Design Artefact 1 & 2 (Process)

Introduction

Through primary research, I discovered that Singaporeans are aware of the issue of hypermasculinity with 52.9% of respondents stating that it may be a problem. The aim of The Purple Cloud Project is to, therefore, educate and inform target audiences on the existence and impact of hypermasculinity and eradicate hypermasculine discrimination and behavior in today’s society. The secondary aim of this project is to redefine what it means to be masculine.

I hope to highlight hypermasculinity as a problem by engaging in open conversations with participants, allowing them to gain perspectives from each other and form a community of voices.

Design Artefact 1:

I started my thought process for my logo by doing some quick sketches. I wanted there to be an obvious cloud form but also integrate something personal like hands, a heart or even the male sex symbol.

Clouds are something that has been used in logo forms and corporate branding so there was a challenge in creating something fresh. I also decided to incorporate a speech bubble in my form because it suggested the idea of a conversation which was in line with the objectives of my campaign.

Visualising a muscular arm as a cloud but this seemed to perpetuate the existing stereotype of what masculinity is about. Also the use of arrows to suggest restarting or reviewing the concept of masculinity.

Hands forming a cloud. The cloud didn’t look like one so I scrapped this idea.

The final three iterations using the cloud to also form a heart which I felt perfectly tied into the reason for running this campaign – a matter of the heart. After multiple consultations, I finally simplified the logo’s form paying close attention to detail and how it looked when up or downscaled.

Moving on to the application of the logo. I wanted to place it on something that would be taken around and used in public so awareness would be raised. I went through options like mugs, tote bags, t-shirts, and pins but decided on creating a mobile phone case. Conversation nowadays is done a lot on the phone. Texting, calling and even social media and as such, I felt the phone would be a perfect form to place my logo on. It would incite solidarity and also be a visual reminder to be conscious of the hypermasculine things we may say.

CLICK HERE for the final outcome.

 


 

Design Artefact 2:

Moving forward, I wanted to think of a strategy to create awareness for the Purple Cloud Project. This would be the first step towards spreading the message and since it would be the campaign’s debut, it had to be impactful.

It all began with a sketch. I wanted to invite the idea of how one cannot understand masculinity nor define himself as a unique individual if we continue bombarding media and men all around us with stereotypes and ideal versions of masculinity.

A mirror is something that reflects our image and I wanted to disrupt it by filling it up with ideas of what masculinity is currently portrayed as. These definitions were as honest and raw as possible, as gathered from the survey I conducted. I also decided to fill one cubicle with hypermasculine slurs on stickers and also flood it with purple light to suggest that this personal space was now the ‘purple cloud’ inviting you to think about this matter and join the conversation.

Setting up the space was a challenging task as I wanted to transfer text on the mirror. This took a lot of time and patience. I also decided to create a mirror decal to tie in with the Purple Cloud’s branding.

CLICK HERE for the final outcome.

 


Reflections

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed VC2 and how the projects were a build-up relating to each other. I also felt it was a good idea that we were allowed to pick a cause we resonated with as this really made me push myself to think of the best solution the problem I highlighted. I am also glad Michael guided me in a good direction with regards to Artefact 2  and made me think of how I could approach it in a different method as opposed to something very corporate or over-done. I also appreciated the idea of how playing with scale could make a huge difference in how the message is perceived. In a nutshell, LESS IS MORE! Looking forward to see what the next VC mod has in store!

 

DG9005 Presentation 2: AT LAST – ETTA JAMES

The end of the semester and DG9005 has arrived so soon and I can’t believe I’ll be bidding this module goodbye very soon! The past few weeks have been really fun and eye-opening and I have no regrets signing up for this module at the start of the sem.

When it came down to picking a song I wanted to do for Presentation 2, I decided to do one of my all-time favourites, At Last, a slow and jazzy ballad by Etta James. I first fell in love with this song when it was covered by Beyoncé when she sang it at Barack Obama’s inauguration. The song has also been covered by many other artistes including Christina Aguilera and Jessie J.

I practiced the song many times leading up to Presentation Day, mostly with my close friends recording me so I could firstly play it back and hear what I was doing right or wrong and also get their feedback on my vocal arrangement.

Unfortunately, about 4 days prior to the performance, I fell really ill and had a horrible cough and throat. I loaded up on Four Legs cooling water, grass jelly drinks and refrained from spicy or oily food and recovered just enough to make it through the song (thank God!) on the day itself.

Not my best (and I’ll explain why later) but here goes:

Self-evaluation:

First off, I felt that there was an overall shortness of breath in some parts (including the opening note) and my voice was a little shaky. Not gonna make excuses and blame the phlegm but I guess a learning point here would really to ensure to take in a sufficient amount of air and really control that diaphragm to ensure a steady release.

I also felt that although I had spent a significant amount of time warming up prior to the performance, it wasn’t enough and my high notes got a little ‘shouty‘ especially at 1:34 and 1:52.

What I did like about my performance were the falsetto notes at the end and I guess the biggest positive point was that I genuinely had fun performing on that stage.

 


It’s a pity that DG9005 has come to an end but the lessons and tips / techniques that have been taught to us by Leona will always come in handy whenever I get to perform again. Super proud of everyone in Dulce for excelling and improving greatly!