# Project Description Reading the Cards, Reading the Platform Kehan Xie Summary Final work I'm Erin, a Graphic Media Design postgraduate at LCC with a strong interest in digital culture and visual systems. I'm Erin, a Graphic Media Design postgraduate at LCC with a strong interest in digital culture an... College London College of Communication Course MA Graphic Media Design Graduation year 2025 This project explores how general tarot reading videos on Bilibili, aimed at young women, become part of the wider commercialisation of spirituality through the platform’s monetisation system. These videos seem comforting and reassuring, but they operate within algorithms, interaction features and paid content that quietly shape emotional habits and encourage spending. Through a tarot deck, a guidebook and a video, the project uses design to make these hidden mechanisms visible. The deck and guidebook turn the familiar tone and interactive experience of online tarot readings into a physical format, helping audiences notice how emotional comfort is influenced by platform logic. The video builds on this by mirroring the visual style of Bilibili’s tarot content, showing how familiar formats hold attention and support consumption. The aim of the project is to encourage reflection on how digital platforms commercialise spirituality and shape emotional experience. By turning these systems into tangible and participatory design, the work highlights the economic and psychological structures behind the commercialisation of spirituality. Final work Tarot Guidebook Cover The image shows two copies of the Guide to Answers booklet, both spiral-bound and measuring 15 × 7.5 cm. The covers are printed on 250gsm silver card using a pink UV layer, with parts of the white ink layer deliberately left unprinted so the pink graphic overlaps with the shiny silver base, creating a reflective metallic effect. Tarot Cards This image shows a set of twenty-two tarot-style cards, each measuring 12 × 7 cm and corresponding to the Major Arcana. The cards reinterpret the traditional structure using iconography inspired by Bilibili’s interface language, combined with black-and-white hand photography. They are produced using duplex mounting on 250gsm silver card with a pink UV layer, following the same printing method as the guidebook cover. Interacting with the Tarot Guidebook and Cards This image shows the tarot guidebook being used alongside the cards. The open page presents the explanation for a specific card, demonstrating how users can look up the corresponding interpretation in the guidebook to read and understand each tarot-style card. Demonstration Video This video presents how the tarot cards and guidebook are used in practice. It shows the full set of cards, close-up views of the printed details, and demonstrations of how each card can be interpreted by referring to the corresponding page in the guidebook. The video mimics the visual and pacing style of general tarot reading videos on Bilibili, highlighting how familiar platform aesthetics shape user engagement while showcasing the material qualities of the deck and guidebook. Research and process Literature Review This page summarises key theoretical frameworks that inform the project, including neoliberalism, consumerism, the commercialisation of spirituality, and the cultural context of Chinese social media and Bilibili’s young audience. These references provide the foundation for understanding how online tarot content is shaped by platform logic and contemporary spiritual practices. Developments Two rounds of Riso tests explored colour and texture, but the ink stayed smudgeable, making it unsuitable for interactive tarot cards. Different bindings were also tested: the accordion fold was hard to flip through, and the ring binding was fragile with frequent use. The project therefore adopted spiral binding for durability and ease of reading. Share this project This project explores how general tarot reading videos on Bilibili, aimed at young women, become part of the wider commercialisation of spirituality through the platform’s monetisation system. These videos seem comforting and reassuring, but they operate within algorithms, int... A link to this page has been added to your clipboard Browse related work Data Digital Experiences