL ISETHIONATE, STEARIC ACID, SODIUM TALLOWATE, LAURIC ACID, SODIUM ISETHIONATE, AQUA, SODIUM STEARATE, COCAMIDOPROPYL BETAINE, SODIUM COCOATE, PARFUM, SODIUM CHLORIDE, TETRASODIUM EDTA, TETRASODIUM ETIDRONATE, CI 77891 Ingredients: Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate, Stearic Acid, Sodium Tallowate, Lauric Acid, Sodium Isethionate, Aqua, Sodium Stearate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Cocoate, Parfum, Sodium Chloride, Tetrasodium EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, CI 77891

vs.

Example of the use of all-caps on soap products which detract from its legibility and readibility

The Written Content

Reiterating from the early prototypes. The nutrition label had food ingredients fall under carbs, sugars, and fibre. I attempted a similar fashion to classify and categorize soap ingredients in the same way. In order to do so, I first had to research the individual ingredients listed in my soap products. This is where I utilized both online and offline databases in order to find that information and educate myself. • surfactants • sud stabilizers • enzymes • solvents • abrasives • processing aids I found out very quickly into this process that the categories made no more sense than the ingredients themselves. These categories would make sense to a specialist in the field who works with soap formulas, but not the average consumer purchasing the product off the shelves. Consumers do not just want access to more data; they want answers to questions. With this in mind and feedback from a peer critique session I sought to turn the data I had gathered to generate consumer messaging. This resulted in simplifying the diction down to layman terms to make it more straightforward as to the purposes and function of each ingredient. Framing it so that it becomes an answer to the question. . . “What do these ingredients mean? Why are they there?”

Skin Deep Database www.ewg.org/skindeep

Cosmetic Cop http://www.cosmeticscop.com/

Cosmetic Info http://www.cosmeticsinfo.org/products.php?category_id=10

A Consumers Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients Ruth Winter, M.S.

Tetrasodium EDTA

Tetrasodium Etidronate

DMDM Hydatoin

Sodium Stearate

Potassium Hydroxide

Magnesium Stearate

Glycol Distearate

Lauric Acid

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate

Cocamidopropyl Betaine

Preservatives

Emulsifiers

Surfactants

Stabilizers

> Extend Shelf Life

> Keep it in Bar/Liquid State

> Modify Appearances

> Cleansers/Moisterizers

An example, iterarting the previous slide. The process of how I started translating these categories into a language more clear and understandable to the consumer.

The Written Content

The Written Content

Furthur process examples of breaking down the ingredient content within my sample 6.

Color Considerations

I wanted consumers to be able to draw more information visually, so that even if they were to skip over reading the written component, they would still be able to draw with their eyes some tool for healthy-decision making. Color was a visual element I had to utulizie effectivly within the size constraints of the label design. I opted for a color system of greens, yellows, and reds because I thought it the most logical progression of color working together in a system, that consumers would instinctively know how to read with the least assistance. Green is associated with positive outcomes. The ‘go’ color of traffic lights, the olive branch the dove carries as a symbol of peace, the representative color of natural goodness. Red is often associated with danger and drawing attention to hazards. Yellow serves as the progressive intermediary between the two, the color of leaves from summer to fall, the ‘slow down’ color of traffic symbols etc.

Example of Prototype Application on Sample Set

8 Cleanse - Sodium Laurate - Magnesium laurate -Sodium Cocoglyceryl Ether Sulfonate


5 Keep it in Bar Form -Paraffin -Glycerin -Magnesium Cocoate -Sodium Stearate -Sodium Chloride

4 Enhance Appearances -Talcs -Magnesium Stearate -Stearic Acid -Titanium Dioxide

2 Extend Shelf Life -Tetrasodium EDTA - Etidronic Acid

2 Hydrate - Aqua - Shea Butter

Parfum

-Sodium Isethionate -Lauric Acid -Cococnut Acid -Sodium Cocyl Isethionate -Sodium Cocoglyceral Ether Sulfonate

2 Enhance Appearances -Stearic Acid -CI 77891

2 Extend Shelf Life -Tetrasodium EDTA -Tetrasodium Etidronate

2 Keep it in Bar Form -Sodium Stearate -Sodium Chloride

Parfum1 Hydrates -Aqua


6 Cleanse -Sodium Lauryoyl Isethionate -Sodium Tallowate -Lauric Acid -Sodium Isethionate -Cocomidopropyl Betaine -Sodium Cocoate

7 Cleanse & Hydrate -Blood Orange Oil -Hemp Seed Oil -Lavender Oil -Lavender Flower -Lavender Mailette Oil -Cardamom Oil -Rosemary Extract


3 Keep it in Bar Form -Saponfied Soybean Oil -Saponfied Olive Oil -Saponfied Coconut Oil

Revision & Feedback

Some of the problems I did find wiht my prototype was that i wasn’t quite utilizing the spcae as effectively as I could be. In addition the typeface was quite condensed which hindered its legibility. While I did like the use of color as another system that the user could draw information from, I found from a design perspective that there was too much of it. This made it a bit glaring to stare at. So based on this I did backtrack a bit and did some more revisions. . .

