When it comes to teaching people about making informed purchasing decisions, it's one thing to reach out to them from their TV screen, the pages of a magazine, or even their favorite blog. It's quite another to catch them at the store, when they're making the choice about whether or not to put the item in question into their cart.

So I liked this piece from KT Meany, a guest to DesignObserver.

Meany, an adjunct professor at the College of Design at North Carolina State University, writes about her students' response to their own question: What would happen if products in the grocery store listed ingredients information not only about the product itself, but also about the container it came in?

The resulting design projects are fun to scroll though:

These floor decals show silhouettes of common packages, and give color-coded recycling information based on local waste management practices. (Design by David Mitchell)

Window decals announce, "Stop before you shop. Some packaging is better than others," and de-code the numbers on plastic containers. (Design by Caitlin Garrison)

Decals on the freezer door identify which ice-cream containers are recyclable. (Design by Caitlin Garrison)

Receipts organize purchased items into three categories: Recyclable, partially recyclable, non-recyclable. They also offer a scolding or encouraging message, depending on your cart's contents. (Design by Britt Cobb)

Though the idea of a cash register voicing its judgment strikes me as a bit too invasive, I do like the thought of constant reminders throughout the store that product packaging is a valid part of the equation when we're choosing our purchases. It's yet another way to make an invisible element more visible and to pressure manufacturers to consider all aspects of their product design, and I think that Meany's students did it in a way that is generally positive and informative, rather than preachy.

And shoppers have a growing desire for the backstory. Stores like PCC and Whole Foods post on-shelf labels to announce when food is locally produced, and even grocery delivery company spud.com announces when products have been produced near your zip code (for example, a pop-up image on their site tells me the apples I'm considering "traveled 180 miles to reach our Seattle warehouse"). I think that more information about packaging materials has the potential to help drive both smart shopper decisions and new manufacturer innovations.

Top image courtesy of flickr/caste_aka_adrem, licensed by Creative Commons. Other designers credited by their work above.