Smart, Modern And Alternative Materials (Graphic products option)

Smart and modern materials are the most exciting frontier of graphic design. A smart material changes one of its properties in response to something in its surroundings, heat, light, stress, and changes back when the trigger is removed. A mug that reveals a hidden picture when hot coffee is poured in, sunglasses that darken in bright sun, a battery-tester strip that warms to show charge, and a security mark that only appears under UV are all graphic products built on materials that respond to their environment rather than sitting still.

This note builds an awareness of the smart, modern and alternative materials in the syllabus: thermochromic materials that respond to heat, photochromic materials that respond to light, the mouldable polymorph, biopolymers as a renewable alternative, and shape memory polymers that remember and return to a set shape. For each you will learn the trigger it responds to, how a designer can use it in a graphic or interactive product, and the practical limits to keep in mind.