Author: Syadza Z.

An avid fan of H.P.

Infographic Poster – Process and final

Information that should be included in the poster.

  • Definition and what it is about.
  • The important 5 principles as stated by TAFEP.
  • Surveys to show and infer the data.

 

Sketches:

  • The body text is too lengthy and difficult to read
  • Does not have engaging visuals to represent the key points of the topic
  • Just focus on one target group. Either at school institutions or workplace or it could be educating the young since preschool.

 

Drafts 1.1 and 1.2:

The flow of the data survey seems rather messy and the information is everywhere. Hence, I thought of adding an infinite flow of paperwork from the printer and the information from the survey could be placed there.

Also, the use of yellow card means to caution someone because of foul and  inappropriate behavior.

Drafts 2.1 and 2.2:

I decided to change the overall color scheme to gives off a formal tone yet engagingly friendly. Also, I wanted to show that different races stand together against racial discrimination in the workplace. So I placed a bunch of hands of different skin tones, holding up the yellow card.

Also based on given feedbacks, I included the target audience and objective of the infographic poster. This infographic poster is to help explain about my project (task 3 and 4) to the reader.

 

FINAL OUTCOME OF INFO GRAPHIC POSTER:

(The color on screen is not reflected correctly. It differs from exact poster colors)

Feedback:

  • There are two repeated slogans. This is unnecessary, so perhaps could remove the one at the bottom. Also, the chosen typeface is not really synchronize with the theme of the topic – which is in serious and formal tone.
  • The play of the paper scrolls could extend till to the left bottom of the poster.
  • Some commented about the skin tone of the guy in the poster – it does not suits with the topic which is about racial discrimination – hence should choose a skin tone that is considered as the minority here in Singapore.

 

Reflection:

Overall, I am pretty satisfied with the poster as I progress through the ideas and thoughts processes. I learnt that an infographic poster is something that the readers would know what the topic is all about at the first glance. Meaning the play of the visuals as well as the icons are important. Condense and lengthy body text are not really efficient and effective to the readers. Based from these feedbacks, I tried to make the information short and easy to understand.

Exploratory Research 1B

Chosen issue: Racial discrimination across the globe

Target audience: Every human race of diversities.

What is racism?

Racism takes many forms and can happen in many places. It includes prejudice, discrimination or hatred directed at someone because of their colour, ethnicity or origin.

People often associate racism with acts of abuse or harassment. However, it doesn’t need to involve violent behaviour. Take racial name-calling and jokes. Or consider situations when people may be excluded from groups or activities because of their ethnicity.

Objective of this survey:

  • Check the awareness of public regarding this issue
  • Getting know their personal experiences (if any) in order to get a better view on the different types of racism exists
  • Whether they know how to respond to racism.  For example, in a scenario whereby someone is being discriminated openly in the public. Online too.
  • To get to know what is the effective design solutions to address this issue, even though it is difficult to completely eradicate it in our society, at least it could be reduce to a minimal percentage.

Participants are of diverse races that includes Chinese, Malays, Indians, Arabs, Pakistani and Burmese. Mostly in 20s but it ranges from 20s to 40s. And most of them have usual or frequent contact with the ethnic minorities.

Based on the interviews using the questionnaire,

1. All respondents generally aware that racism is negative and mostly associated the word racism to anger, disappointment and unfairness. More than half respond that the trend of this issue is increasing across the globe. With the advance use of technologies, there has been a rise of hate speech and racism on social media platforms.

The United Nations Human Rights Council warns that the dissemination of hateful discourses in the online environment can lead people towards their naturalisation and acceptance as something normal.

In other words, if hate speech becomes the ‘new normal’, we can gradually witness online intolerance eventually becoming tolerable and an enduring component of the social landscape.

Articles are dated at least in 2017, 2018. Relatively new and still relevant.

2. More than half of the respondents personally experience racial discrimination, with a high occurrence at workplace and during job interviews.

Based on my research online, there are also many cases regarding racial discrimination at school institutions. Those cases are as below:

3. Many stated that if they were confronted a situation, such as when someone is being discriminated racially in public, most of them would stepped forward and speak up for them. The second most voted answer is that they would just stay silent and be on lookout; only intervene if things get worse. 

