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Self Mapping
Before beginning to develop potential project ideas, I first reflected on the questions raised in the project brief. One of the most important questions was: Why did I choose to become a graphic designer, and why do I want to study graphic design? These questions encouraged me to look back on my experiences, interests, and motivations, and to consider what role graphic design plays in the way I understand and engage with the world.
Keyword:
Daily life
Relationships
People
Society
Graphic Design allows me to investigate everyday behaviours and communicate complex ideas through accessible visual language.
Brainstorming
I began by mapping out a wide range of ideas based on my personal experiences and everyday observations. I listed topics, issues, and areas of interest that resonated with me, using this brainstorming process to explore potential directions for my Independent Project.1.I considered was the relationship between digital health and wearable technology. This interest developed from the essay I wrote for the Body, Identity and Technology course last semester, where I explored how devices such as smartwatches influence the way people monitor, understand, and evaluate their bodies. Rather than simply supporting health, these technologies can also shape behaviours, create pressure through constant self-tracking, and redefine what it means to be "healthy." Rather than relying on one's own feelings, one is more inclined to trust the data. I am interested in how graphic design could communicate these invisible relationships, making people more aware of how digital health technologies influence everyday life.
2. The growing number of AI-generated animated videos on social media. Many of the fruit and vegetable characters in these short videos are designed with exaggerated adult features, behaviours, and storylines, which feel very different from the simple, playful, and innocent characters I remember from my childhood. This shift made me wonder how AI-generated content is reshaping children's visual culture and whether these changing representations influence the way young audiences perceive animation. I am interested in exploring how graphic design could examine and communicate these changes in contemporary visual media.
3. Another direction I reflected on came from my undergraduate graduation project, which explored gender-based invisible discrimination. In that project, my team imagined a utopian community where safety, respect, comfort, and freedom were everyday realities rather than privileges. Looking back, I realised that creating an ideal world was, in many ways, a response to the difficulty of finding practical solutions to deeply rooted social issues. When repeated attempts failed to offer a satisfying answer, we chose to construct an alternative reality instead. This reflection makes me question the role of graphic design: should it imagine new worlds, or should it seek ways to create change within the existing one? I find this tension worth exploring further.
4. As a child, I was a picky eater and disliked many vegetables, often being told by my parents to "eat healthily." However, after starting to live independently, I found myself actively buying foods like frozen broccoli and gradually developing a liking for flavors I used to dislike. This made me start to wonder: is taste innate, or is it something we gradually cultivate? I've discovered that "healthy eating" today is no longer just about physical needs, but also about lifestyle, habits, self-management, and contemporary wellness culture. Frozen vegetables, in particular, intrigued me because they don't just evoke a "natural" or "fresh" image of health, but rather a highly efficient, modern self-care system. It may represent more than just nutrition; it represents a psychological feeling of "taking good care of myself."
5. A tree outside my window. Although I see it almost every day, I rarely notice its gradual changes. Instead, each time I look up, it seems to have already become something different—new leaves in spring, dense green in summer, or bare branches in winter. This observation made me think about how we experience time. Many changes happen so slowly that they become invisible until they are complete. I am interested in exploring whether graphic design can make these overlooked transformations visible, encouraging people to pay closer attention to the rhythms of everyday life.
6.Observing how people interact with each other in everyday social situations. Even when friends gather for a meal or spend time together, it is common for everyone to be looking at their phones. Although they are physically present in the same space, there often seems to be a sense of distance between them. This observation made me question how digital devices are changing the way we experience togetherness and communication. I am interested in exploring whether graphic design could encourage people to reflect on these subtle changes in social behaviour.(Just thought of)
Personal Reflect
I reflected on the six initial ideas and found myself leaning most towards the topic of digital health and wearable technology. At the time, I was genuinely curious about how health-tracking devices influence the way people perceive and manage their bodies. Another reason was that I had already researched this area in my essay for the Body, Identity and Technology course, giving me a solid theoretical foundation and relevant literature to build upon. Because of this, I initially felt that it would be the strongest and most feasible direction for my Independent Project.
Review I mainly presented my idea about digital health and wearable technologies. While the topic was considered relevant, the feedback highlighted that the purpose of the project was still unclear. I was asked what I wanted to achieve through this project and whether I was genuinely interested in pursuing the topic over an extended period. These questions made me realise that I was focusing more on describing the phenomenon than defining a clear design intention.
Digital health is a broad and widely discussed topic, making it difficult to identify a specific and original angle. There is also a risk that the project could become overly research-based or critical without leading to a meaningful design intervention.
AI-generated animated content, particularly the increasing number of fruit and vegetable characters with exaggerated adult-like appearances and behaviours on social media. During the discussion, my tutor challenged this observation by pointing out examples such as Sonny Angel and Jellycat, whose character designs remain playful, simple, and childlike despite their popularity today. This made me realise that the issue may not be AI itself, but rather the specific visual styles and narratives adopted by certain creators. Instead of assuming that AI is changing children's visual culture, I need to investigate whether this pattern is widespread and supported by stronger evidence. The discussion reminded me of the importance of questioning my initial assumptions and developing research based on observation rather than personal impressions.
After the tutorialI began to think more seriously about the idea of vegetables. During the discussion, I only briefly mentioned the topic of "vegetable anxiety" without explaining the thoughts behind it or how I imagined it could develop. However, my tutor responded positively and suggested that it might have the potential to be explored further. This encouraged me to revisit the idea and reflect on why it resonated with me. Compared with my other ideas, this topic felt more personal and offered opportunities to investigate everyday behaviours, emotions, and communication through graphic design. From that point on, I started developing the idea in more depth and exploring its potential as my Independent Project.
Week 1 ReflectionThis week was less about finding the "right" project and more about understanding my own interests as a designer. Looking back at my previous work and reflecting on the tutorial helped me realise that having a well-researched topic does not necessarily make it a meaningful Independent Project. More importantly, I began to recognise the value of choosing a topic that I genuinely care about and can continue exploring over a long period. Although I have not yet reached a final direction, the discussion around vegetables has opened up a new possibility that I am excited to investigate further.