Built to Break:
The intersection between technological design and capitalism
Harm by Design, The University of Texas at Austin, Spring 2025
In this project I was asked to contextualize a chosen intersection of harm and design. I shared my personal point of view through written and visual components. The requirements were a comprehensive visual representation of my research, including thoughtful and critical examination. My chosen visual component to communicate harm was a zine.
The Process:
Research:
My research began with understanding how Apple’s labor practices and material usage interact with corporate greed, user experience, and environmental harm, but I did not only think about how this plays out in the present day, I also dove into the past and enevitable future of this intersection.
All works cited and resources used are located on the back page of the zine.
Design Choices:
The striking contrast in the design of the zine was integrated to keep focus on the information being provided, which could be said the same for the simplicity displayed. The red/pinkish color in use was decided on by association with the color red being the color most commonly associated with badness or in this case harm.
The editing of the photos was done to show this same contrast idea and give the zine a less modern touch.