Intercultural Design Task III: Final Project
MODULE GCD61304: Intercultural Design
16/03/2024 - 22/03/2024 : Week 6 - Week 7
Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Task III: Project 1 (Proposal)
MODULE INSTRUCTION:
“FEB - APR 2024: GCD 60804 / DESIGN PRINCIPLES MODULE INFORMATION BOOKLET”
MAIN TASK I: Cultural Sensitivity in Design (Week 6 - 7)
Final Product: In this upcoming task, students within the cohort are expected to utilise the data collected from their research trips - produce visual designs outcomes that reflect their interpretation and definition of “Framing”, bearing in mind to consider cultural and aesthetic aspects, balanced with their design knowledge. Various directions and approaches can be engaged in, such as experimental design/art with the use of manual/digital or combination of both media.
MAIN TASK I: Cultural Sensitivity in Design (Week 6 - 7)
WEEK 6: Compiling Research + Website Development + Reworked Presentation
Meeting with the lecturer this week proved to be an excellent choice as our project’s theme was finally verified to be within the goal of this module. This small bit of news was great for the team as we felt more confident in our work and decisions moving forward. As this week would mark the end of the data collection, we would begin to fully commit ourselves to the required final project (being the website) as well as the presentation required by the module. Before we would be able to begin working however, the team collectively agreed to first compile a majority of our data into the correct formats and under the correct section as to prevent future confusion. At the same time, any previous written data or work would be moved to a secure document - checking if there would be anything for us to use.
For the website, I remained focused on completing the three sections as well as creating two new pages (members list + Resource list) in order to create a better flow between topics and to keep all information in one location. This way, lecturers would be able to check & verify our work without needing to access multiple pages. As for the three other pages (Calligraphy, Application, In Design;) I would continue to transcribe the data into more light-formal paragraphs - making the information easier to understand. This would also have the additional benefit of not directly copying information from each website. With the website being close to completion, I had offered to help the rest of the team with elements of the presentation - helping to make the work-load more manageable. To achieve this, I would be responsible for a section (as would all others) and would need to populate it with the relevant information. Overall, I had contributed heavily to the website and a few sections to the presentation. In total, I worked on ‘Evolution of Calligraphy, Application of Calligraphy, Design features of Calligraphy, home page & Resources page’ on the website. For the presentation, I had supported the writing of the introduction and had worked on the ‘Inclusivity section.’
“Working on the finalised website + the new pages.”
“Finalised Presentation for the Cultural Sensitivity Project”
Our ultimate goal this week was to finish the presentation & Website in order to allow us to focus our efforts on the ten-minute video as well as our E-portfolios in the following week.
WEEK 7: Final Wrap-up + E-Portfolio Development
With this week serving as the conclusion for this module, the team would mainly focus our efforts on cleaning-up any unfinished projects as well as working together to develop the required ten-minute video. When referring to ‘any unfinished projects,’ this mainly refers to us going through the attached links posted on the website & presentation and ensuring the links to the correct page as well as formatting them correctly (in case we had missed any.) Additionally, because of the website's formatting, we had to ensure that the text was legible against background photographs and all ‘buttons’ would connect to correct pages - ensuring a pleasant viewing experience.
For the final video required by the lecturers, our team leader was the greatest contributor to it, working on the voice-over narration as well as the editing. The only help requested of him was to help find additional B-reel footage to better populate the video - a task a few of us had aided in. With a majority of work now fully completed, the team was able to begin cleaning up our e-portfolios and ensuring all the correct information is relaid.
Reflection
Team & Work:
I would argue that some of the greatest points within this project was meeting up with the team and developing an organised plan on our next steps. Going to the museum with them was also a great time as not only did we choose to inquire more about each other's diverse cultures but, we also saw the importance of our work first hand - looking at the importance of recognising and preserving Calligraphy. As for the team’s work, it was mainly stressful and tiring as at some stages, it felt like we were unable to make substantial progress which brought the whole team down. In those moments, it was important for us to support one another and continue to work even if it would lead to mistakes because at least then, we had something to work off of. I am grateful that my team was able to achieve this and more; this project would’ve been lost if it was not for the reassurance and planning. For our communications, a majority of the members were cooperative (willing to view & practise different perspectives from a situation), timely/responsive and were punctual. Ultimately, this made us confident in one another's ability to complete tasks delegated to them and that we were willing to discuss solutions should it not work out. Finally, in this project, I feel that the team each contributed and played to their strengths such as effective research, layout & design, organisation etc.
Despite the positivity I can present, I would prefer to not work in group projects; especially in a short semester where members may have individual projects that they have to work on. Although this module has made me appreciate the importance of cultural sensitivity, it left me feeling rather drained over the past 7 weeks - occasionally preventing me from getting ample rest due to stress. Additionally, in all group assignments, there will be students who are committed to the project, and those who do very little. This is something the team have problems with at different points in time and it occasionally meant the delegated work was not being completed at an acceptable rate - a recipe for disaster. Another point of contention was the varying levels of skills within the team; leading to some members needing to carry in a specific section due to others not being able to help due to lack of knowledge. In some cases, this proved difficult as some members wanted work to be done to a certain level or in a specific style which not everyone was able to reach. I cannot speak on the behalf of my other members but this led to me feeling paranoid at some stages as I felt that I was maybe not contributing in the right way, wasting the team's time, or being seen as not contributing. Hopefully my work is shown to be somewhat valuable to the team and the end product. Regardless, I feel that I’ve done what I can to support the team and I believe I’ve done more than some members who, at least to me, felt absent most of the time.
Experience:
In my personal experience, this module is one of most stress-inducing academic subjects I’ve had to take in my life, mainly due to the mental strain it inflicted on me. My major concern (which was found to be somewhat true) was how open the lecturers made this module. Oftentimes, a lot of the questions posed would be met with “maybes” or “that’s up to you” which I understand is to encourage students to take risks but; it ultimately left us confused and making detrimental mistakes. The pressure first began after our first proposal was denied, leaving us with three weeks left to complete - stemming from the fact that the scope was not ‘fully outlined by the lectures.’ In the following week, the team poured endless hours in order to try and make up the difference but again, the second proposal was denied which was very disheartening. It was only at this point that the lecturers offered very small advice which we asked for the first time we failed and, it was because of this advice that by week 6, the project could finally be accepted. Again, I have no problem with how open the module can be (without it, I doubt I would’ve learnt what I had) but, presenting a better scope would be more useful. Finally, I believed that I may have had a worse time on this project simply because of my current mental state which, to keep a level of professionalism, was on a continuous decline and I hope it would not affect my team.
However, despite the negative experience, I do believe that it offered something more promising. Interestingly, the module has made me more confident with taking larger risks which may end-up with me making mistakes. I feel like I’m able to walk away from failure with a deeper understanding of what has been asked of me - presenting the determination to make corrections or being willing to start from scratch again. Additionally, as my ultimate goal is to work somewhere within the entertainment space, I feel that this module has introduced a line of thought which I’ve never fully explored - how much impact someone's work can have on a community or culture. It made me become more aware of the people around me and how to better approach the situation with respect and consideration of viewpoints beyond my perspective.
Overall, I feel like this module showed me the worst and best parts of working within larger groups and dealing with foreign ideals or beliefs that may interfere with your own. It was a great learning point and I am somewhat grateful to have completed this module. I hope that the lesson learnt here can be used later down the line in my other modules and allow me to work more cooperatively (only if forced to though, no more group work if unneeded.)
Comments
Post a Comment