INTERCULTURAL DESIGN / TASK 1-3

╎Week 1 - Week 7

╎Gwendalyn Firly Bong / 0374580

╎Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media


TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Lectures

II.Instructions

III. Tasks

IV. Reflection


II. LECTURES

Culture & Design
  • As designers, we need to be able to understand and express both
  • Designers need to be aware of cultural nuances, symbolism, and context to create designs that are inclusive and resonate with diverse audiences
  • We live in a visual information culture
    • Visuals are powerful persuasive medium to provide most of our information about the world
Figure 1.1: How images can help us understand data

  • Visuals are:
    • Everything that can be seen - works for everything including nature, but nature is not culture unless there is meaning attached to it
    • Everything produced or created by humans that can be seen 
Design Significance
  • We need to identify the social, cultural, and political spheres where the design elements exist
    • Through understanding the cultures, philosophy, sociology, and history

Figure 1.2: The Design System


Figure 1.3: The Design System


Design Sensitivity - Cultural Sensitivity Awareness 
  • Symbolism and Imagery
    • Certain symbols and images may carry different meanings in different cultures
    • Designers should avoid potential misinterpretations and offense
  • Color Considerations
    • Colors can have cultural significance, and their colors vary across societies
  • Typography and Language
    • Fonts and text styles that are culturally appropriate are important
    • Considering language variations and accurate translations is important for reaching diverse audiences
    Design Sensitivity - Addressing Cultural Sensitivity 
      • Inclusive Design
        • Designers should create products and experiences that are accessible and inclusive for people from various cultural backgrounds
      • User Research
        • Proper research including ethnographic studies and user testing across diverse groups helps designers gain insights into different preferences and behaviors
      • Localization
        • Adapting designs to specific cultural contexts through localization can enhance the relevance and acceptance 
      • Cultural Awareness Training
        • Design teams can benefit from proper training to develop a deeper understanding of different perspectives and sensitivities


      II. INSTRUCTIONS 

      <iframe src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iZ_HJ4hJmkqk22BJ4JDcBu79GeW2Xy89/preview" width="640" height="480" allow="autoplay"></iframe>



      III. TASKS

      Proposal (Task 1)
      For the first part of this assignment, we are tasked to research a cultural topic related to the theme of "Everyday Design." We will then create a proposal that interprets the theme, connecting it to the chosen cultural elements, and present three preliminary design ideas.

      Research and Ideation
      While researching different cultures, we went through many different options like Mexico, Japan, and China. We then realized the answer was closer than we expected—right where we are: Malaysia.

      Malaysia is a mix of many different ethnicities, the main ones being Malay, Chinese, and Indian; where these ethnicities have united together, coexisting with each other for a long time. Although living harmoniously, like many other countries, differences set us apart, and conflict still unfortunately and inevitably exists within our society. This inspired us to create our idea based on Malaysian culture, where our idea and objective is to try and bring unity to the people of Malaysia.

      We went through several ideas including lamps, tea sets, and dining sets before finally settling on fashion. 

      Fashion is a way of expression and is an integral part of society, acting as a bridge that brings people together. Our idea is to use fashion to make our statement, where we are utilizing jeans as a canvas to represent our objective; bringing unity amongst the main Malaysian cultures

      Why did we pick jeans?
      Jeans are a universally-recognised piece of unisex everyday clothing, and are a wardrobe staple that can be found almost everywhere, including in Malaysia. This allows us to use the jeans to create our design that incorporates significant cultural designs and symbols, which will encourage a wider audience to celebrate and appreciate the diverse cultures and heritage Malaysia has to offer in their everyday lives.

      After deciding on jeans, we started on the 3 different designs. 

      Process and Sketches
      Figure 2.1: Early Sketches

      Figure 2.2: Final 3 Designs


      Final Proposal

      <iframe src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eCCGoDNGEz7BX_HxU8ZKIQBgBf_T_LQV/preview" width="640" height="480" allow="autoplay"></iframe>

      Field Study (Task 2)
      After finishing the proposal, we jump straight to the data collection. We are tasked to collect visual, oral, textual, and tangible data that is related to the idea we picked in Task 1. We decided to split the data collection into 4 parts:

