Propaganda Rationale
The topic I chose for my propaganda was animal adoption. I have clearly stated the purpose of my propaganda with bold letters on the center saying “Adopt, Don’t Shop.” I have chosen this topic because pets are becoming a part of our life. However, as they receive more love and attention from the crowds, their danger also rises due to illegal breeding and continuous abandonment. Firstly, I have chosen a pink background to illustrate love and the heart-pounding emotion of meeting a dog you love at first sight.
The bolded letters in the center are the message I want to communicate through this propaganda, and I have used the biggest font here to add visual weight to it and make it eye-catching. Another caption added to the propaganda was an explanation that communicated to the audience why they had to adopt instead of buy. It was written almost in an indignant tone to add power to the diction and emphasize adoption. “Buying animal is killing animal” is an extreme description of animal buying, but the audiences could feel empathy through this phrasing and take action in adopting homeless animals.
I took the image of a retriever on the bottom of the propaganda in one of the
animal shelters in Beijing, and I have added this image because I thought his innocent smile shown could cure the hearts of lonely people. I also wanted to communicate through this picture how animals would smile and feel happy even though they are not in the best environment, unlike humans. The small image of a grey puddle is me with my dog ‘Ray’ on the first day I brought her home from an animal shelter. Adopting animals doesn’t always mean they must be adults; it could also be young dogs born in the shelter.
Paper 1 Speech Transcript
This text is Michelle Obama’s speech in 2020 at the US Democratic National Convention. It was a presidential nominating convention, and Michelle Obama’s speech was delivered on the first day. She separates her speech into three sections to persuade US citizens who have a voting right to vote for Joe Biden.
In the first section of the speech, from lines 1 to 20, she gives a general introduction and context to inform the audience about her speech and the topic she focuses on: “Empathy.” She uses appeals to pathos in this section as she starts talking about her children and the kids in the US. She states: “But right now, kids in this country are seeing what happens when we stop requiring empathy of one another.” She appeals to pathos in raising up their children and stating the reality in which they see through a repetition of ‘they see….’ She does this to target US citizens raising a child and those who really care for the future of the next generation. Her tone is firm, and her diction seems disappointed at this reality since she claims that these are not what children and their kids should see in society. However, her tone slightly changes in the next section.
In section 2, from lines 21 to 39, she uses a sincere and persuasive tone to find the solutions to the problems she mentioned in section 1. She states: “sadly, this is America that is on display for the next generation.” This implies that she has accepted the reality and is confident that this is true. She repeats the phrase ‘we’ and ‘our’ to confirm that the nation and its citizens are all one community and, therefore, should find a solution together. She also has short sentences at the end of each paragraph, which might sound firm but to cheer and persuade the citizens that they can change the future and that they are the ones to save their children’s future. In the last sections, she gives the purpose of her speech.
In section 3, starting from lines 40-51, she again appeals to pathos to conclude the speech and give her stand. She calmly implies: “you know I hate politics. But you also know that I care about this nation. You know how much I care about all of our children.” Her appeal to pathos is combined with ethos since she uses her identity and experience in this field to transfer her speech. She brings up their children again and the nation to give a straight answer as to who she wants the citizens to vote for.
To conclude, Michelle Obama uses appeals to pathos, ethos, and different tones through three sections of the speech to persuade US citizens to vote for Joe Biden and change the future of their children.
Independent Project – Create & Improve
Final Submission
Final Presentation:
I have two fake earrings as my final product. I only planned to make one at the beginning but after I realized that I still have time left, I decided to make one more simple one. From the picture, we can see that the one on the left side seems to be more complicated compared to the one on the right side. This was because my first finished product was the one on the left side and I thought that I was already satisfied with this one but once I noticed that I had some time left, I decided to make another one which is simple and could be worn daily. All of the materials were matched with the audience’s taste and their feedback during the beginning. Even though it is made with simple materials, the quality and visual is still good.
This is how it looks like when it is worn onto the ears. As you can see, this design is very fancy and includes several decorations. The decorations weren’t like this at first. The first two decorations I put on there were a flower and a leaf. However, when I tried them on, they looked too ordinary so I changed them to the one currently.
This is the second design I made. This design is rather simple than the first design since the time limitation was shorter and the audience’s also wanted a simple design. The flower decoration on the bottom was added at the last second due to the audience’s requests.
