seungyeonlee

[seungyeonlee]

CTS B-Week 12

My strength as a designer is being open to accepting others’ opinions without compromising my design style. I also think I have a knack for simplifying things, as overly complicated ideas can make the design feel cluttered. I try to keep my thoughts deep but avoid making them overly complex.

I want to become a more skillful designer in the next five years. I think the profession of a designer requires creative thinking and the ability to express one’s ideas uniquely. For a visual designer especially, being proficient in various tools is extremely helpful when designing any piece or assigned project. That’s why I aim to study more in this area, so I can become a skilled designer capable of using a wide range of tools effectively.

For now, I want to spend time studying various Adobe and other design apps and exploring and testing different tools thoroughly. I’d also like to try applying these tools in practical designs to create my own works, which I can add to my portfolio. For instance, if I were to work on branding, I would usually lean towards using Adobe Illustrator due to its relatively easy-to-use style. However, as I learn more diverse skills, I’d like to try my hand at 3D work as well.

To achieve this, I’ll start by carefully reviewing and experimenting with various tools in Adobe and other design apps. If necessary, I’ll also consider taking courses or watching YouTube tutorials to familiarize myself with different functions. I’ll make new learning opportunities a core part of my motivation and work ethic as I continue to grow and improve.

During our field trips to the National Gallery Singapore in Week 4, I saw many impressive works, one of which was Epic Poem of Malaysia, a piece by the artist Chua Mia Tee. This painting shows a central figure reciting poetry to an audience that looks frozen in thought. Sunlight shines through stormy clouds, showing hope in troubled times. The artist believed that during British rule, embracing Malayan culture could help Singapore gain independence. I was especially touched by how Chua showed the audience’s serious expressions and the main figure’s sense of purpose, capturing the social issues of that time.

I liked how the artist used light and shadow to show both seriousness and hope in a way that I felt immediately, even before reading the description. Combining these different emotions is something I also try to do in my own work, but I still need to improve. I’ll keep working to include these ideas in my designs to express deeper meaning more clearly.

(433 words)

“Chua Mia Tee: Directing the Real.” National Gallery Singapore, www.nationalgallery.sg/directingthereal.

‌“Chua Mia Tee.” Nlb.gov.sg, 2015, reference.nlb.gov.sg/guides/singapore/people/chua-mia-tee/. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.

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Generative AI was used for grammar checking.

[seungyeonlee]

CTS B-Week 11

A manifesto is a written statement publicly sharing someone’s goals, reasons, or views. In our recent class, we worked in groups to create this type of statement based on what we’ve learned and felt in our design activities and CTS-B classes. My group included Sarah, Catherine, Mustafa, and me. We were asked to come up with two points for the manifesto.

First, Catherine wrote, “Doubt can lead to deeper understanding and better decisions” and “Be willing to change your mind based on new information and other points of view.” She believes that thinking deeply about our designs and activities helps us understand them better, leading to better decisions and results. She also said it is important to stay open-minded instead of getting stuck on just one idea. I thought her points were very meaningful. I often get attached to my ideas and dismiss other options. I realized that I need to work on this to keep growing.

Second, Sarah wrote her views like “Stay engaged with your community and yourself” and “Analyze, Absorb, Apply.” in the manifesto. Next, Mustafa’s points were “Master the fundamentals,” “Feed your curiosity,” and “Never stop learning.” Sarah and Mustafa’s ideas were simple and clear, which makes them easy to remember and a good guide for the future.

My points were “Experience a lot, document a lot.” and “Make it possible to improve things that are inconvenient.” These ideas came from what I’ve learned and felt in this class and other school classes. Growing up, I was taught that gaining experience is important, and this belief has stayed with me. In this class, we have gone on field trips and visited different places more than in other sessions. This has reminded me of how important experiences are. By documenting our field trips and observations, I have learned that recording these things is a key way to remember and keep those experiences alive.

My second point, “Make it possible to improve things that are inconvenient,” was inspired by our Week 6 class, where we visited Sim Lim Square, identified issues, and thought of improvements. I believe that one important responsibility of a designer is to improve people’s comfort and convenience. Designers can solve problems that people face in everyday life. This is why I chose these two points.

Since I was young, I have admired Coco Chanel. Reading her biography as a child opened my eyes to the job of a designer. I remember one of her famous quotes that has stayed with me: “The best color in the whole world is the one that looks good on you.” If I were to write a manifesto again, I would want to include this quote as one of my points. It motivates me because it suggests that creating designs that are authentic and well-suited to me feels most natural and “right” for me.

(474 words)

Vogue.co.kr, 2023, www.vogue.co.kr/2018/07/16/. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

Youngseok Oh. Who? 25 Coco Chanel. Dasan Kids, 2 Mar. 2020.

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Generative AI was used for grammar checking.

[seungyeonlee]

CTS B-Week 6

Critical Self-Reflectivity: How Do I Think About My Thinking Processes?