      Secondary Research:
      • Global fashion trends that blend cultural heritage into modern clothing 
      • Local brands that do similar design which includes cultural design
      • Cultural textile research
      Interviews:
      • Malay, Chinese, and Indian communities 
      • Fashion design lecturer
      • Taylor's students
      • Foreigners
      Observational Study (Field Research):
      • Visit places related to Malay, Chinese, and Indian heritage (e.g. National Textile Museum, Pasar Seni, Petaling Street, Masjid India)
      • Observe traditional clothing, motifs, and fabric patterns associated with each culture
      • Document key colors, textures, and embroidery styles 
      Tangible Research
      • Research about jeans
      • Making of the patchwork jeans
      Data Presentation
      <iframe src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UltTsM8GkUVYYzSo4bBTuGhGV1JYAYEH/preview" width="640" height="480" allow="autoplay"></iframe>

      Field Study (Task 3)
      For the final task, we worked on completing the final product; the jeans. We are also tasked to create a TikTok page showcasing our project.

      Here is our TikTok video plan:

      1. ⁠Introduction: 
      • A short attention-grabbing video that hooks viewers, showcasing who we are and why they should follow our content
      2.⁠ ⁠Explanation part 1 - Why do we want to promote unity in Malaysia?: 
      • A brief explanation of how we studied each culture, selected symbolic patterns from each, and combined them to create jeans designed for everyday wear for everyone.
      3. Explanation part 2 - How will we promote unity in Malaysia?: 
      • A brief explanation of Malaysia as a multicultural country and our mission to promote peace among its three main races.
      4.⁠ ⁠⁠Interview 1
      • Interview 3 students around campus for their thoughts on “unity in malaysia”
      5.⁠ ⁠⁠Vlog 
      • A vlog on our experience going to the National Textile Museum and fabric shopping
      6.⁠ ⁠⁠Jeans making process 1
      • Showcasing the process of making the jeans
      7. Jeans making process 2
      • Showcasing the process of making the jeans + reveal of final product
      8.⁠ ⁠⁠Interview 2 
      • Final interview collecting the thoughts students have on our jeans + concept, to see if we acheived our goal.
      9.⁠ ⁠⁠OOTD
      • A short showcase featuring our group members wearing the jeans
      10.⁠ ⁠Conclusion
      • An interview-based reflection amongst our team to gain insight on our final thoughts of the journey.
      Figure 3: Final Jeans



      Final Presentation
      Final Presentation by hhh Hhh

      IV. FEEDBACK

      Week 1 (7/2/25)

      General Feedback : An introduction to our module and task, where we were introduced to our lecturers and everyday designs, and had form a group with peers to start researching and 

      ideating for Task 1.


      Week 2 (13/2/25)

      General Feedback : To continue researching and ideating, and to create our powerpoint presentations for submission on week 3. 

      Specific Feedback : Idea to focus on the 3 cultures of Malaysia and to unite them was accepted, however being advised to try not be stereotypical.



      Week 3 (21/2/25)

      General Feedback : Finish research and slides to move on to recording a presentation on zoom for submission, where we must compile the slides and presentation in a google file.

      Specific Feedback : Instead on focusing on 3 different objects, focus on 1 and create 3 designs from there (jeans), as well as make their designs stand out to emphasis your point; focus on the meaning and way we design to emphasis unity.

      ________



      Week 4 (27/2/25)


      General Feedback : No lecture / consultation to focus on Task 2 data collection, however we discussed with Dr Charles over teams to get reassurance / directions for questions / topics we were going to research about to start task 2.


      ________



      Week 5 (5/3/25)


      General Feedback : Complete Task 2 research / presentation.


      ________



      Week 6 (12/3/25) & Week 7 (19/3/25)


      General Feedback : No classes for Week 6 & 7 - Time taken to complete Task 3 & presentation.




      V. REFLECTION

      Experience 

      This module was filled with many ups and downs for me personally. Since we were told to team up with random people, it was quite difficult to communicate with some of the members and it was quite awkward. as we progressed with the project, it got much easier to talk to each other and we were able to finish the tasks together. 


      Observation 

      One of the tasks in this module is data collection. Me and my group members decided to explore several places around our area to learn more about the traditional textiles. this allowed me to heighten my observation skills as I had to pay attention to each detail the textiles and fabrics had


      Findings

      Through this module, I was able to learn so much more about malaysia’s diverse culture and their traditions. I was able to do lots of research on their traditional clothing, food, fabrics and many more! 





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