COMMON MODULE - AY23.24 CTS B

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Week 12: Artistic Vision Statement

compulsory question two

Upon revisiting my artistic vision statement, I have identified additional strengths beyond illustration. I recently rediscovered my passion for Illustrator, finding that I can still produce high-quality work. Additionally, I enjoy photography as a creative outlet during my free time. While I believe my illustration skills could benefit from further exploration of diverse mediums.

(01) "Effective time management is crucial for graphic designers. It is necessary to track time to meet deadlines and produce quality work. Additionally, understanding time helps maintain a healthy work-life balance."

While dedicating time to schoolwork is crucial, I have come to realise, through the feedback I have received, that prioritising personal time is equally important. Balancing the demands of school and work has been a source of significant stress and fatigue.

Among the design companies that have captured my attention, Practice Theory stands out. Their work exemplifies the creativity and innovation that I aspire to emulate in my own design endeavours.

reference (02)

While scrolling through their Instagram page, I came across something that captured my attention. I feel that the exploration of various mediums and experimentation has been broadened through my engagement with Studio and Image Materiality. Lately, I have discovered a newfound interest in delving into the extensive realm of branding; there's something about it that intrigues me.

Positioning the tagline 'Singapore’s Premier Visual Arts Precinct' at the forefront of all communications allowed them to underscore Gillman Barracks as the leading destination for contemporary visual arts in Singapore, contributing to the enhancement of its cultural position.

I loved the seamless integration of the image within the grid lends an air of effortless flow to the design, ensuring cross-platform adaptability and consistency in visual identity. The ingenious 'GB frame' grid system effectively anchors and highlights the list of standalone events, creating a clear and concise design system for the audience. The rebranding introduces a refreshing typographic approach and a new typeface while also retaining the existing brand colours for effective recollection.

reference (03)

Tradition / Lineage

Another piece from Practice Theory that piqued my interest. I have developed a recent interest in experimenting with typography and abstraction. It marks a departure from my usual comfort zone, as I explore ways to add intrigue to my designs and push the boundaries of my creativity.

A book that documents both the conservation process and the craftsmanship involved in The Yueh Hai Ching Temple.

The book's layouts were crafted to merge architecture and history in a contemporary yet traditional fashion, incorporating traditional Chinese characters and imagery.

(05) "Using 3 colours that are closely tied to Teochew architecture (green, ‘Pig’s Blood’ red, and gold), the cover design references lanterns hung above the doors of the Yueh Hai Ching Temple. These lanterns represent the identity of ‘the house’ in Chinese culture. Inspired by their bold and dynamic calligraphy, we designed the name ‘粵海清廟’ (Yueh Hai Ching Temple) in a similar manner, representing ‘the temple’ through strong and graphic type instead of imagery."

(485 words)

(01) Time Analytics "Effective Time Management Tips and Strategies for Graphic Designers" 12 May. 2023, https://timeanalyticssoftware.com/time-management-tips-and-strategies-for-graphic-designers/ accessed 15 Nov. 2023.

(02) Practice Theory. Login • instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/practice.theory/ Accessed 10 Nov. 2023.

(03+04+05) Practice Theory. Login • instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/practice.theory/ Accessed 15 Nov. 2023.

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Week 11: Manifesto

Compulsory Question One

In the 11th-week session, we focused on crafting a design manifesto. We began the process by identifying key design principles that held significance to each of us. Subsequently, we merged those principles that shared similarities.

From my personal interpretation, the diverse array of animals depicted below symbolises the multifaceted nature of each of our individual identities. Just as these creatures possess distinct traits that set them apart, so too do we each embody a unique blend of characteristics that define us as individuals. This manifesto serves to remind us that despite our differences, we can all unite around shared principles that serve as a guide in our creative endeavours.

"By incorporating critical thinking within the design thinking framework, designers can enhance their ability to identify user needs, frame problems effectively, and develop innovative solutions."(01)

As designers, critical thinking is an essential tool that empowers us to craft user-centric experiences. By placing the user's needs at the forefront of our design process, we can ensure that our creations are both functional and meaningful.

Personally, should I have the chance to modify the group outcome, I would retain all of its existing principles. Given additional time, I would further elaborate on these design principles to enhance their clarity and convey their significance more effectively.

01 Trust the process

Idea generation

I found that brainstorming ideas is part of the process, to embrace the power of creativity. Exploring a wide range of ideas, even those that appear unconventional or irrelevant at first glance. Sometimes, the most innovative solutions arise from unexpected places.

Experimentation and exploration became increasingly difficult, as the Food Festival was a popular choice among my peers. Our lecturers encouraged us to move beyond conventional approaches and imbue our festival with a distinctive and deeper meaning.

producing better outcomes

Following a series of relentless attempts and setbacks, I went home, revisiting the references we had gathered earlier and reigniting my brainstorming process.

07 Experimentation

02 Embrace the infinite possibilities

look at different options

"you are what you eat"

04 little details 

focus on small details 

personalised characteristics

Week 6's emphasis on critical self-reflectivity resonated deeply with me. I found immense value in the practice of pausing to thoughtfully consider my words and thoughts before translating them into actions. This awareness has instilled in me a strong commitment to mindful communication, ensuring that my interactions with others are always conducted with respect and consideration.

I have experienced firsthand the hurtful impact of inconsiderate behaviour, where individuals disregard and invalidate the feelings of others, often leading to insensitivity and emotional distress. I hope that others will be spared from such experiences and that we can all strive to cultivate a world where empathy, understanding, and respect prevail.

