Happy Cow

Describe your idea and concept of your work in relation to the festival outlines:

Reflecting on the many issues of "food democracy", I strongly believe in animal welfare. I am utterly disgraced by animal cruelty reflecting on the miss treatment of animals and strongly believe that all animals should live a happy and fulfilled life before being turned into meat products or dairy produce for our consumption. My concept for the competition is to create a label that gives facts about the untold cruelty of our Australian dairy cows using images and facts about this un told issue. I will be placing this label on a well known dairy snack product known as "Happy Cow Cheese". This cheese product is an Austrian product, though I am basing my design on Australian dairy cows. The original label features a happy looking cow in a lush green open meadow with rolling mountains with a bright blue open sky. I will play on the idea of the "happy cow" with my design, trying to educate people that this is far from reality.

What kind of communication approach do you use?

My design will be a label application. My approach will be to try and educate people using the label application to make the public aware of the treatment of our Australian dairy cows. I want to encourage people make smarter choices when they shop. I want to portray the truth about the living conditions of our dairy cows and unlike most dairy products whose labels portray a happy lifestyle, but in reality it is not the case.

What are in your opinion concrete benefits to the society because of your communication?

My label will be placed on an original Happy Cow Cheese package and will ideally be placed within the other dairy products of the dairy section within supermarkets. The benefits to society will be to give an understanding of the treatment of our dairy cows so they can make more informed decisions about purchasing various dairy products. Because this label will look like an actual product it will confront and challenge the public there fore making them more aware.

What did you personally learn from creating your submitted work?

What I learnt when researching for my work is that the dairy industry really does put a veil over the publics eyes and will do anything to encourage people purchase their products. Using design they will portray idealistic living conditions of our dairy cows and using this method will hide the truth as best as they can. I found that at least with egg packaging, each different company will label wether their chickens are caged or not. This in itself combats the major issue of battery hens but in the dairy industry they have portrayed that there is no issue what so ever. It just goes to show the efforts companies will go to to encourage people to purchase their products.

Why is your work, GOOD communication WORK?

I strongly feel that my work is a good communication work because it is straight to the point. It is confronting and shocking. Being an actual mocked up product it enhances its effect it has on the viewer, making it striking and bold. My work reflects on the many issues of the dairy farming industry within Australia which makes these issues personal, which then gives a bigger impact to then make the society make a change.

Where and how do you intent do implement your work?

My work would be fully justified if it was placed in the dairy section of a supermarket. It would also be a great place to educate people of all ages when they do their weekly shopping.

Did your intervention had an effect on other Media. If yes, describe the effect? (Has other media reported on it- how? Were you able to change other media with your work- how?)

After mocking up the product I placed it within a supermarket, taking some photos to see how it would fit in with the shelves of a supermarket. It was not there long enough to have an effect on people but this is something that would be most interesting to do.