Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man
Book Design
*/About/*
Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man (1964) by Marshall McLuhan argues that the form of a medium (its structure and characteristics) has a greater impact on society and human perception than the content it carries, famously coining the phrase "the medium is the message". McLuhan explored how different media, from print to television, act as extensions of human senses, reshaping our world and creating a "global village".
*/Creative Direction/*
Moving beyond a narrow definition of technology, the visual narrative blends literary references, classical motifs, and reimagined natural imagery. This juxtaposition illustrates a core thesis: media’s influence is not a modern phenomenon, but a historical constant that evolves alongside us. The design functions as a temporal bridge, showing how the "extensions of man" have shifted form over centuries while remaining rooted in the same fundamental human experience.
Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man (1964) by Marshall McLuhan argues that the form of a medium (its structure and characteristics) has a greater impact on society and human perception than the content it carries, famously coining the phrase "the medium is the message". McLuhan explored how different media, from print to television, act as extensions of human senses, reshaping our world and creating a "global village".
*/Creative Direction/*
Moving beyond a narrow definition of technology, the visual narrative blends literary references, classical motifs, and reimagined natural imagery. This juxtaposition illustrates a core thesis: media’s influence is not a modern phenomenon, but a historical constant that evolves alongside us. The design functions as a temporal bridge, showing how the "extensions of man" have shifted form over centuries while remaining rooted in the same fundamental human experience.
INSPO + EXPLORATION
Given the book's wide-ranging content on how media shapes our lives, I explored the theme by focusing on both its digital and physical sides.
Digital Side: To represent how Internet algorithms determine perception, I read the content, highlighted key words and themes, Googled them, and randomly remixed the resulting images, regardless of relevance to the book, to create new image compositions.
Physical Side: I also explored the tangible nature of media by cutting a rectangle hole through an old magazine and rearranging the pieces to create random layouts, which served as references for the design phase.
Given the book's wide-ranging content on how media shapes our lives, I explored the theme by focusing on both its digital and physical sides.
Digital Side: To represent how Internet algorithms determine perception, I read the content, highlighted key words and themes, Googled them, and randomly remixed the resulting images, regardless of relevance to the book, to create new image compositions.
Physical Side: I also explored the tangible nature of media by cutting a rectangle hole through an old magazine and rearranging the pieces to create random layouts, which served as references for the design phase.
SELECTED WORK