Jennifer Kwok

Artistic vision statement

On week 10 were asked a few questions which was :

What is my design strength?

Who do I want to become in 5 years?

What do I want to do between now and then? why?

How will I do it?

To answer the first question, I'm honestly still not totally sure of what my design strengths is as I am still exploring all kinds of methods and experiencing with this and that, but so far I think I'm best at Illustration than the others. I also realise that I'm bad at editing or any digital related stuff, so I'm trying to improve on that as it is important and often used nowadays in design.

If I'm being honest, I haven't really think about what I wanted to do or what I wanted to become in 5 years until now that I got asked in this class. I've only think about how I'm going to "survive" college and graduate. But if I get to choose, I want to become an independent digital artist? I don't really know if they have a name for it, but I wanted to become those kind of artist on the internet who shares their arts and maybe even selling them whether it's online (like on a website or an online store) or offline (like a pop-up booth or a store). Sometimes they're also accepting on doing commissions if it's high on demand, and then they'll draw by the request of the commissioner. And being on a certain community for how the art style is or what's the context or the object of the arts.

I think it's fun to be able to share and sell your artworks and makes people who enjoys it happy and to be able to engage with people who have the same interest as you or even introducing your arts to someone new.

For now, I think I'll just live in the moment, have my mind on the present, and not think too much on the future. I want to do my college course well for now and learn a lot of stuff to enhance my skills in design and other aspect i want and need to improve while I'm at it. I think it's important to do it and most likely it will be useful in the future. After that I wanted to either do some internships or part time job related to design to expand my skills and gain some experiences before i jump into a real job or continue my study and pursue a degree in business or at least creative business.

(Word Counts : 433)

Reference :

I was not present on the week when manifesto lecture was presented and so I was put in a group with other people who is also not present. It was challenging for sure because we're working with people who are not usually our group partner and I feel like all of us are more of a passive type of person. We honestly have made a group a week before but no one really discuss anything and at the end we decided to work on it just the day before the CTS B class.

Honestly, I'm not satisfied with the manifesto my group made, I think it's way too empty and there's really not much of anything. I think we are having a bit of a communication problem so the idea was there but the execution was not that good.

We are asked to create a manifesto that sums up Critical Thinking Skills B (CTS B) and address the seven weekly topics one after the other. Me and my group chose "Good design is long lasting" for our design principles. Good design is long lasting conveys the idea that meaningful design last for a long time, is ageless, and enduring because of its utility, relevance, and aesthetic appeal. We believe that design should be timeless, long lasting, offering importance and meaning that transcend the present moment.

I think it's crucial to include a principle that emphasis how designs must evolve without losing their essential significance. For example, the Mercedes Benz logo has been changing for over the years subtly adapting to contemporary trends while maintaining its fundamental elements. It reflects on what a good design is long lasting should be and as it changes throughout the years, it has shifted to a more simpler design yet consistent.

Simplicity is one of the "good design is long lasting" design principle, which means designs should be as simple as possible while still maintaining functionality and usability. This means that designers should strive to remove unnecessary elements from their designs while focusing on creating a clean, simple user experience. one of the keys to creating lasting value is simple, intuitive design, and is more resistant to trends and adaptable to users over time.

The dedication towards long-term viability and impact is reflected in our long-lasting design. Our designs will become refined as we incorporate longevity, adaptability, and critical thinking into branding design. This encourages our designs to be long-lasting in an ever-changing environment while remaining essential.

(Word Counts : 412)

References :

On week 6 or the last week before the formative assessment, we were asked to go to Sim Lim Square and observe everything of interest in a group of four or five and then document our design problem of choice so that we can share it with the class in a proper presentation when we return.

My group was a group of four with me, Sue Ann, Cheeun, and Vergie. And we chose the 3 meals a day restaurant as our design problem. The main issue here was the unorganised ordering queue and messy seating arrangement. During lunch hour, there will be long queues and customers will block the pathways so the signages on where to order and obstruct the passerby who are not the customers. So they need to fix their queueing system and organise it more neatly.

Beside the queueing problem, the tables are also a problem. As you can see in the picture some of the tables are going out from the store and it is obstructing the passerby. We notice that the tables and or chair are not all the same inside and outside, so it might confuse the customers. So we propose that they label the table and only using one side and not both sides to put their table as that area is a public area.

That’s the design problem, as for the critical self reflectivity, I think our group did have a bit of a communication problem. Me and SueAnn didn’t have any problem because we’re close, It’s fine too with Cheeun since we talked sometimes because of our table arrangements in class so we sit close to each other and naturally we talk a few times, but with Vergie I think I’m quite awkward with her and the other group member too. I think it’s because we sit quite far apart so we don’t really talk with each other before. At first I thought that she was just passive but I think she’s just introverted, so I try to reach out to her first every once in a while to ask her opinion or if she had any suggestions, and she answers. So it works out pretty well in the end.

A “noticing” walk through the National Gallery Singapore.

In week 4, we are going on a field trip to National Gallery Singapore. We were asked to look for and examine in person Chua Mia Tee’s painting National Language Class (1959), the first image. I remember it being on the second floor of National Gallery Singapore. Its medium is Oil on canvas, the subjects on the painting are a bunch of Chinese students and a Malay teacher, and the context is Malay as Singapore’s national language and growing consciousness of national identity among Singaporeans at that time. I think it’s a part of the Singapore history exhibition. The painting was put in a dark room.

Another artworks that interest me are the second image with the tigers hunting the buffalo and the fact that they’re on a cliff makes it even more interesting. I think this painting gives off a strong image of the food chain in the wild. This painting is catching a lot of the visitors attention with the size of it, which is quite big if you compare it with the stanchion / barrier, and with it being put with a gold frame and red wall in the background makes it even more attractive or eye-catching.

For the third picture, I think it interests me so much because of the nostalgic feeling I get when I see it. It is an artwork done by an Indonesian artist and it was put in a screen device? And there were a bunch of his other artworks or sketches too. “Rose is Sick” is the title of this artwork, and the drawing that he did is of someone rubbing Rose’s back with an ointment known as Balsam Rheumason. This gesture or action often happens with us Indonesian people when we’re sick, and I personally experienced it too in my childhood with my mom or the maids rubbing the ointment or even oils on the back when I’m sick or didn’t feel well.

This week, on week 2 the activity we’re doing is to sketch a self portrait based on the theory of my practice in life and college. And he’s the sketch of my self portrait that I did.

“What is the theory of my everyday activities?” was asked to us by the lecturers. As an International student, I do think about my daily activities a lot. I’m thinking about what time should I wake up in the morning so that I’m not late for class, thinking about what lecture is it gonna be that day, what will me and my friends have for lunch, how is the afternoon or the second class will be like, and even after all the classes are done and it’s time to go home, I’m still thinking of all the things i need to do. And that’s just the smaller case of it.

Now, the bigger case is all the activities beside school. I mean, even though it’s outside school time, I still need to think and do the assignments given to me as it is our responsibility. But there’s no way I’m spending all my time doing school assignments or projects, so of course there’s time to do some fun too. Most of the time, I usually go shopping or brunch with my friends in a cafe or restaurants. While it is fun, it’s also sadly expensive… So, what I did is I managed the frequency of my spendings and the amount that I spent. I think that’s how I practise the theory I had in my head in my everyday activities.