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Compulsory Question 2

My vision statement comes from a place of good intentions and not that of a strong Ego. As mentioned, I do not possess the ability to imagine. Therefore, I always feel lacking whenever I create because I am held back from what I want to do and lack the imagination. I always feel I perform best when I am able to give my input and collaborate with others to create something spectacular. 

I always had a profound respect for people who have the confidence to give out structured feedback despite it not being something anyone who had spent time to create something would like to hear. Giving feedback is not as simple as naming things you like or dislike. Whenever friends come for feedback, I abstain from giving them lip-service even though it is comfortable. When someone deliberately asks for feedback, they are asking for guidance.

What’s interesting is that the answer can only stem from the creator themselves. After all, it is not your work nor are you being credited for it. One must learn to ask the right questions and challenge their thought process to really help them solidify what they wish to achieve with their designs, and to be decisive with their rationale. This in a way gives them confidence because they were able to surmise a conclusion from your prompts.Done right, it empowers not only them, but oneself as well. When we are able to ask quality questions and challenge peoples’ ideas, it would make decision-making internally easier in application to personal designs as well. Everybody has their inner critic within themselves be it in the form of a differentiating voice in their heads or based on intuition. Majority of people whom I talked to agree that one’s inner critic is often harsh and unapologetic. But why does that have to be the case? If we were self aware and fine tuned this ability, I believe that we could hone an impressive skill that would set us apart from restless individuals who design things half heartedly and in turn would make people want to work with us more.

“I would say that an understanding of man's intrinsic needs, and of the necessity to search for a climate in which those needs could be realised, is fundamental to the education of the designer.”

― Paul Rand

A work that resonates is Paul Rand’s IBM Logo.

The IBM logo especially showcases numeral design principles. He shared that it is important to ensure logos are treated with the same respect one’s company wishes to be looked upon. In this example, The design he created for IBM is successful in showcasing movement and progress, the horizontal lines representing speed and dynamism. This aligns with the technological achievements associated with IBM. 

(461 Words)

IBM Logo : https://www.ibm.com/brand/experience-guides/developer/brand/logo/

[woiizakiie]

Compulsory Question 1

I was not present in class during the makings of my group’s manifesto. Therefore, I had to come up with one of my own. A manifesto was not only something that would motivate me and remind me to keep pushing through, it was also to reassure others of things I could achieve, almost like a promise or a way to put some accountability on myself to be seen favourably or not.

I had to reflect deep within myself about things that I would normally choose to hide from others. To progress, is to change. If I was going to be serious about my manifesto, I had to reflect deeply about it even if it was about the things I was vulnerable to.

I often find myself in a constant dilemma trying to conform to one style. 

After all, the peers around me seem to be so distinct in their styles. I often pondered, “What really is my style?”, “I like this aesthetic, but I also enjoy another style too”. At some point, I thought of even combining every of my style into one mix of ‘own style’. People often say that it’s about what you take in, and come up with — That would be ‘your style’. 

But what if even then, it just looks as if a very confused individual was desperate to cling onto some form of identity, that it ends up looking disorganised and distasteful.

What was wrong with being good at every style then? What if the answer was as simple as existing however I felt like, even if those same feelings were different tomorrow? What was wrong with simply doing whatever your heart wants. To just be?

The more I mulled it over the more I began to realise that in actuality, I don’t want to be recognised or tied down to one thing. I want to exist and occupy space. I was born on this earth and I am deserving of doing, experiencing, creating. I won’t stay stagnant. But maybe, If I could master one thing, or should I ever describe myself. I want it to be ‘Versatile’. Yes, for it was the perfect description. 

My problem was that I was unable to come up with any original ideas. Born without the ability of an inner monologue nor imagination, I had to rely on what I’ve experienced before. My pitch-dark mind would never create any images no matter how desperately I tried to conjure any; And that is why, I value the thoughts of others.

To be versatile, my views and crafts would not only reach a specific niche of people but reach out further, so that masters or practitioners of disciplines could network with me as we exchange ideas and lessons. In this manner, their lessons would serve me as a guide instead.

(469 Words)

[woiizakiie]

Week 6: What is critical self-reflectivity?

This week, we were tasked to roam around Sim Lim Square to identify design issues within the area. This is not to be confused with graphic design and signages but rather the design of a system. We delved into the layout of the actual mall of Sim Lim and we explored how its design was utterly confusing for consumers to navigate through.

We specifically focused on the mall's layout and navigation issues, as we all had personal experiences with getting lost within the mall. We condensed our issues to its floor plan and layout. Thereafter, we managed to propose 3 solutions before finalising it to 1 proposal while keeping the vendors, logistical issues and financial issues in play. We properly took into consideration the businesses involved and how we can improve the layout of the mall without disrupting or shifting businesses. 

Our slides and proposal towards tackling the issue at hand

I was pleasantly surprised how my group mates and I managed to delegate segments to talk about and distribute the workload evenly. I feel that each group member, including myself, was motivated by their own experiences. I find that it's easier to be self-reflective when there is a driving motivation behind it. 

I strive to contribute my share without becoming a burden to the rest of the group. I consider myself to have a high degree of self-awareness, which allows me to value and share my ideas with the group while also being aware of my moral obligation as to not remain silent and let my group mates take on the burden of the work alone.

(257 Words)

[woiizakiie]

Week 4 : A “noticing” walk through the National Gallery Singapore

During my time at the National Gallery, even though I have been there multiple times personally, I took this time to re-explore the paintings available and spend more time analysing it, thinking about things like “what drove the artists to really make this?” I'm sure countless others may look at a piece of work and think that they could do it as well, but what sets them apart from the artists whose works are displayed in the museum is that their works have meaning behind it, they created because they wanted to convey something. And what sets them apart from the people who claim they can recreate it, is that they actually produce it instead of just saying it.

One piece of work that really captured my attention was a piece from Chng Seok Tin’s Man and Environment.

According to Chng Seok Tin, “As an artist, you cannot just hide in your own tower. You should be concerned about society, about human beings, about the environment. Nowadays we talk a lot about how to save the world. We should be talking about how to save the human being.”

With this quote and the use of mixed media, I feel it really delves into how different we are from one another. Even though each and everyone of us have a unique set of childhood, traumas and unique experiences, we all somehow are able to relate to each other and empathise with one another. It shows that even though we are different, we have our own strange way of connecting back with one another. This piece really invoked strange feelings thinking about it and reminded me about what I had previously written about, in week 2

(284 Words)

[woiizakiie]

Week 2 : This Is How You Connect Theory and Practice

A common sentiment that we all share is that we all have different personalities when mixing with different people and circumstances. We all have a personal identity and even a professional one. Even though having a unique personality is good and important, it is important to only show what is relevant especially when placed in a workplace setting.

As designers, our design and professional identity can go hand in hand with our regular personality but also maintain a sense of refinement. However, we can actually fine tune the two and create our own sense of style.

Having a unique identity to me is an extremely important thing to have. It’s what distinguishes between you and others, and allows you to stand out from the crowd and make them curious and interested, in order to get to know you further

This week, we had to put together a “mood board” describing our personalities using pictures. 

My mood board along with the mood board I had made for my partner, Rabi!

After which, we had to do the same for a partner, even if I had not met them prior to the activity. I really loved this activity because I get to really explore and take a guess on someone’s personality from the short introductions and how they dress themselves. I especially love it when I am able to gauge them accurately, and seeing their faces light up. I feel that even this builds positive repertoire on myself too as it shows not only friends, but to potential clients, that I am attentive to details even without them needing to reveal much. 

(255 Words)