Dear readers,
You chose to create an Instagram about plastic pollution in a totally
unconventional way. What made you want to create this account and why
the blue and white colour scheme and the ocean theme?
A year ago when I was walking around on the beach I saw a lot of plastic
laying around and I started to pick it up. When I saw how much I
collected in only a few hours I started questioning my own plastic use. I
became aware of how much I use plastic and that
it is just everywhere you go. I started this instagram account because I
wanted to create more awareness around this subject. I study graphic
design for two years now, I really like to create images that
communicate a certain message. And because the plastic
pollution problem is something I really care about, I thought creating
an instagram was a fun way to communicate the plastic problem to an
audience and a way for me to keep creating images on a regular basis.
I chose to use a blue color scheme on my instagram because that’s the
color of plastic I find the most laying around on the beach. I wanted an
ocean theme because the first time I thought about the plastic
pollution problem was on the beach. Lots of plastic
ends up in the oceans and marine life suffers so much because of this
and I think that’s really sad.
How did you get into graphic design?
When I was younger I always loved drawing, painting and creating little
artworks so when I needed to choose a study, I opted for graphic design.
I wanted to do graphic, because there are so many things you can do
with it. I love to design logos, posters and
websites. But what I really love to do is creating awareness with my
designs. I love to learn more about how to get people interested in a
subject they normally wouldn’t think about. Like a lot of people don’t
really care about the plastic problem, but my
goal is to make people care.
What made you want to upcycle certain plastic parts instead of
recycling them? For example, you have some photos sharing upcycled
bottle caps as earrings and even plastic doll parts as accessories.
When I came back with a bag full of plastic parts from the beach, I
didn’t just want to throw everything away. Plastic’s usually really
cheap and it’s easy to throw away, and that’s something we need to
change. So when you for example take a bottle cap, that’s
a piece of plastic that will be thrown away only minutes after usage.
When you turn it into an earring it can be used for a longer time.
Do you practice sustainability in other areas of your life or do you mainly focus on reducing your plastic consumption?
In my daily life I try to live sustainable. I’ve been trying to be
completely vegan, this hasn’t been easy for me, but I’m almost there. I
do think being aware of the problem makes it a lot easier to make the
better choices. Before I wasn’t thinking about the
consequences of the way I lived, but now I try to be more conscious
about the choices I make. I’m trying to use the printer less, which is
pretty hard as a graphic designer. And whenever I go somewhere I always
try to carry my own water bottle and bag, so
I don’t need disposable ones. Whenever I need to buy something I’m
always checking if there’s an option available without plastic. These
are really small steps, but I do think if everybody does this it has a
big impact on the planet.
What do you think of the promotion of consumerism of products in
advertising and marketing, especially since most of the products that
are being promoted are packaged in plastic?
I hate to see consumerism everywhere. Whenever I check my social media I
see an ad almost every minute, they keep track of the things I searched
and use it to advertise. I think the promotion of the products are
usually not realistic, you don’t need products
to be happy. Advertising and consumerism try to manipulate us into
adopting a particular view of how we should live, we are not deciding
for ourselves anymore. The advertisers ultimate goal is to create needs
to make people wanting their products. They create
false desires and needs by manipulating us and I really hate seeing
that all around me.
Whenever I go to the supermarket there aren’t a lot of choices without
plastic, for instance fruit being wrapped in plastic is just crazy,
because most fruits have their own natural protection and don’t need a
plastic wrapper to stay fresh. I don’t think advertising
and marketing are the blame for this problem, I think if they sell the
products without plastic or give them other options people will still
buy it. I think the plastic packaging problem is more a subject that
politicians need to discus. But I do think designers
and advertisers could have a big role, they can show people they don’t
need all that plastic.
If you wanna see more of Sophie or check out her Instagram, be sure to click here.
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