graph LR
  A["Digital<br/><br/>"] -->|translate| B["Remix<br/>Publishing<br/>"]
  C["Print<br/><br/>"] -->|translate| B
  B -->|resonance| D["Knowledge<br/>Circulation<br/>"]

At the core of this project lies a fundamental inquiry: what does it mean to publish and design in an era where digital and physical media are deeply intertwined?

Rather than viewing print and digital as opposing forms, we examine how they overlap, coexist, and mutually inform each other. Specifically, we ask:

On publishing and translation: How are works conceived in one medium translated to another? What is lost or gained in that translation? Can the same content exist in radically different forms? Why does content need to be translated, and how does that translation shape meaning?

On materiality and form: What does it mean to give digital ideas a tangible, material form? How does the material of a work shape its meaning and interaction? Can the same information be published in multiple materials, each revealing different aspects?

On access and ownership: In an era of subscriptions and platforms, what does it mean to truly own a work? How can we create publishing practices that prioritize reader ownership over commercial intermediaries? What are the differences between access and ownership?

On indexing and architecture: The early internet was envisioned as an index rather than a container. How have our relationships to indexing, searching, and cataloging changed? Can the structural logic of the web be translated into print? What new forms emerge when we prioritize connection over sequence?

On impermanence and change: How do we publish work that acknowledges its own mutability? What frameworks allow content to be updated, adapted, or reinterpreted while still maintaining integrity? How can we document the traces of change itself?

graph TB
  A["Affordances"]
  M["Materiality"]
  O["Ownability"]
  U["Updatability"]
  R["Reactivity"]
  P["Portability"]
  T["Traceability"]

  A --> M
  A --> O
  A --> U
  A --> R
  A --> P
  A --> T

We identify and document affordances: the possibilities for action offered by different media. We study how hybrid publishing practices translate these across formats.

The key affordances we explore are:

Materiality: The ability to derive meaning from what can be observed or touched. What materials can host this work, and how does each material shape the experience?

Ownability: The ability for work to be permanently owned by readers and accessed without interruption, regardless of future changes by publishers or platforms.

Updatability: The capacity to keep changing and adapting work even after it has been published, moving beyond static, immutable forms.

Reactivity: The ability for viewers to give feedback and for the medium to adopt that feedback in real time, creating feedback loops between creator and reader.

(Tele)Portability: The ability to navigate within a work by pinpointing areas of interest and jumping directly to them, translating hyperlinks and indexes across media.

Traceability: The ability to record paths, versions, and interactions, documenting how work evolves and how readers engage with it.

Rather than choosing between print and digital, we explore how these affordances reveal new possibilities when translated across media, enabling hybrid practices that leverage the strengths of each form.

For detailed explorations of each affordance, visit the Affordances page.

graph LR
  subgraph Sources
    A["Tools"]
    B["Precedents"]
    C["Research"]
  end

  subgraph Resources
    D["Index"]
    E["Framework"]
    F["Teaching<br/>Materials"]
  end

  A --> D
  B --> E
  C --> F

  D --> G["Resonance"]
  E --> G
  F --> G

This project unfolds across two phases, each exploring how affordances manifest in hybrid publishing practices:

Phase 1: Fall 2025

• Materials: Workshop-facing comD students, introducing affordances and hybrid practices through direct engagement.

• Index: Build a glossary and website archiving research, establishing the language and framework for discussing hybrid publishing practices.

• Prototypes: Foundation of p5.zine and p5.book frameworks, establishing core interactive and networked document capabilities.

Phase 2: Spring 2026

• Materials: Develop comprehensive lecture, writing, and workshop series around each affordance, expanding teaching opportunities across the curriculum.

• Index: Write and research critical histories around each affordance, including diagrams and expanded visual documentation of publishing practices.

• Prototypes: Polish and document existing frameworks; expand design examples and visual communication; create improved assets and animations for publication.

Together, these initiatives create a framework for understanding and identifying affordances across media, providing language and tools for designers and creators exploring expanded approaches to publishing. The project acknowledges that publishing is no longer a question of readership alone, but of resonance: how ideas ripple through different forms and communities.

graph TB
  subgraph "Digital & Code"
    MS["Munus Shih<br/>Tools &<br/>Generative Systems"]
  end

  subgraph "Materiality & Print"
    AP["Asad Pervaiz<br/>Form &<br/>Constraints"]
  end

  subgraph "Research & Practice"
    CS["Carolina Stierli<br/>de Abreu<br/>Affordances &<br/>Experiments"]
  end

  MS -.->|bridge| Bridge["Hybrid Publishing<br/>Practice"]
  AP -.->|bridge| Bridge
  CS -.->|bridge| Bridge

Munus Shih brings a digital and code perspective, exploring how technology and creative coding enable new publishing possibilities through tools like p5.js and generative design systems.

Asad Pervaiz approaches from the materiality of print, examining how form, material, constraints, and production methods shape what can be published and how it is experienced.

Carolina Stierli de Abreu engages as a researcher and maker, exploring affordances and tools from a student’s perspective, bridging theory and practice.

Together, we believe that the future of publishing isn’t choosing between print and digital, but understanding what each offers and building bridges between them.