Contemporary design is now often associated with digital practices. As designers stray further from analog-making
processes, we must interrogate our sensitivity to the kinds of interactions we have with information as it is being
presented. Digital, or digitally produced, objects — the outcomes of the design process — take on a different meaning,
often obscuring the presence of the designer and the craftsmanship behind it. As communication processes get translated
onto virtual mediums, the outcome ultimately loses some of the visceral and sincere qualities of physical making that
speak to us on a deeper level.
Textile and fiber arts are just one example of a physical medium that carries meaning in nuanced and complex ways. By
examining the physicality and embedded qualities of these practices, designers can use them as a tool to better
understand and potentially codify some of the qualities of analog-making that appeal to our senses. To imbue
design-making with a presence and authenticity that speaks to our emotional and corporal sensitivities, designers must
understand traditional practices and reimagine their place in contemporary communication design.






