Intercultural Design / Proposal, Data Collection, Final Project

10.1.2023 - 2.21.2023 (Week 1 - Week 7)

Takuto Hozumi / 0354047 / Bachelor Of Design (Hons) In Creative Media

Intercultural Design

1. Proposal
2. Data Collection
3. Final Project

*In this module, the content is consolidated in this one post because the individual tasks are not independent, but rather ongoing projects.

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INSTRUCTION

Project Outline

This module provides students with the opportunity to understand the role of design and the designer in a wider cultural, political and social context. It aims to introduce students to local and/or global design and design issues through engagement with outside agencies, groups or cultures, which may present opportunities for collaboration.

The module facilitates the direct interaction with major designers, illustrators, artists, external agencies, fellow students from design education institutions in other cultures.

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Week 1-4 Project 1 Proposal

Task to Do

1. Make a group
2. Idea Exploration
3. Decide 3 ideas

Progress of Proposal

I created a shared document and wrote 3 ideas. Then I invited members to submit their ideas. A total of 6 ideas were gathered.

Fig.1: Idea Board

Then 3 ideas will be voted on for selection.

Fig.2: Voting

As a result, the following 3 were selected.

1. Scandinavian Textile Patterns
2. Indonesian Batik
3. Black Cat

Fig.3: Research Slide

Here, we researched each topic.

Fig.4: Presentation Slides Ver.1

Recompile the researched information for a W4 presentation. At this stage, one final artefact is proposed for each of the three ideas. However, later feedback has settled on one topic, and we propose 3 final artefacts for the Scandinavian pattern idea only.

Fig.5: Proposal Revised Ver. (W4)

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Week 4-5 Data Collection

Task to Do

1. Research the topic more
2. Deepen the knowledge of the topic
3. Document the information

Progress of Data Collection

First, an index was created to identify the scope of the research. Broadly, the project was divided into the following four categories, and members were instructed to conduct research.

1. What is Scandinavian Design?

• Interior Decoration
• Books
• Shirts

2. Scandinavian Countries

• Sweden
• Norway 
• Denmark 
• Finland
• Iceland 
• Faroe Island
• Greenland 
• Åland Islands

3. History of Scandinavian design

• Historical Context
• Scandinavia Early On
• Social Consciousness In Art Movements
• Scandinavian styles
• Today
• In The End

4. Characteristic of Scandinavian design

• Outline
• 2 types of design
• The common motif & style of art
• Principles of Modern Scandinavian Design

The following document was then completed by adding the rationale for why this topic was chosen and a list of references.

Fig.6: Data Collection (W7)

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Week 6-7 Final Project

Task to Do

Final Presentation

1. Decide to collect the final artefact based on the research
2. Create the final artefact
3. Design an A1-size explanatory poster
4. Make a 10-minute presentation in W7

Progress of Final Project

As a result of the data collection, the DIY Scandinavian pattern was selected from the ideas of the proposal.

From the feedback, we decided to create a sticker and create a design that allows the user to arrange the pattern freely.

To reflect the Scandinavian design, I follow the following rules indicated through my research.

Principles of Modern Scandinavian Design

Based on our research, the following characteristics are presented in Scandinavian patterns.

1. Designs originating from the above Nordic countries.
2. Modern and warm atmospheres with less vivid colors. Dull tones, pale tones, etc. are common. Or monotone.
3. Motifs utilizing natural materials such as animals and plants. Especially those originating from Scandinavian countries. (There are some exceptions.)
4. Using geometric shapes and lines, but commonly hand-drawn forms.
5. All illustrations are simplified.

Fig.7: Sticker Design

The color scheme created for the stickers was also included on the instructional posters.

Fig.8: Sticker Application to Notebook

I put it on the cover of a notebook to try it out.

Fig.9: A1 Poster Ver.1

Created a poster including research, final artifact concept and description. It is impossible to include all the information we researched, so we have summarized it.

After the presentation, we were advised to create and place more than one pattern with stickers, so the following redesigned poster is the final version.

Fig.10: A1 Poster Final Ver.

Fig.11: New Patterns

The new poster has an additional Fig. 11 and sticker sheet. It is shown that: depending on how they are applied, you can create patterns with various atmospheres, such as blue, yellow etc.

Final Outcome PDF (Proposal, Data Collection, Final Project)

Proposal

Fig.12: Proposal PDF

Data Collection

Fig.13: Data Collection PDF

Final Project

Fig.14: Final Poster PDF

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REFLECTIONS

In this module, I will discuss the results of two points of view: academic and social.

Academic perspective (What we learned);

Before I began researching this topic, I had thought of the Scandinavian pattern as a traditional pattern with a relatively long history. However, what I actually found in our research was that this style was born in recent years, combining traditional embroidery/print patterns with the modernist culture of the 1900s. It was also very difficult to identify the style of Scandinavian culture because it is not a single country, but a generic term for an area consisting of several countries. For my sticker design, I first extracted colors from several existing Scandinavian pattern products to determine the color scheme. The common motifs were then listed and the shapes were designed to average out. Whether a design is worthy of being called a Scandinavian pattern or not depends very much on the viewer's subjectivity, and I have attempted to confirm this in a modern way.

Fig.15: Google Image Search

It is a similar image inspection of my stickers by google and see the results. As a result, we believe that we have achieved a certain level of success in terms of reproducing the pattern, as we have had several hits on the website for Scandinavian patterned products.

Social perspective (Group management);

I realized the difficulty of group assignments this time around. To be honest, I preferred to work alone on assignments, and my introverted nature made me very reluctant to give instructions to members. I am also very displeased that I was forced to be the leader this time even though I did not agree to it. Since childhood, I have never been good at group work or teamwork. Because when I am alone, my victories are my credit and my mistakes are my responsibility. In group work, however, my victories are distributed to everyone's benefit, and my responsibility for a single mistake is heavy. In other words, I see only disadvantages in group work. I am aware that when working in society, this kind of thinking is socially unfit. And I considered this assignment as a good opportunity to further deepen my self-analysis. When looking for a job (or when joining any social activities), I would place importance on the following two points: 1. a certain amount of discretion is given to me, and 2. my scope of work is clearly delineated and I can concentrate on working alone until it is accomplished. I should know my own characteristics and try to create a comfortable environment. If you are not in a good mood, you cannot come up with good ideas. Anyway, the development of cooperation is an important factor in the educational process. It was a very interesting experience that simulated Pareto's Law.