INTERCULTURAL DESIGN - ASSIGNMENTS DOCUMENTATION
INTERCULTURAL DESIGN - ASSIGNMENTS DOCUMENTATION
JAN 4TH - FEB 25TH (WEEK 1 - WEEK 7)
NG VEYHAN (0349223) / BACHELORS OF DESIGN (HONS) IN CREATIVE MEDIA
INTERCULTURAL DESIGN
ASSIGNMENTS DOCUMENTATION
Instructions
Practical
PROJECT 1
Before we started our project, we each were assigned into groups that would be collaborating on every one of the projects that would be done throughout the semester.
First we brainstormed for a cultural topic that would be able to reflect the theme of purpose of the project. Initially we wanted to focus on the culture of streetwear apparel, but it turned out many other groups also had a similar idea. We then decided to then shift our focus onto another topic related to fashion, which was cosplay.
We had to gather more information on our target subject before we could proceed to narrow down our aims. Therefore, all of us temporarily did our work separately, collecting any source of information to give us a thorough understanding of the culture surrounding cosplay as a whole, rather than just the act of cosplay itself.
(Fig 01, Collage of collected cosplay images, 12/1/2022)
Once we had collected enough relevant data, we began to work on the rationale of the project. We discussed the origins of dressing up as characters as well as the origins of the term cosplay as well. We also included a selection of ideas to consider for the final outcome of Project 3. Some of these included designing costumes, an art piece or even designing a physical prop.
(Fig 02, Intercultural Design Project 1 Proposal, 20/1/2022)
PROJECT 2
After concluding what we wanted to focus on for this project and the next, we were to proceed with data collection. The project required us to collect data regarding our topic of interest and by extrapolating said data, identify a factor relating to the purpose of why people cosplay.
We thought about what methods we could use and what questions could be used in each method in order to extract the most relevant data we could from any interviews or questionnaires. We categorized the questions according to the responding demographic. Questions relating to the process of cosplay and a more personal view were given to those conducting interviews, whilst broad generalist questions pertaining to an outsider view was left for the questionnaire.
Some of our group members were assigned to conduct the interviews, while me and the rest were in charge of creating and distributing a questionnaire. For my own questionnaire, I made sure to inquire for some basic information in part of the respondent, then the questions pertaining to their view on cosplay.
(Fig 03, Basic Information Questions, 23/1/2021)
As it was nearing Chinese New Year when this project started, it gave us ample time to collect data, and it also meant that we were going to be in more contact with potential respondents depending on the method of data collection that we would use.
In terms of distributing the questionnaire itself, I didn't want to limit myself to people near me. Therefore, I asked around on various communities on Discord which were related to anime, as I felt that there would be more people who were at least familiar with what cosplay is. Fortunately, some moderators on a larger server allowed me to share my questionnaire there, however it still didn't gain much traction.
(Fig 04, Accumulated Data, 10/2/2022)
With the data I collected, I began to compile it into paragraphs in order to make the data easier to process for any viewers. I compared the information of the respondents themselves in order to identify any potential disparities in responses for a particular age group, gender, location etc.
By the end of the project, we have concluded that the "purpose" of why people cosplay is largely due to the activity being a strong form of self-expression, especially for those characters that the cosplayer can personally relate to, and also another reason was it helped them become more outgoing.
(Fig 05, Intercultural Design Project 2 Presentation, 10/2/2022)
PROJECT 3
This is the final part of the project, where we were instructed to to create the final visual design outcome. The final outcome should be reflective of a persons desire for self-expression. At first we wanted to go for designing an outfit based on a character of our choosing, however we didn't follow through as it wasn't exciting enough from a design standpoint.
Since cosplay could make a person take a form that could be nigh unrecognizable, we decided to do a group portrait, where each person was in charge of designing one part of a portrait, illustrated or edited in our own personal styles, to symbolize a person being able to express themselves freely on a canvas that is the body.
First, we looked for a base template to work our portrait off. Afterwards we split the portrait into a few segments, with one left untouched to show the original form of the person. Afterwards, we had to edit our assigned segment according to our vision.
