In the following animation, I used the poem “Spaghetti” by Shel Silverstein to advertise a pseudo-opening of a new Italian restaurant called Angelo’s. Enjoy!

Here is an animated infographic created by Jorge R. Canedo Estrada of Buck for an upcoming documentary called “Waiting for Superman.” The documentary highlights serious issues in America today that are based in our current education system. Through his infographic, Canedo Estrada is able to use his design skills to influence change.

According to their website, Buck uses “animation, visual effects and live action to collaborate with clients, from concept to delivery, producing work that is visceral, innovative, and diverse.”

Just today, GOOD writer Adam Starr furthered the validity of last semester’s capstone project. He posted an article about the problematic link of fast food restaurants and childhood obesity. His article suggests that effective marketing strategies (namely those revolving around free toys) have contributed to the rise of American childhood obesity. While these strategies have built restaurant empires, they have also hurt the well-being of our country.

Either designers and marketers need to be more aware of the implications of their work, or they need to use their strategies to affect positive change.

Starr brings attention to the problem of marketing that works against the health of our nation. He suggests that we kill the strategy to prevent the consequences. I suggest a different route. Since the strategy is effective, I suggest that our society uses a similar strategy (the fun factor) to entice children to eat more healthy. Our society needs food sources that value the culture of kids + the health of good nutrition + the affordability and the accessibility of fast food dining.

Here is an excerpt from Starr’s article:

American kids are fat. According to Ken Yeager, President of the Santa Clara Country Board of Supervisors, nearly one in four children in Santa Clara County is overweight or obese. “In certain ethnic populations,” he says, “its one in three.” Obesity has become a national security risk, too: We have supersized a generation of kids to the point that our military is unsure if we’ll have enough soldiers who are fit enough to fight. Even more shocking, parents across the nation are learning that, for the first time in U.S. history, their children are expected to live shorter lives than they did.

Yeager isn’t alone in believing we’ve reached a crisis level in childhood obesity, he is alone, however, in passing a new law that makes it illegal for restaurants to peddle toys to kids with their fast-food meals. A 2008 study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest found 12 restaurants with kids’ meals that  exceed the recommended caloric limits for children; ten out of those 12 also offer toys with those meals.  Toys and prizes are effective lures. “If they weren’t,” says Yeager, “the industry would not be spending hundreds of millions of dollars each year on these gimmicks. We know parents are trying to make healthy choices for their children, so we wanted to find a way to help level the playing field for them.”

Is it possible that simply taking away the toys will make children less covetous of their chicken nuggets? Yeager thinks so. “They use the latest, must-have toys to entice children. The kids then pester their parents to take them to the restaurant, and we all know how effective a child can be in wearing down their parents to get a toy they want. Once in the door, their young palates get hooked on the high-fat, high-sugar foods…”

To read the rest of the article, please click here.

A sticker sheet insert at the center of the annual report helps increase brand awareness. They reflect both items from the restaurant’s menu and the restaurant’s character set. The intent of the stickers is to 1) show the company’s understanding of the culture of childhood and 2) be given to the shareholder’s kids to increase brand acceptance by kids.

To view the final Annual Report & Sticker book PDF, please click here.

[View with PicLens]

Here are some in-progress juice labels for my final project.

This upcoming Tuesday, I will be presenting at Truman’s Student Research Conference. In an analysis of the 2001 film, I Am Sam, I am explaining how the aesthetics of the film positively portray the social method of disability studies.

If you would like a sneak peak, feel free to take a look at the paper in which I am presenting.

( I Am Sam- Portrayal of Disability in Popular Film )

Meet the latest development for my Beanstalk restaurant…Jac’s Friends. The character set is a continuation of my ultimate goal of making healthy eating fun for kids. Each character teaches kids a quick lesson about healthy eating.

For coloring sheets featuring these characters, please visit http://megandowdy.com/beanstalk/fun/fun.html. Have fun!

It is absolutely amazing what the content-aware fill in the upcoming Photoshop CS5 will be able to do. If it really works as well as the video shows, I can start thinking about all of the new things I will be able to do in the amount of time it saves…edit 5 times as many photos, shoot images for a new project, go on a bike ride…