Success Criteria:
The success criteria that I set for myself at first was that it should be aesthetically appealing that my audience or I could physically wear when going outside. I have tried to make my product not too fancy but also unique so that it would light up in public. The first design might seem a bit fancy but the people who really like fashion would like this design. The second design is simple that I am even currently wearing into the public. I have slightly failed my second success criteria since it was to make the earrings unpainful but some of the parts did hurt my ear.
Reflect:
I enjoyed the whole process of making the product since I really like making stuff and it was my first time creating my own earrings. I think I did well on matching the audience’s taste since the decorations and the colors all matched my results with the survey. It was pretty difficult planning the design since I couldn’t think of a design that I really liked. I think maybe next time, I should try to create some more designs or refine some of the disadvantages of the earrings.
Independent Project – Create & Improve
Final Submission
The original logo of the restaurant:
Final Presentation:
This is the final mockup of my design. This design shows every aspect of the client’s taste and what they wanted for their final logo. Every characteristic of the design represents different things. The letter and the red logo in front of it is the original logo of the restaurant. The client has demanded that their original logo must be on the design. The letter ‘中菜’ in the center translates to Chinese food and it was added as a brief description of what the restaurant is. Lastly, the lantern on the right top corner was not expected until the very last stage. This was added by the client’s demand for a Chinese pattern or symbol on the design. It was really challenging to add another design since I thought that it might become too complicated if there are three different attributes but still, the client was satisfied with the final product.
Design Process:
When I was planning on designing a product for the menu, I didn’t expect that the final product would end up like this. This was what I thought would be my final product and that I would only need to add some colors.
However, when I showed this to my client to ask for color choices, they responded as if they were not satisfied with the product and that they think the design is too similar to the original design.
So, I decided to do the fifth design from my thumbnail sketch which is the one for my final product.
This was what I had at the first stage of the design where I haven’t added any details yet.
When I received the client’s feedback, they had really specific expectations for the design. First of all, they wanted the logo to be smaller and go on the bottom-right side of the name. Second, they didn’t like the font of the design since they wanted a rounder font. They also wanted the frame to be a square and the words being able to fill up the whole box.
These were the first few changes I made according to the client’s feedback. The bottom two are more towards what I liked and the top two followed the client’s taste.
Finally, the client has accepted one of the designs which was the top center one since it had the most round font and a square frame. Then, the client has advised me to make the word 安東荘 in black and the logo in red.
These were the few ideas I generated according to the client’s advice and when I asked the client for a choice, they had some more expectations.
They liked the one on the bottom center since the color coordination was good. However, they also expected some more corrections. First, to fill in 安東荘 with black instead of just having the outlines and to make the frame thicker.
This was the final product that matched all of the client’s expectations. When I finally showed this to the client, there were several positive reactions and they were all really satisfied except for minor changes.
They wanted the logo of the restaurant to go in front of the 安東荘 instead of under it.
When I showed this, they were really satisfied with the product and believed in my technical skills. However, soon after, there was another demand which was to add a deco on the top that represents China. I was already really tired of making any more changes but the clients agreed that this would be their last expectation so I tried to put a lantern on the design. 
These lanterns were copied from designs I found on the internet since I didn’t have any strength left to create another decoration. Finally, the clients came to an end and decided that the middle one on the top row is the best.
Success Criteria:
The success criteria I have stated during the previous stage were: I hope that my final design could be used physically in the restaurant. My finished project would match very well with the whole mood of the restaurant and it would be used for logos in the restaurant. I can know that my design is successful when the client has shown satisfaction with the design and that they are willing to use the design. If they think that the design is good but does not match the mood of the restaurant, it would not be a successful design.
I have succeeded with more than half of my objectives. First of all, the client is very satisfied with the final product. They have claimed that it is the design they wanted and really fits the mood of the restaurant. In fact, the design really fits the ‘modern but historical’ mood of the restaurant. I am not sure if the clients would physically use the design but there is a high chance they will.
The strength of my design is that it looks very aesthetically appealing compared to the technical ability that I learned and have currently. The different decorations on the design collaborate very well and don’t seem too weird or off-topic. The color usage on the design is also very even. Red and black are the main colors in my design and from the final product, we can see that except for some flowers and branched on the lantern, there aren’t any outstanding colors that affect the design. The weakness of my design would be that it includes too many different decorations that make it seem too much when added together. The design seems to be too complicated compared to the original design. In the future, I would simplify some decorations or take them out to make the design just right.