While silence from passersby often feels to victims as if the public is offering its tacit approval of abuse, some of the respondents said they stayed silent because they did not know what an appropriate response was and felt guilty afterwards for not doing more.

4. Getting know which medium is the most effective in addressing this issue. Mostly voted for raising awareness through prints, posters, brochures etc. And through interactive platforms/kits that encourages interaction between different races and cultures. Often racism is borne out of a lack of proper understanding between races.

The annual event by OnePeople.sg – the ground-up national body for racial and religious harmony – rallies Singaporeans to make a stand against racism and combat racial discrimination and prejudice. The Orange Ribbon Movement symbolizes friendship, brotherhood and kinship underpinned by values of respect, understanding and trust. The event also featured a Tea Talk Corner, where young people had facilitated discussions about racial harmony.

Article: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/3000-people-in-anti-racism-walk-at-marina-bay

And there are already existing laws in Singapore.

According to Section 298 of the Penal Code: “Uttering words, etc., with deliberate intent to wound the religious or racial feelings of any person” is an offence punishable by up to 3 years in jail and/or a fine. 

 

Still, racism remains a huge social and economic problem globally. In the US, it remains a major contributory factor to outcomes including depression, ill health, lower employment and wages. Even though in Singapore, the issue is not as pressing as in other countries, according to the survey commissioned by Channel NewsAsia and the Institute of Policy Studies, where almost half of the 2,000 respondents felt that “racism is still an issue in Singapore”.

Conclusion

Hence, based on the gathered survey, I am able to analyse the opinions of different races about this issue and raise new important concerns that I may overlooked before conducting this survey. This way I could provide an informative and effective design solutions for the general public.

Exploratory Research 1A

What are some of the current issues confronting our world today? Amongst them, what is of interest and a cause of concern to you?

Climate change is real. It requires immediate action to prevent the worst possible effects it can have on people and wildlife all over the world. The global mean temperature has rise about nearly 1°C in the past century. Climate patterns change. Extreme and unpredictable weather will become more common across the world as climate patterns change, with some places being hotter, some places being wetter, and some places being drier. What causes climate change: Human activities like burning of fossil fuel, deforestation, cattle ranching – encourages CO2 emissions which increases the global temperature in the long run.

Discrimination is treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction towards, a person based on the group, class, or category to which the person is perceived to belong; according to the dictionary Cambridge. Types of discrimination: Retaliation, race, religion, color, age, gender, national origin, disability.

article: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/singaporeans-respect-all-races-but-racism-still-an-issue-survey

Elderly care in nursing homes. Nursing homes are usually the first answer people select for care for their elderly parents. However, there are issues/common problems faced by nursing homes.  Firstly, there will be smaller living arrangements. Aging parents will be transitioning from their home to smaller living arrangements. Such sudden changes may impact  their emotional and mental health. Second, living among other residents. This can be viewed in both positive and negative light. They can have interactions and make friends but they may also not get along with some and this leads to fights and verbal insults. Some medical conditions, such as pre-dementia, can also cause aggression that may be directed at your aging parents. Lastly, boredom and isolation. The change to your aging parents’ environment can cause feelings of boredom and depression as they may isolate themselves in their rooms.

Smoking is bad for health. Chemicals in cigarette smoke enter our blood stream and can then affect the entire body, this is why smoking causes so many different types of cancer. People who use tobacco regularly tend to develop a tolerance to the effects of nicotine. This means they need to smoke more tobacco to get the same effect. They may become dependent on nicotine and hence, the addiction. Not only poses health risks to themselves but also to the passive smokers, esp the elderly, pregnant women and children.

Climate change (global warming) and discrimination are topics that I am interested in. 

Why is the issue important? Who does it affect and how?

Climate change (focusing on global warming) is important as it can have a disastrous effect on ecosystems, humankind and wildlife all over the world. It cannot be delayed any further. We must act now in order to mitigate this issue, especially for the future generation. Extreme weather conditions (typhoon, flooding, drought), extinction of wildlife, rising sea levels – effect the ecosystem, health and poses damage to human. Climate change that is warming up the ocean will kill off the arctic predators and other marine species like penguins in four decades without emergency action to bring down emissions, according to research. Polar bears and other marine ­species could be wiped out within 40 years as global warming continues to rapidly heat the world’s oceans, new research warns.

