Crickets in the U.S. are still a taboo food item, even though they're protein-packed and environmentally friendly, use up far less energy to prepare than the meat industry, and are commonly enjoyed in other countries. We view crickets with the same fascination as we do any other "weird" food, but fear of the unfamiliar keeps us from trying it.
To help welcome crickets and other bug cuisine as a future food here, I pulled inspiration from the extreme American jello fad of the 1950s. Part of the hype over encasing everything from cake to sandwiches in jello came from a functional perspective of being able to keep food items for longer, but speculatively, a bigger part of it came from our constant fascination with the new, and jello's glossy, soft, friendly, yet somewhat alien form easily lent itself to becoming an object of intrigue and delight.
Using the characteristics of jello as a vessel for ushering in crickets as a consumable item, I designed a small retro-futuristic sampling of fried crickets encased in colorful agar (vegan-friendly jello made from seaweed) and presented it all on laser-cut plexiglass sample plates. Encasing these crickets in jello makes for a cuisine that displays itself as something foreign and strange, feelings we are already familiar with, yet it highlights our fascination with the unfamiliar, prodding at a delight that comes from trying new things and adjusting one's eyes (or palate) to something one is unaccustomed to.

More projects:

2015
Appetizers & Apéritifs
An invitation to a kick-off party for the 2015 Gutenberg Dinner hosted by The Printing Museum in Houston.
2016
Web Experiments
A series of html/css web tests illustrating quotes from some of my favorite books.
2015
Ge|atin poster
A poster presenting two ways to view the food ingredient, gelatin.
2017
ds4: process book
A meandering book documenting process & thoughts for four experimental design projects.
2019
Blue Arch
Branding for a membership program that provides high-end living, working, and gathering spaces for members. Members receive keys to a range of spaces and services, based on a variety of packages.
2016
Lullatone 3D Album Cover
We follow the dream of a sphere through shape land. A three-dimensional exploration of Lullatone's 2D album cover for We Will Rock You To Sleep.
2015
Penta
Branding for a social start-up created by a group of Brown University students with the aim of providing accessible prosthetics to disabled children in Vietnam. A collaboration with DK Lee.
2016
A TFB with the BFG
A Type Friendly Book with the Big Friendly Giant (with excerpts from Roald Dahl's the BFG) is a gentle introduction to learning the basics of typography.
2016
Touch Me
Touch Me is an app that encourages museum visitors to touch the art. A collaboration with Laura Lin.
2019
Eariously App
Logo, branding, and mobile UI design for Eariously, an app that lets you listen to the things you want to read. App by Nick Rimsa and Brendan Barr, UX design by Kia Jones.