Reflect:
I really enjoyed seeing the changes every time I added new designs and how they improved better each time. It was really interesting and I slowly started to enjoy the process. I think I did really well on matching the client’s taste and following their demands. Even though I followed all their demand, the process was challenging since they had too many expectations and sometimes, I was getting tired of their wants. I think in the future, I would have to set a line for the clients so that they don’t ask for too many expectations. Even though the process was challenging and hard, I am still satisfied with the result since it is better than what I thought would end up as and all of my efforts are added.
Develop & Plan: Blog Reflection
Planning and Developing
Range of Ideas:
These were the planning stage of my product. With the help of different characteristics and attributes, I was able to choose different points and put them together to generate different sketches. Also, the brainstorm would help me reflect on the difference between my imagination and the physical product after I make my earring.
Thumbnail Sketches:
These were the thumbnail sketches I created for my earring design. Most of them used chains or clips to hang them on the ear and others were just normal decorations to put on the earring. I tried to make different styles of earrings according to my mind map. The ideas ranged from dangling ones to shinny ones and to simple ones. When I ran out of ideas, I used the SCAMPER technique to create more designs. Changing my positions or the surrounding also helped when I was stuck. It was a challenge for me to include eco-friendly attributes into the designs so I have excluded those topics. 
Top Ideas:
There were three ideas that I chose for my best because I wanted them to all have some different designs. The first pair is a design where is uses a pearl and melted plastic as the main decoration. The design is very simple and could be worn by every person daily. The second design starts to get fancy and complicated. I also wanted to promote the idea that earrings don’t always have to be paired and could be an individual design. There would be one to two decorations between the earring and it would be connected with a chain. The third design could be related to the eco-friendly concept where the decorations are recycled plastics or somewhat related to pollution. Overall, I decided to make the second design my final product since it matched the most with my success criteria and it was the most pretty one. If I have the time or opportunity, I would like to make more designs that have similar characteristics. 
Success Criteria:
The success criteria for my final would be first of all, aesthetically appealing that my audience or I could physically wear when going outside. The whole purpose of me making this product is because I wanted to own an earring of my own that I designed and that I could get positive feedbacks from people. The second success criteria would be that it doesn’t hurt. The fake earrings that are sold in the public have inefficient clips that hurt the ears make them red. The ones that I am making would be made from soft materials or covered with soft materials.
Key Design Decision:
There have been some major decisions that I had to make during the process. The first decision was what earring I am going to make. I liked all of the top ideas I had and I wanted to try making all of them but it was hard since there was a time limit. The second decision I had to make was what kind of decorations I would put on the earring and how I am going to make it. I was thinking to make them out from recycled plastic or the laser cutter but after I acknowledged that there was a jewelry supply box in our school, I decided to make my earring using those supplies and order some that are missing.
Plan Document:
This is the plan document for my earring that contains all the specific information like the size, color, etc… I have all types of decorations and materials I would be using for my product. I have split the decorations into two categories; related to environment and audience taste. The decorations really differ depending on which family it is categorized in. We can see that the decorations related to the environment are fancier then the ones from the audience’s taste.
These are the techniques from the first stage of my planning to the last stage of my modeling. These contain important and useful techniques I can use when I am making my product.
Next Step:
The next step of my design would be to make the physical product and receive some feedback from the audiences (the ones who took my survey).
Develop & Plan: Blog Reflection
Planning and Developing
Range of Ideas:
These were the mind-mapping stage of my design. Before this stage, I still didn’t have an exact idea of what my design would look like but through the mind-map and ideation matrix, I slowly caught the general form of my design. This really helped me to generate ideas and thumbnail sketches because whenever I was stuck, when I went back to the ideation matrix, I was able to regenerate more ideas.
These were my thumbnail sketches as I generated through the classes. As you can see, I have tried to arrange them into similar groupings so that when I look back, I could choose from different groups and show a range of ideas. Most of the ideas included the words and the logo itself while others were connected more towards the attribute of the restaurants.
