LEARNED OBSOLESCENCE
Spring 2026
My research started with building an understanding of who my audience was and what it meant to connect with them. I wanted to reach people who were excited to learn about making a difference and wanted to have all the answers in one place. The anthology structure comes from this idea, making it so the viewer can enter from anywhere to answer whatever questions they have. The image sections especially allow people to glean understanding without reading a single word.
After months of trial and error, I finally landed on a design system that spoke to my audience’s need to connect with the information, and my own need to craft experimental design systems.
The result is a computational process that allows me to translate elements of the text into symbolic representations of nature, mirroring the sentiment in the introduction by Sophia Al-Maria that “All nature has been reduced to symbols.” The recursive translation process created depth of meaning and depth of field on the page.
I additionally communicated with my audience through short-sheet section openers. These gave readers a simple, accessible, entry point into each section that was always easy to refer back to. The section openers also supported my overall design goal of transporting the readers from the digital space into the physical. Each section opener relates to a different media experience, with interactivity that mirrors swiping through a carousel, scrolling through an article, opening a brochure, and reading a book.
The final book is imbued equally with the materiality of the natural world and symbols of the digital world. Each detail, from the specialty all natural biodegradable paper, to the marginalia reference tab groups and pdf page numbers, to the use of variable typography, to the highlighted text, to the bitmapped images, speaks to the discreet relationship that internet technologies have always had with the environment. The title, Learned Obsolescence, references the ideas of learned helplessness and planned obsolescence but hopes to reframe that sense of doom with hope through its contents.
See the full project here!
This book was curated, designed, and produced by ElenaCaballero at the Sam Fox School of Art & Design at WashUin the Spring of 2026. Additional research for the book was conducted at Montgomery County Public Libraries.
This project would not have been possible without the long lineage of professors, teachers, and mentors who have inspired my passion for the environment & design. The advice of Amy Auman, Megan Irwin, and Becca Leffel-Koren was instrumental in the design of this project. Special thanks to my family, friends, and cohort for your continual support and inspiration.
Variable typefaces were chosen for this project for their lighter file size to minimize environmental impact.
CoFo Sans VF designed by Maria Doreuli, Egor Golovyrin, Liza Rasskazova, Irina Smirnova, and Oleksandr Parkhomovskyy in 2018.
CoFo Sans Mono VF Designed by Maria Doreuli and KristaRadoeva in 2021.
Papers
Favini Crush in White Corn (81lb) and Cocoa (130lb) supplied through PaperPapers.
A note on sustainability from Favini:
“CRUSH is the ecological range of papers made using process residues from organic products (coconut, cocoa, citrus fruits,corn, olives, coffee, kiwi fruits, cherries, lavender, grapes, hazelnuts and almonds) to replace up to 15% of virgin treepulp. Crush is FSCM certified, produced with renewable energy, GMO free, contains 40% post-consumer recycled waste. The carbon footprint is reduced by 20% compared to standard paper production by using by-products and 100% renewable energy. Any unavoidable emissions generated during production of this eco-friendly paper are fully offset through Carbon Credits used to fiance activities that can absorb CO2 in the atmosphere.”