As new generations emerge and we see social, cultural, and technology shifts, it is inevitable that our perception of materials will evolve in parallel.
Materials are everywhere, transformed into the products and spaces that surround us, and enabling the experiences of modern life. A material’s purpose is often two-fold; the first is the functionality, performance and capabilities of the composition and form. The second is the aesthetic and sensorial aspects, which convey the subjective by engaging our senses (sight, smell, sound, touch and taste.)
The material codes that exist in our past, present and future are a combination of technology advancements and cultural shifts. Let’s take plastic for example. What an amazing invention it was, providing new capabilities, characteristics and methods for manufacturing, changing the face of many industries, and enabling many more. Plastic has molded our expectations of the modern world including speed of production, over-engineering, durability and aesthetic uniformity. It is now cripplingly clear that the convenience that plastic has afforded us, have also cost us a great deal. From inappropriate single-use applications, to leakage into natural ecosystems due to a lack of resource recycling, the reputation of plastic is far from positive and sadly, will be the fossils of the anthropocene (the current geological age when human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment).
As society grapples with the consequences of the material codes of the past, there is a shift in culture toward authenticity, individuality, and sustainability. We can speculate that the material codes of the future will evolve into celebrating raw resources, ethical production and unique aesthetics.
The current aesthetic codes, driven by material choices, will no longer hold in the face of sustainable requirements. They may even become politically incorrect, to the point of being bashed. Beware, brands, you may jeopardize your existence if you do not anticipate the image changes at play.
In this sense material codes are more closely aligned to macro trends, providing long-term perspective, rather than micro trends which capture short-term fads. When product companies are operating on increasingly faster production and consumption cycles, they often harness micro trends to inform CMF (color, material, finish) which is superficial compared to harnessing social values for widespread attitude changes.
As culture shifts, we see the definition of value shift. Just as a material’s purpose is two-fold, so is a material’s value. Commodity value is the monetary worth of the resource, this can be impacted by factors such as supply and demand, or country of origin. Perceived value is the worth placed on a product or material, through our unconscious bias, life experience or because of sentimental value.
Our culture’s shift into digitalization, has created incredible value in dematerialization. Eliminating the physically unnecessary is a way to Exercise Radical Resourcefulness — converting individual ownership into access, use or experience, for example, buying a ride rather than a car, renting clothes rather than owning a wardrobe, and streaming a movie rather than shopping for a DVD.
In places where we can’t exercise dematerialization, we shift toward total utilization. Using the whole plant to maximise the outputs of natural resources and using offcuts or waste products, is redefining waste as a valuable resource. Accelerating toward a circular economy, and building impactful solutions is a shift in culture that will be expressed through new material codes — celebrating imperfections and enhancing the speckled recycled content aesthetic.
Material science evolves so rapidly that we can expect new functionality, performance, aesthetics, impact, and inventions. But are we willing to compromise a certain image for a better impact? Will we choose ethical resources over economics? Do we have to let go of performance to gain circularity? Aside from individual choices and preferences, the shift of culture will redefine the characteristics we place most value on. Brands cannot only function in the name of capitalism, they must act as beacons of culture, enabling social agendas such as inclusivity, diversity, equality and sustainability. Culture Shifts Create New Material Codes.
