Janelle Lao

Janelle Lao's project is rooted in her deep personal connection to food and the desire to address the unseen issue of food insecurity experienced by youth in Sydney. ‘Commonplace’ is a social supermarket brand with a storytelling initiative that repositions food relief as affordable, dignified, and inclusive. The project combines a welcoming brand identity, out-of-home advertising, social media posts, and an interactive website that archives stories around food and directs users to ‘Commonplace’. By combining design and storytelling, ‘Commonplace’ aims to destigmatise food relief and shift perceptions from charity and pity to empowerment and belonging.