Week 8 // What is Post Digital

In week 8 we discussed the post-digital world and the importance it has had on us as designers today and also the influences in which it had on the development of the design world. The reading we many focused on was the peer reviewed journal, ‘What is post digital?’ By Florian Cramer. 

In my words, I believe that ‘post-digital’ is an era in which society is building upon the basics of digital processes which have already been established. After the introduction of early digital processes, we are now able to progress further with our knowledge of technology, this in turn affects how we as designers create our works, opening a vast range of opportunities for new designs to be established. 

I believe we are living in a ‘post-digital’ environment as todays society relies on the use of technology. We are always progressing with our usage and knowledge of technology, which as I explained before is one of the key aspects of the post-digital age. Evidence of this can be found within the text as Cramer states, “the term ‘post-digital’ can be used to describe either a contemporary disenchantment with digital information systems and media gadgets, or a period in which our fascination with these systems and gadgets has become historical” 

These artworks are titled , ‘Faceless Portraits Transcending Time’. They are old artworks in which have been manipulated through a computer program or better known as the artificial intelligence named AICAN. I believe this piece to be post digital because of its reliability of technology to produce its values and aesthetic. 

Although we rely on technology and modern processes in todays world, it is still important for designers to understand and learn old skills in which can still be used. Skills such as screen-printing are also important to understand as a designer as it teaches the basics of printing and is a good hands on skill to endure. There are many advantages to learning pre-digital design techniques, it allows the designer to gain a better understanding of the history of techniques but also grants them with skills which are still applicable today. Just because design has progressed into the digital sector , doesn't mean that designs cant still be created using hands on physical techniques. 

Looking back over the course and everything we have learnt, Eskilson’s reading from week 2 still sparks the most interest out of them all. I enjoyed learning about all of the different sections of the nineteenth century and how it set us up to transform and develop the design world to what it is today. Although the other readings were interesting, I enjoyed how Eskilsons focused on not just one aspect , I found it more enjoyable to read as I was gathering information about a vast variety of things underneath the one sector.