#technological realities

This week, we explored the concept of Cultural Materialism. Cultural materialism is an anthropological framework—often associated with Marvin Harris—that focuses on how material and economic factors shape culture. In essence, it emphasises that tangible aspects of society, such as environment, technology, and economic structures, are the primary drivers behind social organisation, beliefs, and values. I learned that Cultural Materialism isn’t just about how culture reflects economic conditions — it also examines how cultural texts actively participate in maintaining or resisting dominant ideologies.

Today's activity was create an ads for fictional goods and services that might exist in a fictional world. We choose The World of Hunger Games with medication service. The reason why we choose medication service in a world of hunger games is because medication is important in survival games and war and only experts can make medicine. But the Hunger game is a dictatorship in a state of war, it is hard to become a pharmacist, they should be rich. Soonly few rich professionals will be able to make medicine. In the Hunger Games, medicine distribution reflects inequality and control, where the wealthy Capitol has advanced healthcare while the districts struggle. This highlights themes of power imbalance, survival, and societal neglect.

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From the perspective of cultural materialism, design is shaped by environmental, technological, and economic factors. This means designers must consider the medium and customers when creating work. I focused on how a time period’s technology and resources determine design. For example, before digital tools, posters were hand-drawn or printed using letterpress, while modern designs rely on digital software.

In the activity, we designed a poster for a zombie apocalypse world. Since it would be hard to use the internet in that world we drew it by hand using pencil and incorporated radio frequencies, as radios would be more common than phones or TVs. Interestingly, these technological limitations completely changed our design. We couldn’t use photos or detailed information, and the restricted color palette gave the poster an entirely different feel than our initial concept. However, this limitation also resulted in a unique and characteristic aesthetic.

"If it would have been handmade at the time, then we make it by hand now."(Atkins) In the studio, I studied Annie Atkins, a designer making props for historical films. She uses authentic materials like ink and paper and even draws by hand instead of using digital programs. By designing with period-accurate materials, she enhances realism, allowing audiences to fully immerse themselves in the film. This attention to historical accuracy also defines her distinct style.

Through this class, I learned that analyzing social contexts is not only crucial for effective communication but also plays a role in shaping unique styles and atmospheres depending on time and place. Understanding what I am designing, who it is for, and how to reach the audience through the right media and market research is a crucial step in becoming a good designer.

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References

Das, Rangan. "Graphic Design Technology." Art Workflow, 8 Feb. 2023, updated 23 Sept. 2024, https://www.artworkflowhq.com/resources/graphic-design-technology. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.