Preserving Cultural Legacy in a Digital World
Danika Perez
Earlier this month, AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts) held DC Design Week 2026 under the theme Research & Development. I attended several events, including the talk Designing in Context: Preservation in Practice, which explored the archives of the Johnson Publishing Company. Through its publications, the company has documented and shaped representations of Black American life over generations. Preserving this archive protects not only historical documents, but also the stories and perspectives they carry.
The talk raised an important question: How do we preserve media, creativity, and culture in our modern digital world?
The Problem with Modern Day Documentation
Modern technology allows us to create, share, and access more content than ever before. Yet, with so much information available, it can be difficult to distinguish authentic work from marketing agendas or “AI slop.” At the same time, our photos, videos, and documents are stored on ever-changing social media platforms and "the cloud.” In research, production, and communications, how do we identify credible sources and continue to prioritize human narratives?
I recently came across some old clothes from my grandmother in my closet. I was told they came from a brand she supported in the 1990s. Using the clothing tags, I identified the brand's original name and, through online research, learned more about the designer and discovered that she is still creating garments today.
The experience reminded me that the things we own have real histories. Every garment, photograph, or artwork has a creator, and physical objects can offer valuable connections to the past. Digital research helps us uncover those histories and make information about the origins and ownership of creative work more accessible. Together, physical objects and digital records can preserve stories that might otherwise be lost.
How to Practice Conscious Preservation
Preserving cultural legacy doesn't begin only in archives or institutions. We can also contribute by being more intentional about how we document our own lives, creative work, and histories. Here are a few ways to keep the memories, context, and creative work we value accessible for years to come.
Keep physical records. Photo albums, printed photographs, books, handwritten notes, and personal journals provide tangible ways to revisit memories and pass them down to future generations.
Back up and recover digital media. Keep copies of important files on external hard drives to maintain access as online platforms change. For older formats like CDs, film, and audio recordings check if your local library has a Memory Lab that offers equipment and guidance for personal archiving. For live online content, websites like the Wayback Machine and Archive.today can help you access your sites in the future.
Add context to your media. Label photographs, organize files with descriptive names, and use metadata or tags to record important dates, locations, people, and other details that might otherwise be forgotten.
Document personal histories and stories. Keep records of the history of meaningful belongings, do research or have conversations to learn about their origins, and capture personal experiences or cultural traditions through writing, spoken-word recordings, songs, and storytelling.
Be intentional about digital ownership and access. Understand where your media is stored, who controls access to it, and how to retrieve or transfer it so you can make informed decisions about what you share and preserve.
Ultimately, preservation is an ongoing act of care. The archives of the Johnson Publishing Company demonstrate how protecting historical materials can keep cultural histories alive and ensure that their stories remain accessible to future generations. DC Design Week highlighted the importance of ongoing conversations among communications and design professionals about how we interact with media as technology evolves. By combining physical records with digital tools and documenting our work intentionally, we can help preserve the context, ownership, and human stories behind the media we create and share.
