Intercultural Design Task I: Project 1 (Proposal)
MODULE GCD61304: Intercultural Design
05/02/2024 - 23/02/2024 : Week 1 - Week 3
Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Task I: Project 1 (Proposal)
MODULE INSTRUCTION:
“FEB - APR 2024: GCD 60804 / DESIGN PRINCIPLES MODULE INFORMATION BOOKLET”
MAIN TASK I: Cultural Sensitivity in Design (Week 1 - 3)
Understanding & proposal: In this upcoming task, students within the cohort are expected to thoroughly explore a ‘Cultural Phenomenon’ or ‘Particular Subculture’ which is generally perceived to be ‘sensitive’ and develop a proposal; populated with concrete ideas, supported by research. The End-goal of this Open-End Project is to produce a final Design on a given theme based around the students’ understanding and interpretation of global issues & design aesthetics of their chosen subject.
MAIN TASK I: Cultural Sensitivity in Design (Week 1 - 3)
WEEK 1: Exploration & Rationale of Cultural Sensitivity
As outlined by the lecturers, we as a society live in a visually informative culture; there has been no other point in history in which visual symbols feature so prevalently in all aspects of our daily activities. The visual medium is one of the most powerful due to its persuasive nature and its ability to convey crucial information about the world. As future designers, it is important that we approach the study of such symbols while being aware of its cultural nuances, symbolism, and context in order to create inclusive designs which are able to resonate with diverse audiences. This aspect of study is referred to as ‘Cultural Sensitivity.’
From Personal Research: “Cultural Sensitivity” is a broad subject which generally refers to one’s awareness, understanding and respect towards both diverse cultural & subcultural backgrounds and their practising beliefs, values & customs within a global society. It is often expected of individuals to demonstrate a level of respectful & inclusivity towards foreign cultures - approaching diverse situations with empathy & the willingness to learn more about a culture or custom removed from one's self. In relation to Creative Design, “Cultural Sensitivity” acknowledges the diverse setting and should avoid the portrayal of stereotypes, biases or cultural appropriation - avoiding the negative presentation or unthoughtful consideration of something foreign to local culture.
From a personal perspective, It is important for creators to approach their projects with a consideration of their audiences’ diversity (both intended & general) and should be treated with humility & corrections when a mistake is presented. A common situation is for an individual to be confronted with a culture they may not have ever heard of or been involved with, hence why the general practice of being respectful & showing humility should be considered - errors and miscommunications can occur. Regardless, it is important for Creators to conduct thorough research into a culture they may wish to portray - Culture referring to anything as grand as religious views or as simple as a different ethnicity.
Design Significance:
When designing, it is important to be able to identify the social, cultural & political sphere in which the design will be used or is currently utilised. With this, designers are able to determine the significance of said design in its cultural environment (including its philosophy, sociology and origin history.) Although this is an extensive topic which reaches a global audience - this module aims to be a simplification which breaks down and explains the design system. Cultural Sensitivity as a module goes beyond the Design School or mere aesthetic choices; it encompasses the logical process of design - factoring in its functionality, usability, and the overall user experience.
“Structuring of the Design System Pyramid - suggesting the importance of each aspects of design”
Cultural Sensitivity Awareness:
As future Designers who may intend to work in civil/public sectors, being aware of Cultural Sensitivity allows us to approach various situations with the respect and considerations required when working alongside different cultures or communities. Before beginning a Design it is important to recognise the following aspects in order to effectively utilise the visual medium:
Symbolism & Imagery relates to certain symbols and/or images which may carry different meanings across global cultures. In such situations, designers will need to consider the scope of their audience in order to remain mindful of any potentially negative cultural interpretations or unintentional misunderstandings. This is important to consider as some cultures may view this interpretation as an offence.
Colours are a popular aspect of design which needs to be properly considered as some of them have cultural significance in some cultures or societies. Designers need to understand the cultural associations of colours as it can help imply a certain message. Regardless, designers need to remember that colour is just as significant as a design and should be chosen appropriately.
Typography and other aspects of visual language may also factor into a culturally sensible design. Choosing specific fonts or text-styles is important as the text should remain easily readable for audiences. Additionally, some languages may have variations in organisation and ensuring that an accurate translation is present is crucial for reaching diverse audiences.