In this class, our team visited Sim Lim Square, located near the school, to identify design-related issues and propose solutions. I worked with Liza, Eqa, and Haewon. When we arrived at Sim Lim Square and started exploring, we quickly noticed that there weren’t clear signs or maps, making it difficult to navigate.

From what we know, Sim Lim Square is a well-known electronics mall in Singapore and a popular spot for foreigners and tourists. However, since it’s hard to find where specific stores are located, we realized that this could be challenging for visitors, especially foreigners and tourists.

As a solution, our team proposed installing interactive directories inside the mall. These directories, commonly found in larger malls, have the advantage of providing more accurate store locations and directions, helping people shop more efficiently. However, a drawback could be the high cost of installation, and it may be slightly difficult for elderly people to use.

Through this activity, I realized that as designers, we must first empathize with problems from the users' perspective. Similar to Week 3, solving problems requires awareness, and designers need the ability to address those problems through design. According to one study, a designer’s empathy can significantly impact the usefulness of a design. It also emphasized the importance of using appropriate customer research methods tailored to the conditions and situations of design problems and that improving empathy skills can lead to more useful outcomes. This made me recognize once again how essential this skill is for designers and reinforced my desire to become a designer who can empathize with people's situations and social issues.

(267 words)

Jaehee Jung. "DBpia." Journal of Industrial Design Studies, vol. 13, no. 2, 2019, pp. 71–82, www.dbpia.co.kr/Journal/articleDetail?nodeId=NODE10727017. Accessed 23 Sept. 2024.

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Generative AI was used for grammar checking.

[seungyeonlee]

CTS B-Week 3

Connecting Practice with Society

In this activity, we worked on creating a video about common issues we face in our daily lives. We were divided into teams, and I worked with my teammates Eqa and Zhiwei. While reflecting on what inconveniences we’ve experienced living in Singapore, the topic of 'dirty restrooms' came up. So, we decided to make a video promoting the idea of "keeping restrooms clean." We worked together on everything from writing the script, filming, directing, to editing, and smoothly completed the production as a team.

During the video-sharing session with classmates, some videos stood out, especially those about Singlish. These videos showed how hard it can be for international students or foreigners to understand Singlish, which many people related to. As an international student, I also felt the same way. I believe designers should be able to make people feel understood. After this activity, I realized I should think more carefully about issues when picking a topic, so I can create videos that connect with people better.

These days, various studies are being conducted on social issues and design. The most common research papers and studies often focus on applying design to solve social problems, such as the weakening sense of community and bleak urban environments. One example is the issue of loneliness elderly people face in an aging society. There have been studies on developing AI speakers, like Apple's Siri or Samsung's Bixby, to be more advanced so that elderly people can have conversations even when they are alone, helping to alleviate feelings of loneliness. I believe designers have a responsibility to understand social issues and help improve people's lives. This activity and research have reminded me to stay focused on becoming a designer who keeps these values in mind.

(290 words)

Jiyoung Yoon. "DBpia." BDI Policy Focus, no. 189, Feb. 2013, pp. 1–12, www.dbpia.co.kr/journal/articleDetail?nodeId=NODE06237895. Accessed 23 Sept. 2024.

Eunsol Lee, and Kanghyun Lee. "DBpia." Archives of Design Research, vol. 35, no. 3, Aug. 2022, pp. 159–179, www.dbpia.co.kr/Journal/articleDetail?nodeId=NODE11117990, https://doi.org/10.15187/adr.2022.08.35.3.159. Accessed 23 Sept. 2024.

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Generative AI was used for grammar checking.

[seungyeonlee]

CTS B-Week 2

This Is How You Connect Theory And Practice

In this session, I focused on the keyword “identity” to explore my identity as a designer.

The first activity involved finding five keywords that represent me and presenting images related to them. When I thought about myself, the first words that came to mind were: 1. Positive mindset, 2. Sleep lover, 3. Catholic, 4. A balance between introverted and extroverted traits, and 5. Korean.

In the second activity, we drew a simple illustration based on these keywords. Although I couldn’t finish the drawing due to a lack of time, if I had more time, I would think more about my identity as a designer and carefully reflect on how to represent my characteristics. For example, to express the idea of being both extroverted and introverted, I originally used cat ears as a symbol, as I thought they resembled the nature of a cat. However, instead of that, I would draw a torn piece of paper and write the word "courage" on it, with my face shown as coexisting in both the torn and untorn parts of the paper.

It’s been a while since I tried expressing myself through drawing, and it brought up a lot of thoughts. I realized that my perception and thoughts about myself are somewhat limited, and there weren’t many keywords that came to mind when I thought about myself as a designer. To create more authentic designs in the future, I think it would be good to reflect more deeply on myself and find more personal keywords, beyond the basic ones that came to mind during this activity.

(262 words)

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Generative AI was used for grammar checking.