Discrimination issue is important especially in building a unified and harmony society. It affects all of us, everyone in the world. Exclusion or rejection directed to you by others for reasons that you often have no control of can cause extreme worry to an individual. People who are discriminated against can suffer significant negative consequences. General well-being, self-esteem, self-worth, and social relations can be severely impacted as a result of discrimination. It results in harmful psychological effects eg. anxiety, sadness, depression and a feeling of guilt and emptiness. These often translate into depression, loss of interest, eating disorders and stress-related ailments.

Who do you need to communicate to, and why?

Both issue requires everyone, regardless of their background, status, nationality etc., as they plays an important role to raise awareness to this issue and  by getting rid of the stigma present in our society. (*Stigma is the negative stereotype and discrimination is the behavior that results from this negative stereotype.)

Anticipate from target audience for climate change: Play a role in mitigate the issue such as reduce your own carbon footprint and keeping reusable bags on hand and recycle.

Anticipate from target audience for discrimination: Promotes awareness to other people, convey the message, change your perspective, accept and do not discriminate others.

How has visual communication contributed to the addressed cause?

Disposable eco bag for greens – able to carry a half kilograms of goods.

Kate Dext Moscow, Russian Federation, 2012 and link.

__________

Le sac en papier – Paper bag made from strong recycled double layered paper – white kraft layered with brown kraft. It is reusable for a lifetime.

Be-Poles, Ecographik, and link.

__________

The Bitter Sip

The Bitter Sip gives us moments to think about social discrimination while we’re having cup of coffees in our busy daily lives. By creating an environment that imitates real-life situations of minority being discriminated, it offers hands-on and tangible understanding of these global issues.

Embodied experimental situations – A menu that intentionally discriminates you.

Information on such data provides insights to the people who purchased the drink. Encourages them to ponder upon this issue.

Again, information on the packaging about racial discrimination.

Albert Junghwan Son, 2014 and link.

 

 

Dialogue in the Dark

Experiencing a short gist of moment on how a visually impaired person life would be, is an impactful and unforgettable experience. At first, there are hesitation and anxiousness due to the completely unfamiliar surrounding. However, there is a comfort knowing that my peers and the guide ,Elaine, were there to ease the journey.

Throughout the whole experience, I found myself to rely on my other 4 senses, especially the sense of touch and hearing. Sense of touch – to guide through the rooms by touching walls, railings, bench as well as the guiding stick which acts as a navigational tool for us. Sense of hearing – to listen carefully in order to know the surrounding’s environment, whether it is dangerous or to enjoy the place as it is.

Dining in the dark was one of the activity that further raise my awareness on how a visually impaired person is challenged by the daily obstacles in life, such as ordering food and paying the right amount. It never occurred to me on how a visually impaired person’s life would be, but to some extent, this dining experience makes me understand them better. Most importantly, I learnt to appreciate the little things in life that we take for granted – as we are able to see, hear, touch, smell and taste – which helps us to overcome the simple tasks that may seem easy to us but not for them.

Elaine also explained that there are existing creative applications that helps the visually impaired people to identify colors and apps that enable other people in other places to guide them through online. From this Dialogue in the Dark exhibition, designers may gained insights and information on how to design a better place for the visually impaired people, by designing useful applications, innovative public environment spaces- such as railings, braille, tactile ground surface indicators in transportation spaces etc, creative posters that makes use of different embossing techniques and many others.

As we designers immersed ourselves through this embodied experience of role-playing, we can discover other ways/methods to invent innovative things and sparks ideas to contribute to the development of design solution, not specifically for the visually impaired people,  but for others who faced difficulties in overcoming simple tasks in life. Such as hearing disability, those with malfunction vocal chords, disorder in nervous system i.e. Parkinson disease and other disabilities.

Project 3 – Process Documentation

Drafts for first consultation

Problems:

  • There was major misalignment. The folding lines are not accurate as I draw out the fold lines on an A4 and then scan it to import it as vector lines on illustrator.

