How to be Human
A book about design, technology, and how we can retain our humanity in a world of machines.
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The Front Cover
I wanted to incorporate some of the structure of the computers we use so I decided to use binary code (1's and 0's) in the book's design in a way that wasn't too cliché. I did a black background in order to mimic the dark theme that computers have, especially in programing applications, also referred to as an IDE (integrated development environment). I also included error 404 (page not found) at the bottom left of the front cover. A 1 1/4 inch margin to the left side of the book to ensure that the text and most of the designs (excluding the ones that can extend into the margin) are not lost due to the binding. I titled my book How to be Human based on the texts included in the book and how they fit together to create a narrative about staying human in a world that is now so dependent on technology and machinery.
Some Virtues of Design by Gui Bonsiepe
For this project, my first part of the book's text was directly taken from Some Virtues of Design by Gui Bonsiepe. I used the text from Bonsiepe's work and highlighted the words that were emphasized in his work.
How to make yourself more human in an automated world (with Kevin Roose)
The second part of the book's text was directly taken from a Ted Talk with Kevin Roose. The Ted Talk discussed AI and other technology and how it has changed our world. The talk also discusses the difference between us and our machines. I thought this would be interesting to pair with Bonsiepe's work considering how Bonsiepe talked about "otherness" and our originality and unique identity as humans.