Inclusive Designs should be an ultimate goal for designers; creating a product or experience which is accessible by multiple, diverse audiences. The best approach for an Inclusive design is to create a work which is able to relate to people from various cultural backgrounds, differing abilities or needs while not isolating a specific group or community.
When working on any project, User Research the most integral processes required in design. Conducting thorough research, including ethnographic studies and public-testing information across diverse groups will help designers gain further insights into cultural preferences and behaviours of targeted audiences.
As specified above, Localisation is an effective way to communicate with a smaller/local audience while still employing the same design techniques. For large-scale projects, designs may need to be altered to fit a specific cultural context and can enhance the acceptance of a product or service. This process is also known as glocalisation.
WEEK 2: Group Formation & Means of Investigation
Research & Investigation:
As a majority of this course will feature online research and in-person investigations; research is a major factor for all groups. Research in general is used to unite theories and practises to rationalise and explain the team's rationale. As a result, research will be an ongoing task and should feature heavily in the Project-proposal stage, the rationale & development stage and the creation of the final project stage. Before beginning research, the following should be understood:
How to do your research
Primary Findings refers to any self-produced research or work used in the project - often seen as sketches, storyboards, wireframes, website layout or in-person observations. Secondary Findings will be the majority of research as it refers to any data collected from Websites, documentaries, films or art, and even Inspirational sources (any source referenced which isn’t your own.) Information presented should be satisfactory when talking with the lecturers; having no follow-up questions. Everything should be easy to understand even to a person with no understanding of the core subject.
Further exploration can be documented by the students in the form of an On-site Observation. This form of research is highly recommended by the lecturers, due to them encouraging critical thinking - the ability to obtain & create rationales or points of interest on pure observation. Furthermore, it can provide a more coherent understanding of the topic due to in-person connections to said topic. Interviews and surveys can also be useful as students are directly communicating with members of the subculture and can provide the most honest information. Additionally, you can also find out what the general public thinks of said subculture. Could be useful to determine a middle ground between community vs. society (If that is something your group requires.)
WEEK 3: Group Rationale & Outcomes
This week’s expected work would see the group developing a project proposal to explain our final concept. The proposal is mainly to aid in concretising ideas, supported by our research & understanding - providing a clearer picture for our final design/theme. This final theme should revolve around a topic which reflects students’ understanding and interpretation of global issues and design aesthetics; being portrayed in a culturally sensitive manner. Before beginning the writing process, the following information was provided to the group as it appears:
The Project’s General theme is to centre around “Cultural Sensitivity in Design (as recognised by students.) Students are to study a specific cultural phenomenon or particular subculture that is perceived as ‘sensitive’, and “frame” your study within the chosen theme. Students are to convey this cultural aspect without altering the actual facts but within a presentable interpretation and adaptation that raises awareness from the viewers. Produce some preliminary ideas on how to visually express your interpretation using design language. Each idea is to be supported by a short rationale. Conduct visual research to help expand your idea generation.
Developing Rationale:
In the beginning, our group appeared to be somewhat confused with the lack of direction provided by the lecturers - something addressed by them as an “open-ended assignment.” This freedom would ultimately allow our group to choose our own subject while also determining our own end-goal; however, this ‘freedom’ would leave us a bit scattered on how to approach. After some time discussing possible communities or groups we wanted to study, the group would ultimately decide on going with three culture-groups “Arab, South Indian and Xhosa culture.” Our new goal for the proposal would see the group explaining the relations between minority cultures and how to better implement them into the global consciousness. For the presentation aspect, we split off into smaller research groups which each tackle one culture - researching on agreed upon aspect-of-culture to compare & contrast.
“Structuring of the Design System Pyramid - suggesting the importance of each aspects of design”
“Submitted Presentation &Video for Cultural Sensitivity”
For this stage of the Task, all the research used is cited and is visible at the end of the presentation - on the last two slides. The sketches presented were created by three of our group members (I was not one of them.) With this proposal, our lecturer did not feel confident with our approach and recommended that we choose to narrow our project down to ‘Cultural Appropriation’ which should focus on one culture only. For this next task, we would choose to focus on Arabic Culture as we would access sights to help with our in-person investigations. Additionally, we decided to move our efforts to a Website which I would mainly manage & Develop.
TASK I LECTURER FEEDBACK:
As this time would mainly be setting up and developing the main project, students were unable to effectively meet with the lecturers and would be able to begin seeing them during week 4. As a result, no effective feedback can be presented on this task of the assignment.
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