How making a podcast about WWII Pacific Cults made me a more Eco focused designer

Contemporary Design Culture: Week 12

The podcast was arguably the most interesting assignments from the Contemporary Design Culture module. I learned about not only podcast formats and recording software but about the full depth of the topic as well. I had never heard about Cargo Cults until Leah mentioned it in a podcast meeting. We knew from the start that when we got the 1940s - 1950s, we didn’t want to do the obvious thing and talk about WW2. We decided to look at some of the effects of a world war instead, both positive and negative, before deciding to focus on Cargo Cults.

It was such an interesting experience to work in such a highly functioning group. Everything was clear and organised, unfortunately Covid-19 did throw a spanner in the works. Nevertheless we persisted and adapted. Working with such enthusiastic and interested people is always a dream and it just made the whole experience very gratifying. I really value their opinion and critique so I let them decide which of my two cover images they preferred. It’s easy to get caught up in your own work that’s why I value constructive critique so much it provides new perspectives and ideas that can only make your work better. Similarly, when I was typing up the final podcast script I sent it to the group in case they wanted me to modify anything or make content changes. Critique is what design is all about, it’s a team effort and this podcast has really helped me realise the full extent of design reviews and productive communication.

Podcast research turned out to be one of the most enjoyable facets of the assignment, as the topic was so new and interesting to me. I researched a several articles and papers on it but it has to be said that Gráinne really knocked it out of the park with regards to research. We had so much research gathered all that was left to do was narrow it down to fit within our ten minute window. We had to make sure it was design focused, so we decided to talk about the design of common “throw-away” products like the Coke can. I thought it was so fascinating to think about how such a simple product, that we take for granted here, is a religious icon on these islands. It really got me thinking more about our throw-away culture and that if we held these products to even a fraction of the degree that these islanders do then maybe we wouldn’t have the environmental problems we do. I would definitely say I’ve become more environmentally focused in my designs as a result of this podcast. For example in a recent studio assignment I designed a biodegradable alternative for a common single-use product. Designing green by making use of the renewable resources we already have is such a great feeling and something I will definitely be bringing with me into the future.

At the end of the day, when all is said and done, we were left with a very informative podcast with sufficient research and editing that was scripted and delivered extremely well. We are all proud of the final output and I feel we were all left with a well deserved sense of achievement and pride in our work. I hope the final podcast inspires others as much as it has inspired me.