Intercultural Design

Proposal, Data Collection and Final Outcome

Bertrand Alden Gani / 0370471

Bachelor of Design in Creative Media

Intercultural Design - Sem 1

Instructions

PROJECT 1 - PROPOSAL

On this module, we were divided into groups to determine a cultural driven basic assumptions or artifacts and products for our artwork projects topic. We were to refer to the breakdown or expansion of the Design System to study our chosen topic or artifacts. 

We were to compile our findings in a presentation deck along with the 200 words rationale and minimum 3 sketches of project artwork for our proposal. 

Group 39 : 
1. Jennifer Huang (0352990) - Leader
2. Felicia Aurelia Kosasih (0352990) 
3. Jolin Ceria (0363784)
4. Eshaa dina darsheeni (0358298) 
5. Bertrand alden gani (0370471)
6. Navisah Azzahrah Abduh (0371099)

For this task, we decided to go with Asian Traditional Beliefs. Since its still quite broad, we figure we should narrow down into more specific theme so we did a little brainstorming 

ABOUT ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

In the idea exploration, me and Ichu came up with Academic Excellence as our second topic, the reason we chose this is because In Asian cultures, parents tend to really prioritize and expect their child to succeed in academic. It differs from Western parents by placing greater importance on collective goals and family harmony.

WHY DOES ASIAN FOCUS SO MUCH ON ACADEMICS?

Here we list some of the possible reasons :

• These cultures highly value education and see it as the only legitimate means of success and upward social mobility.
• There are historical roots for this popular appreciation of education, e.g. Confucianism.
• These cultures are obsessed with reputation and public image.
• No notion of work/life balance, which obviously bleeds into parenting techniques.
• These are conservative societies with very traditional measures of success: marriage + kids + affluence from a "respectable" line of work, and enormous social pressure to adhere to these measures of success.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ASIAN AND WESTERN'S VIEW ON ACADEMIC IMPORTANCE?

Asian : Parents in Asia put a lot of emphasis on academics as they believe it is crucial for their children's success. When Asian kids didn’t get a good score, usually some parents in Asia could threaten their children by hitting them with rotan, sandals, belts, or other stuff.

Western : Western Parents generally give their child more freedom to make decision for themselves, such as choosing their own school, picking what they want to study, etc. If western kids get a bad score, most of their parents will still support their children because they know that school is not everything.

HOW IS IT RELEVANT TO CULTURAL SENSITIVITY

Asian ways of teaching on academic excellence over centuries can be observed on our current modern society. Many today’s world successfull men and women are the products of such way of teaching. Some view it as the better way to guaranteed one’s a bright future, while some view it as abuse and torture for children.

IDEA EXPLORATION AND SKETCH 

For the sketch, we were thinking of making a poster or short comic about different parent perspective about their children academic achievement, we finalize our idea by making poster with bit of meme style, we chose the mother character of Asian cartoon (Doraemon) and Western cartoon (The Simpsons). It aims to show the different view of different parent about their children academic result.

Rationale :  

Most people know that asian parenting is famous because their strictness on academic. There’s a traditional belief that one’s life is complete when one’s have good marriage, good family, and good career. Many people believed that in order to achieve all of those goals, the first step is to do well on education. Therefore, many asian parents invest much money for their children’s education started in such a young age, as a return, they expect their children to achieve great results.

The designs showcase an example of asian parents focusing their children on academic excellence. as you can see, we chose 2 different cartoon (the simpsons and doraemon) these are because the simpsons is a western animation and doraemon is an asian animation. we also made some details, such as Geta (asian wood sandal) on the left drawing. And then, on the right draw, is about "Which parent would you tell about your test result?", we also can see 2 buttons on the tabble to choose the parent u want.

FINAL SLIDES PROJECT 1 -  PROPOSAL

PROJECT 2 - DATA COLLECTION

In the end, we finalize going with the topic tetraphobia. 

ABOUT TETRAPHOBIA

Tetraphobia, the fear of the number 4, is a phobia that was born from a superstition that is mainly prevalent in East Asian cultures, notably Chinese, Japanese, and Korean cultures. This superstition stems from the fact that the number four in those languages have a similar pronunciation to the word “death”.