Top Ideas:
These were my final top ideas. I had to change some of the designs during the development because when I was trying to receive some feedback from my client, they were not satisfied with three of my decisions and they offered me to change them into some other designs. The top ideas that I chose during the first stage were logos connected to the noodle bowl or the lantern but from my client’s perspective, I think they liked more of the simple designs (letter and logo). From the selection, there are some similarities and connections. The designs on the left all have a wrapping around them that gives an emphasis to the logo in the center and gives a hierarchy. All the designs on the right don’t have any specific element except for the placing of the letters. The one on the bottom is a different one compared to the others since instead of using the logo, I used a Chinese character “中菜” (Chinese food) and this gives more of a uniqueness. I think me and the client would have a really hard time choosing the best idea since all of the ideas are good.
Successful Design:
I have a very definite goal for my final design. I hope that my final design could be used physically in the restaurant. My finished project would match very well with the whole mood of the restaurant and it would be used for logos in the restaurant. I can know that my design is successful when the client has shown satisfaction with the design and that they are willing to use the design. If they think that the design is good but does not match the mood of the restaurant, it would not be a successful design.
Key Design Decisions:
I didn’t have many decisions to make during my process of designing except for choosing the top five choices. For other problems, with the help of the client, things went really smoothly.
Plan Document:
This is my plan document for the visual of my logo and my steps of designing the logo on the computer.
These would be the techniques I have used and going to use in the future. It contains techniques to use from the brain-storming stage into the final stage of transferring it into the computer. Most of my help would come from the client but if it is something connected to the computer, the helper would be my teacher or the internet.
Next Step:
My next step would be to choose one design and converting into the computer/iPad.
Define & Inquire: Blog Reflection
Fake Earring
Design Brief:
| Design problem: | There are numerous people without earholes that want earrings. However, when we physically put on the fake earrings, the closed part is too tight and hurts our ears. Also, since it is a fake earring, there is a limitation to the design and people are not satisfied with that. So, we should have a fake earring or piercing that doesn’t hurt our ear but also looks fashionable and modern. | ||
| User/audience |
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| Purpose | To make people be able to feel less pain and gain beauty. | ||
| Constraints | The product should be made out of recycled materials so that it could be considered eco-friendly but the design should be unique and stylistic that isn’t often seen. | ||
| Goals | I hope that I could physically make a fake earring or piercing that is comfortable and safe enough so that I could also use it. | ||
| Materials/resources | iPad, laser cutter, plastic melting machine, plastic sheet, recycled plastic, ear clipper | ||
| Mentors, assistance | Teacher, Youtube, Instagram, professional designers | ||
I decided to work on this project because I felt like the need for this product was high for myself and also the people around me. This product was also an interesting topic for me and I wanted to have an experience with this project.
Audience Profile:
Survey Results:
This is the basis of starting to design my product and from these questions, I could see the interest rate of people towards fake earrings.
5. What do you think are the expectations of a good fake earring?
This is the stage where I start thinking about the visual design of my product. From these results, I could see the specific wants and needs of the audiences and their flavor of an earring. From these survey results, I could start navigating my designs and draw thumbnail sketches.
This was the outside connection of the product (recycled materials). By using this result, I could get a response about the original topic and see people’s reactions towards it.Define & Inquire: Blog Reflection
Chinese Restaurant Logo to Use On Menu
Chosen Design Brief:
| Design problem: | The restaurant has used their menu for too long and wants to create another modern one that could be replaced but they haven’t decided on how their cover page would look like. They want a conspicuous logo on the cover so that the customers could see straight away the logo. | ||
| User/audience | The customers in the restaurant. | ||
| Purpose | To make the customers interested and look forward to the food as soon as they see the logo. | ||
| Constraints | It might be a challenge to physically print out the designs but to create a range of logos as choices. | ||
| Goals | Make it appealing so that it could be physically used in the restaurant. | ||
| Materials/resources | iPad/Apple pencil, specific prototyping materials, adobe illustrator, notebook | ||
| Mentors, assistance |
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I decided to choose my first design because I thought that it would more realistic and the client would use this design more efficiently than the others.
Audience Profile & Survey Results:
Inspiration:
Techniques:
These would be websites and techniques used from the beginning to the end.
Next Step:
Now, that I have gathered enough inspirations and have looked through the general idea of what a Chinese restaurant logo looks like, I should talk with the client and discuss which style they like the best and start creating thumbnail sketches.