(Fig 06, Original Portrait, 17/2/2022)
(Fig 07, Character reference sheet, 18/2/2022)
Following the body contours of the lady on the base template, I sketched the outfit on her shoulder, though the lack of details on an anime character really shows through, which I noticed a sort of barrenness in terms of features.
(Fig 08, Sleeve Sketch, 18/2/2022)
After that was left to do the lineart and colour in the work. I thought that I would be quite comfortable in illustrating this as it was my hobby, however the work from the semester left me busy and I was pretty much caught out of practice. I did some basic rendering for lighting and shading on the art, however the most precise lighting elements such as ambient occlusions were things that I was out of touch with at the time.
(Fig 09, Test Drawing, 19/2/2022)
After each of us had completed our portions, we submitted them and combined them together to create a complete piece of the artwork. Personally, after completion I felt that the mish mash of styles by each of our individual works does create a little bit of an incoherent mess, from a design standpoint.
(Fig 10, Completed Portrait, 20/2/2022)
We also logged our before and after progress on the required slides to be submitted, and also catalogued our process from the previous projects as well. We then recorded our presentation for this project.
(Fig 11, Intercultural Design Final Project Presentation, 24/2/2022)
Feedback
WEEK 1 // No feedback yet as this was the first week of class.
WEEK 2 // Despite our initial idea of researching streetwear culture was not accepted, our alternative topic of cosplay culture was given the go-ahead.
WEEK 3 // Our chosen topic of cosplay culture was interesting, and how it would develop over the course of the next two projects.
WEEK 4 // We were just instructed to collect our data over the course of Chinese New Years.
WEEK 5 // No feedback as it was the Chinese New Years holiday.
WEEK 6 // We were advised to finalise what we wanted to do for the project. As we had chosen costume design and that didn't work out, so we had to hurry.
WEEK 7 // Dr. Razali advised us to carry on with our project, stating that the idea for the multi-style portrait to be potentially interesting.
Weekly Reflections
WEEK 1 // I wasn't really sure what to expect from this module in this semester, however there seems to be a large emphasis on group work. Therefore, I do hope that the work in this module proceeds smoothly.
WEEK 2 // Our idea for the project seems to have conflicted with another groups' by coincidence. I was a little bummed that our initial idea didn't go through, however I felt the replacement topic of cosplay culture could have some interesting avenues for research, even if the topic does seem a little cliche.
WEEK 3 // Now there was more work required to be done in the module in the form of data collection. Since I had some experience with this in the previous semesters' module, I think I shouldn't face too many hiccups.
WEEK 4 // I realized that the window for data collection in this module is much smaller than in Design Research Methodology. I think it is expected that there would be fewer responses to any questionnaire I created, but only obtaining half the number of responses I did from previous modules did make me worry a little.
WEEK 5 // There wasn't much work done this week as it was Chinese new Year.
WEEK 6 // It was the second final week of the semester but there hasn't been much progress for the final project yet. While I was a little concerned, the pacing seem to be shared by most groups, so perhaps I should work harder for this module's work for now.
WEEK 7 // I felt that the work in this module wasn't as much of a rush as what was required in the information design module. Our team seems to be keeping a steady pace, and we should be done with the project in time soon enough.
Semester Reflections
Observations
I think that this module has a larger focus on the conceptualization aspects of design rather than on the practical aspects. I also feel that there is a large test of working as a group in this semester, as evident by the nature of projects in both modules present. The scale of these projects also seem to span a much larger timeframe than what I have seen so far in this course. This might be due to being in more advanced semesters or just by nature of being group work.
Findings
I think that a lot of what I had learned in this module had come from the data we have collected over the course of this module. As this is module is called "intercultural design", I believe the purpose had been fulfilled in informing us about a certain subculture that we decided to research. There are so many types of cosplayers out there, with some people throwing a white t-shirt with jeans and call it a day, while others spend months creating an elaborate outfit. Some even create expensive looking props and outfits with just cardboard. I'm also happy to see that cosplay has been gaining more public attention lately and for the most part has been accepted by almost the entire world.
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