Our group chose to explore Asian traditional beliefs because we believe it's important to understand and respect different cultures. These beliefs are a big part of Asian societies and influence how millions of people see the world. By learning about Asian traditional beliefs, we want to become more understanding and appreciative of other cultures. We hope to learn new things, challenge any wrong ideas we might have, and understand the values and customs that are important to people.

In today's world, where everyone is connected, it's crucial to be sensitive to different cultures. By studying Asian traditional beliefs, we want to create a welcoming environment where everyone feels respected, no matter where they're from. In short, our group's decision to focus on Asian traditional beliefs is all about showing respect, understanding, and empathy for different cultures. We believe this will help make the world a better, more inclusive place for everyone.

DATA COLLECTION

For the data collection, we did 2 type of data collection, quantitative and qualitative, survey and online interview. We divide our group into 2 group, 4 person do online survey (google form questionaire) and 2 person do Interview. me and felicia are responsible for interview. 

we first discuss our questions and compile them together, here are the questions we're asking interviewee : 

1. What does tetraphobia mean to you personally?

2. Can you describe any experiences you've had or witnessed related to tetraphobia?

3. How prevalent do you think tetraphobia is in society today?

4. What cultural or historical factors do you believe contribute to tetraphobia?

5. Have you ever seen tetraphobia affect decision-making processes, either personally or professionally?

6. How do you think tetraphobia influences architecture or urban planning in areas where it's prevalent?

7. Have you encountered any superstitions or rituals associated with tetraphobia in your community or culture?

8. How do people typically cope with or address tetraphobia?

9. Do you think tetraphobia has any impact on mental health or well-being?

10. In what ways, if any, do you believe tetraphobia intersects with broader societal beliefs or fears?

11. Have you noticed any efforts to challenge or mitigate tetraphobia in society?

12. How do you think tetraphobia compares to other phobias in terms of its societal impact?

13. Are there any misconceptions about tetraphobia that you'd like to address?

14. How do you personally navigate situations where tetraphobia may come into play?

15. Do you think tetraphobia is more prevalent in certain demographics or regions? If so, why do you think that is?

FINAL SLIDES PROJECT 2 -  DATA COLLECTION 

INTERVIEW CONCLUSION 

Based on the online interviews with two individuals regarding tetraphobia, it's evident that this fear of the number four deeply affects their lives. Tetraphobia is characterized by an intense dread, influenced by cultural and historical associations with bad luck or mortality. Both interviewees recounted experiences where tetraphobia impacted decision-making, architecture, and daily rituals. Coping mechanisms varied, with some relying on superstitions while others sought therapy. The prevalence of tetraphobia may vary by region and demographic, but its societal impact underscores the need for education and awareness to challenge irrational fears and promote mental well-being.

FINAL PROJECT 

For the final product, we decided to do e-comic about tetraphobia.  

WORK DIVISION : 

1. Script writer - Jennifer 

2. Mood board, character, color palette - Jennifer 

3. Sketches : 
    a.  Page 1 - Ichu 
    b. Page 2 - Jennifer 
    c. Page 3 - Eshaa
    d. Comic Cover - Felicia
4. Final Illustration + colors 

    a. Page 1 - Bertrand

    b. Page 2 - Jolin & Bertrand 

    c. Page 3 - Jolin

FINAL ILLUSTRATION + COLORS - PAGE 1 & 2

Here I did my part which is finalizing and coloring, first I used Procreate to do the coloring. After that, I proceed to add the texts with Photoshop.

FINAL COMIC - PDF

This is how the comic looks like in pdf form, after this we're collecting our final comic to turn it into e-comic. 
Final e-comic : https://online.fliphtml5.com/sduhx/cpdj/#p=1

FINAL PROJECT SLIDES 

REFLECTION 

If anything, this module has made me discover new types of phobias that i did not know exists. It was quite a fun experience making new friends and also quite stressful being the coordinator for the group. There were times that i felt frustrated because of the lack of participation in group chats and i feel kind of confused sometimes since it seems like i'm the one stressing out about the tasks more than the others? i don't know honeslty i guess its just the pressure of being the main coordinator for the group. But other than that this was quite fun, learning about tetraphobia and making a-comic so that people can know more about tetraphobia.