  • Besides that, the page above seems to be very unstable. The letters should not be cut off and also it does not give a sense of ‘surprise’ when the user opens it.

  • For the content of the brochure, I had make use of my previous poster’s element graphic – which are the splashes.
  • The play of angular and diagonal crops for the images, seems to be good. But due to this overall shape, there are some weird empty spaces. The blue ‘filler’ also does not serve any purpose and necessary for the design intent.  Hence, for my next draft I decided to remove it.
  • The event description was placed on top of the brochure. It was suggested to be placed at the back of the brochure instead. So that the user will know what’s the event is about without having to open and open another page.

Rectify:

Hence to rectify the problems listed, I decided to use a much accurate method to draw out the fold lines – which is by using autocad. And it works. Even though it is really difficult to make it as accurate as possible. This is because my design is on both sides and a little shift in printing it will affect the whole grid layout design of the brochure. (*apparently ‘true colors’ print it perfectly than ‘colorvizio’ )

As for the ‘surprise’ element, I decided to play with the contrast of colors. The user will see a huge paint of blue, as contrast to the front page of the brochure. I intended to pique the user’s curiosity to find out more what’s inside.

However, again, the alignment problem is still there. It was suggested that I totally removed the flaps if I could not make it work somehow. Simple folds with good design layout will holds the information better than a complicated one.

Another version of the design (without flaps)

Hence, I decided to just make another version, which is without the flaps. Personally I prefer this as the content inside is very neat and clean. The slogan is then placed at the back of the brochure since the flaps are now gone. However, I feel the brochure is not really impactful. So I decided to go with my original idea and try to make the flaps  design work.

final design

Concept & ideas:

  • Once the user opens up the front page, they will see the slogan ’embedded in our DNA’. This slogans seeks the user to peek inside what’s embedded in that DNA. So the visuals – as you can see, is a strand of DNA that is in dispersed form in order to reveal what is inside/implanted in that DNA.
  • The play of contrasting colors is very important to create a visual interest of the reader.
  • Continuity of visuals, which are the ‘splash’ element. This is to ensure that it gives the consistent message and theme throughout the brochure.
feedbacks
  • The size of the brochure (A3) is too big. Perhaps can reduce the size as there are some empty spaces at the back of the brochure.
  • One of the artist, Andre Wee, body text is too close to the margin and seems out of place. Suggestion is that reduce the overall text size for every artists’ description by 1 point and squeeze in Andre Wee’s part in middle part.
  • Accuracy in alignment can be improved on.
  • Include “Singapore Design Week” on front page as SDW acronym might be unfamiliar to some.
  • At the back, include in the location.
  • The arrows to indicate the images are very helpful.
  • The stark contrast between the front page and the one after, is successful. ^^

Creative Response III- Bauhaus Shapes & Colour

in-class activity

Visual response of “disgust”:

Visual response of “admiration”:

De Stijl style of my name:

Bauhaus style Singapore influence:

One of the fundamentals of Bauhaus is that, form follows function. It means that utility comes first and excessive ornamentation were avoided. Bauhaus artists favoured linear and geometrical forms, while floral or curvilinear shapes were avoided. Only line, shape and colours mattered. Hence, for the piece above, only  triangles, squares and circles were used to represent Singapore landmarks. I realized that most of the things around us (architectural, objects etc) were based on geometric shapes as a foundation.

Besides that, for Singapore’s culture, I had drawn ketupat as well as a lantern. Ketupat is served during special occasions such as Hari Raya Puasa and Malay weddings, whereas, lanterns are mostly seen in the Chinese culture. Especially in events such as ‘The Lantern Festival’.  It is a Chinese festival celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunisolar Chinese calendar.

Creative Response II – Art Noveau

In class exercise

Cubism Portrait :

One of my  artwork piece by William Morris shown below. This reminds me of the flight attendants of Singapore Airlines (SIA) dressed in the distinctive sarong kebaya SIA uniform.

CREATIVE RESPONSE: 

I tried to multiply them to create an interesting pattern. Originally it was a picture of a rooftop building. This pattern could be link to Singapore in terms of what Singapore is mainly made up of- concrete jungle and bricks. It was once a third-world country, but Singapore now becoming more industrialized and developed. This means more buildings, and lesser greens.