Understanding
Media:
The extensions
of Man
Work
Discover / Define
In Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, Marshall McLuhan explores how media and technology act as extensions of human senses and abilities, shaping how people think, communicate, and experience the world. He argues that “the medium is the message,” meaning the form of a medium influences society more than its content. Each invention—from the wheel to television—changes the scale and pattern of human life. McLuhan also predicts the rise of a “global village,” where electronic media connect people across distances instantly. Overall, he shows that as we create new tools, those tools in turn reshape who we are and how we see the world.
Typeface Choice
Black Pack VF:
Black Pack VF works well for the street style book because it is bold, heavy, and visually impactful, matching the energy of urban culture. Its variable font flexibility allows dynamic layouts, and its strong forms balance well with dense Chinese characters. Overall, it creates a modern, edgy street aesthetic while staying readable.
Neue Haas Grotesk:
QingHuaXingKai(青花行楷):
Neue Haas Grotesk paired with QingHuaXingKai creates a strong contrast between modern clarity and expressive tradition. Neue Haas Grotesk is clean, neutral, and highly readable, making it ideal for structure and body text.
QingHuaXingKai, with its calligraphic and fluid strokes, adds cultural depth and personality. It combines the structure of regular script with the fluidity of brush writing, giving it an elegant, handwritten feel. The strokes are expressive but still readable, which makes it suitable for titles, cultural themes, and decorative text.
Together, they balance precision and emotion, one providing order, the other expression making the design feel both contemporary and rooted in Chinese visual culture.
Identity / Deliver
The book explores how media and technology act as extensions of human senses and abilities, shaping how people think, communicate, and experience the world. The quote “the medium is the message,” means the form of a medium influences society more than its content. Inspired by this concept, I explored how different mediums convey language and communication. By incorporating street signs and languages other than English, I designed a street art inspired book that visually shouts at the reader. The use of red emphasizes power and importance compared just as a stop sign or traffic light silently commands attention, these visual cues convey messages that are quiet yet impossible to ignore.
