Social Issue: GMO
Caroline Winarczyk’s Social Issue poster
The graphic design course at Regina Dominican, taught by Mrs. Murray, teaches students the basics of graphic design along with its applications. The students work with Apple computers everyday and learn how to use programs such as Photoshop to create and edit their own designs.
While applying the new skills they have learned, the students in the graphic design classes have been working hard on a social issue project. Each student chose a current social issue and created their own graphic display of the issue.
Caroline Winiarczyk ’16 designed her project to represent the social issue of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in today’s food supply. Caroline incorporates all the bad ingredients that people do not even know are found in a genetically modified strawberry.
GMOs are a huge controversy in society today. An example of genetic modification is the addition of DNA cells to foods that would normally not occur in nature. The addition of such DNA can allow a farmer to spray crops with pesticides to kill the weeds and bugs without killing the crop itself.
The addition of the DNA can also cause organisms to grow to larger sizes that would never naturally occur. Animals can be genetically modified causing an animal to be bred larger than its normal size so that it can produce more meat.
However, with the use of GMOs, cows produce additional methane, which adds to the greenhouse effect. According to Mother Nature Network, scientists are trying to find a way to genetically engineer cows so that they do not produce as much methane.
Today, approximately 90% of all products in the store, according to Kids Right to Know, contain GMO ingredients. The largest genetically modified category is agricultural items such as corn and soy. According to the Non-GMO Project, GMOs are banned in more than 60 countries worldwide. GMOs are becoming fairly common and a product does not have to state on the packaging if it has been genetically modified.
Many people want to make a change. People like Caroline would like companies to state if their products are genetically engineered on the packaging or the menus. There are several campaigns that are trying to make this change a law. People have the right to know what they are consuming.
Caroline is very interested in the idea of Genetically Modified Organisms. She answered some questions about the topic and how she incorporated the idea in het graphic design project.
Why is this topic important to you?
I want people to become more aware with what they are eating. Sometimes people ignore what is really inside food and still eat it just because it tastes good.
What are you trying to accomplish with this visual?
I am trying to show how many ingredients a strawberry contains. You think that all you are buying is a fresh strawberry with no pesticides. Instead, we are buying all genetically engineered strawberries that contain many harmful products.
What was your inspiration?
I have been eating organic food ever since I was little. I was always taught about all the pesticides and GMOs the are put into it. Now I always watch what I eat and make sure it contains good ingredients.
Please explain your visual
On my poster there is an enhanced strawberry. The strawberry is all nice, round, and perfectly red. This shows how fruits are made to look perfect. On the strawberry is a nutrition label wrapped around it. The nutrition label contains all the ingredients that are in one, non organic strawberry.