Final Result

For my final result I changed my typeface to DIN which I chose for its simple appearance. It had a clear distinction between each letterform which was crucial as i was working on a small surface area and issues of legibility were of high concern. In order to make the label cohesive in its application across all the different soaps and body washes, I had to make some administrative decisions. The type is set at 8 & 10 pts, and would be considered the minimum type size it is required to be set at. In this way, visibility of the label on the product is also increased. Content is formatted to lower-case, which refers back to my earlier research where the use of all-caps homogenized information together. Ingredients are seperated by bullet points in order to give each ingredient more breathing room apart. Additional features I added in through the revision was a cautionary sign at the bottom. Should a product contain fragrance, manufacturers would now be required to give the consumer notice that fragrance contains multiple ingredients (preventing fragrance from being interpreted as a single ingredient which is misleading). This also goes back to address the earlier health concerns of fragrance in terms of allergies. Other revised or added features include: • An expiration date notification to prevent use of deteriorated ingredients • Reduced Color palette to bring in more cohesion between each label

Din BoldDin RegularAqua • Cocamidopropyl Betaine •

Sodium Laureth Sulfate • Glycerin • Cocamidopropyl PG-Dimonium Chloride

DMDM Hydatoin • Citric Acid • Tetrasodium EDTA


Cleanse & Hydrate

Extend Shelf Life2

5

Parfum contains multiple ingredients. Best used before JAN 2014

Parfum

Antibacterial1

PEG-8 • Polyquarternium-10 • Sodium Chloride • CI 42090 • CI 17200

Modify Appearances5

Triclosan

Gives Scent1

Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate • Sodium Cocoglyceral Ether Sulfonate • Aqua • Sodium Isethionate • Coconut Acid • Magnesium Laurate • Lauric Acid • Sodium Laurate • Shea Butter

Paraffin • Glycerin • Sodium Stearate • Magnesium Cocoate • Sodium Chloride

Talc • Magnesium Stearate • Stearic Acid • Titanium Dioxide

Parfum/Fragrance

Tetrasodium EDTA Tetrasodium Etidronate


Cleanse & Hydrate

Keep it in Bar Form

Modify Appearance

Extend Shelf Life

Give Scent5

4

2

1

9

Parfum/Fragrance contains multiple ingredients Best used before JAN 2014

Final Result - Olay

Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate • Sodium Tallowate • Lauric Acid • Sodium Isethionate • Aqua • Cocamidopropyl Betaine • Sodium Cocoate

Sodium Stearate • Sodium Chloride

Stearic Acid • CI 77891

Parfum/Fragrance

Tetrasodium EDTA Tetrasodium Etidronate


Cleanse & Hydrate

Keep it in Bar Form

Modify Appearance

Extend Shelf Life

Gives Scent2

2

2

1

7

Parfum/Fragrance contains multiple ingredients Best used before JAN 2014

Final Result - Dove

Fir Needle Oil • Sage Oil • Clove Leaf Oil • Lavendin Oil • Lemongrass Extract • Rosemary Extract

Saponfied Soybean Oil • Saponfied Olive Oil • Saponfied Coconut Oil • Saponfied Manitoba Harvest Hemp Seed Oil


Cleanse & Hydrate

Keep it in Bar Form

7

Best used before JAN 2014

4

Final Result - Pangea Organics

2

10

2

3

Aqua • Glycerin • Cocamidopropyl Betaine • Sodium Laureth Sulfate • Oat Kernel Flour • Coriander Extract • Elettaria Extract • Gum Myrrh Extract • Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein • Hydrolyzed Wheat Starch

PEG-20 Almond Gylceride • Guar Hydroxyproprltrimonium Chloride


Cleanse & Hydrate

Keep it in Liquid State


Tetrasodium EDTA • Citric AcidExtend Shelf Life

Glycol Distearate • Polyquaternium-10 • Quaternium-15

Modify Appearances

JOHNSON & JOHNSON INC.

Markham, Canada L3R 5L2

Made in U.S.A.

©J&J Inc. 2009

JOHNSON & JOHNSON PACIFIC

CONSUMER SERVICE CENTRE

Australia 1800 029 979

New Zealand 0800 446 147

1-800-361-8068 www.aveeno.ca

Final Result - Aveeno

Aqua • Cocamidopropyl Betaine • Sodium Laureth Sulfate • Glycerin • Cocamidopropyl PG-Dimonium Chloride

DMDM Hydatoin • Citric Acid • Tetrasodium EDTA


Cleanse & Hydrate

Extend Shelf Life2

5

Parfum contains multiple ingredients. Best used before JAN 2014

Parfum

Antibacterial1

PEG-8 • Polyquarternium-10 • Sodium Chloride • CI 42090 • CI 17200

Modify Appearances5

Triclosan

Gives Scent1

Final Result - Dial

Aqua • Coconut Oil • Olive Oil • Corn Mint Extract • Hemp Oil • Jojoba Oil • Peppermint Oil

Potassium Hydroxide

Tocopherol • Citric Acid


Cleanse & Hydrate

Keeps it in Liquid State

Extend Shelf Life

1

2

7


Final Result - Dr Bronner

Documents

Clean Conscience - Design€¦ · Clean Conscience DESN 410 F001 2D Core Design Studio Process Book Cindy Lee. ... approach. In particular, my focus group was women in their middle