Grocery Monopoly
Year
2024
Project type
Data Visualization
Primary Audience
Lay Audience
Client
Jody Jenkison
Medium
Poster
Tools
Illustrator, Procreate, Figma, Tableau, Rawgraphs, Excel
Description
The rising cost of groceries in Canada is an increasingly growing issue, leaving many families struggling to afford basic necessities. This problem is exacerbated by the monopolized grocery market, controlled by a handful of companies, leaving Canadians with little to no alternatives. This piece aims to raise awareness of this dangerously unbalanced landscape by drawing parallels to the board game Monopoly. The intent is to highlight the stark contrast between record-breaking profits reported by grocery chains and the increasing inability of Canadians to afford food, emphasizing the consequences of this monopolization.
Preproduction
The preproduction phase began with identifying key datasets essential for illustrating the factors that showcase the current grocery market landscape. A brainstorming process followed, where ideas were sketched to determine how to organize and present the data effectively. This included exploring potential interactions, intersections, and complexities between the datasets. Various variables were tested, and different methods of visual representation were considered during this stage.
The data variables were finalized, and a general layout was designed based on the required axes. During this stage, the data was organized and analyzed using Tableau, where it was cleaned and prepared for import to ensure accuracy and clarity in the final visualization.
Production
The data was imported from Tableau into RawGraphs and transformed into visual representations. The graphics were then refined in Illustrator. The font was selected to reflect the original Monopoly game style. The color scheme underwent two major iterations: one closely resembling the board game and another diverging from it. Ultimately, a modernized version was chosen, retaining the colorful nature of the original game though adjusted to a contemporary variation. In Illustrator, all imported assets were further modified for ease of reading and comprehension.
References: Empire Company Limited. (2024). Empire Company investor relations presentation: Fiscal 2024. Retrieved from https://www.empireco.ca/uploads/2024/03/F2024-Empire-IR-Presentation-Final-March-2024.pdf?id=axx12z; Loblaw Companies Limited. (2023). Loblaw annual information form 2023. Retrieved from https://dis-prod.assetful.loblaw.ca/content/dam/loblaw-companies-limited/creative-assets/loblawca/investor-relations-reports/annual/2023/Loblaw%20Annual%20Information%20form%202023_EN.pdf; Statistics Canada. (n.d.). Consumer price indexes (Table 33-10-0225-01). Retrieved from https://www.statcan.gc.ca/en/subjects-start/prices_and_price_indexes/consumer_price_indexes
