In this reading, Hellen argues the importance of knowing how relevant and irrelevant can underground design culture be in dependence on the mainstream. Corporates often use visionaries’ ideas and reshape them for their own benefit without crediting or recognizing such underground sources. Through the reading, we learn that in different stages of history. First through the Psycodellic culture that had as a purpose to incentivize sexual practices and drug usage. This indeed would be offensive as mass media production, but mainstream makes it look acceptable creating a whole new trend from the underground. These served as album covers that represented the Youth in general and had great success. These are called “alternative cultures” as they serve as a second option for their design purposes when they lack original ideas. Another example was pornography, which later began to be used in advertising in different and subliminally manners. The underground struggle for the fact that they either keep themself unrecognized or join the mainstream with original ideas that depend on the judgment of the mainstream and the impact that they can produce.

This is relevant for contemporary design as many talented and skillful designers are more often seen due to social media and communication mediums, but hardly reach the mainstream as it has stayed as it states from the reading. The designer that I’m going to use for the project was once from this underground concept. Although he has worked for recognized mainstream companies such as Apple and Google, it doesn’t mean that he’s completely part of the mainstream since he still lacks proper social recognition and his work depends on the perception of the mainstream. His imperative graffiti design has shaped mainstream into a broader view along with a different culture.