Self-reflection is an essential tool for designers as it facilitates the identification of areas for improvement. This encompasses aspects such as communication clarity, design solution efficacy, and overall design usability. Moreover, it fosters the development of my own personal design style by enabling me to delve into my thoughts and ideas, leading to a heightened awareness of personal preferences and values.

(490 words)

(01) Abang Edwin SA, Medium. "The Power of Critical Thinking Design: Unleashing the Designer's Mindset." 1 June 2023, https://bootcamp.uxdesign.cc/the-power-of-critical-thinking-in-design-unleashing-the-designers-mindset-233b1bbeaa74 Accessed 14 Nov. 2023

(02) behance "Festibiere d'ete 2022 - Branding & Experience" 21 Jan. 2023, https://www.behance.net/gallery/159298257/Festibiere-dt-2022-Branding-Experience Accessed 15 Oct. 2023

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Week 6: Critical Self-Reflectivity

What is critical self-reflectivity?

It refers to an individual's capacity to reflect on and critically examine their own ideas, beliefs, and behaviours. This process involves analysing the reasons for one's thoughts, feelings, and actions, and determining whether those reasons are valid or not.

How are you critically self-reflective? Are you?

Sometimes I envy those who are able to speak their mind freely with confidence. However, it is important to stop and think carefully about my words and thoughts before putting them into action as I would not wish to hurt others with intent. 

I personally believe that making good decisions involves taking multiple variables into consideration - for example, the potential benefits, the pros and cons of different possibilities, and the potential risks involved, and also considering how these decisions might impact my own feelings and those around me.

This week’s task: exploring Sim Lim Square as a group to observe, identify, and solve a design challenge.

Today’s lesson introduced us to a process to organise and think more deeply about problems and find solutions with 4 steps. Empathise, define, ideate and propose.

From my observation, I noticed from the past year of studying in Lasalle that Sim Lim Square is heavily populated by the older generation. This means taking signage visibility into consideration is important to provide visitors with the proper directions. For example, the signage above is unclear and difficult to read even for relatively young people with a normal eyesight range, this would mean it would be much harder for those who have 

poor eyesight eg. old people.

(02) "Reflection takes the central stage: it evaluates the outcomes of each concrete experience, informs future decisions, and leads to new discoveries. What’s more important, reflection takes every aspect of learning into consideration: from actions and feelings to thoughts and observations."

(289 words)

(01+02) Kristian Mikhel, Smashing Magezine "The Art Of Looking Back: A Critical Reflection For Individual Contributors" 21 Jul. 2023, https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2023/07/critical-reflection-individual-contributors/ Accessed 17 Nov. 2023

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Week 2: Connecting Theory and Practice

Today’s class helped me to get to know my classmates better and discover how they view me as an individual. It was quite fun to see what others liked and disliked. The most fun part I would say was creating collages for one another! My classmate, Fioren, gave me a really cute collage of all the things I liked. Honestly, I was quite surprised that she remembered so many things, I would not have thought people cared about what I had to say.

I am actually quite shy and introverted especially when it comes to making new friends. However, according to the things I had presented in my collage, I discovered that she had an entirely different opinion of me.

Words she used to describe me were energetic, extrovert and social butterfly. I was surprisingly shocked she viewed me entirely differently from how I thought of myself. 

It gave me a better insight into different perspectives and how it can be applied in my work. This made me realise how our own self-identity can be connected to creating designs, everyone has a uniquely different personality and that’s how our outcomes vary from each other. We often gather inspiration from our environment and ourselves. For example, my love of colours and different patterns would likely be prevalent in my designs.

There is always a splash of our own personality that accounts for our design practices. Bringing together our different perspectives, points of view, beliefs, and values in life plays an important part in our design and serves as a lens through which we perceive and interpret the world around us. It allows us to grow, enrich, and produce more relatable works.

(280 words)

(01+02) ADEMC Multimedia Institue "From Theory to Practice: Hands-on Projects in Graphic Design Courses" 8 Aug. 2023, https://www.admecindia.co.in/graphic-design/from-theory-to-practice-hands-on-projects-in-graphic-design-courses/ Accessed 17 Nov. 2023

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Week 1: creative practice and critical thinking

In the first week, we wrote a narrative on any social issue that we found interesting. I chose to write about Hong Kong’s affordability in housing. The issue that I discussed was whether housing was affordable for its people. I tried to remain objective throughout the piece by doing proper research, looking through several articles and checking each source for reliability. I quoted from different websites and included links following with my own statements. After presenting my story to my partner I realised we both had a very different approach and perspective when it came to talking about social issues at hand. I veered more towards critical thinking whereas he was on the more creative end.

Before this activity, I did not quite understand what it meant if a story was written more creative or critical. This was not until Jon explained it to us, that my account was more critical as I used sources and provided data to support my statements while my partner’s was more creative as he came up with his own scenario to support his own stance. 

From this activity, I realised as a designer that there needs to be a balance between critical and creative when talking about different subjects. I need to include more creative thinking in my work. If I were to rewrite my story I would like to have a more creative stance. The use of metaphors suggests creativity, creating fictional characters as an example, looking at it through different perspectives, more emotions, and a change of tone. By having such balance, more content would be more relatable, and understandable. Easier to digest for the audience.

(274 words)

(01) Rob Giampietro "Graphic Design & Critical Thinking" 2017, https://linedandunlined.com/archive/graphic-design-critical-thinking/ accessed 17 Nov. 2023.

(02) Think Design "User & Design Research Critical Thinking" Jan. 2016, https://think.design/user-design-research/critical-thinking/ accessed 17 Nov. 2023.