Intercultural Design / Final Compilation & Reflection

4.2.2024 - 29.3.2024 (Week 1 - Week 8)
Elysa Wee Qi En / 0355060 / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media / Taylor's University
Intercultural Design
Final Compilation & Reflection

LECTURES

Week 1 / Culture & Design

In this day and age, a lot of the information people absorb is given to them through visuals. Visuals can be persuasive and powerful. 

Cultural sensitivity in design is not just about aesthetics, it is also about functionality, usability, and overall user experience. 
Designers should be aware of cultural nuances and differences to be able to create designs that are inclusive and can resonate with diverse audiences. 

Fig. 1.1. Design system

To be aware of cultural sensitivity:

Symbolism and imagery - symbols and images may have different meanings or implications in different cultures, be aware of them to avoid misunderstandings or conflict
Colour considerations - colours may have cultural significance and different meanings in each, be aware of them to be able to choose the right colours
Typography and language - consider culture to choose appropriate fonts and text styles, as well as ensure accurate translations and language variations

Inclusive design - strive to create products and experiences that are inclusive but also accessible to people from different cultural backgrounds and those with different abilities and needs
User research - conduct research in areas like ethnographic studies and conduct tests through diverse groups to gain insight into cultural preferences
Localisation - adapt your designs to different cultural contexts through localisation to help enhance the acceptance and relevance of a design or product
Cultural awareness training - this type of training can help designers develop a deeper understanding of different perspectives and sensitivities

Week 2 / Culture, Design & Research

Designers have to be more vigilant with their artworks and this takes research. As future designers, the habit of researching should be embraced as part of the work process. 
Research should be done throughout the process: before writing the proposal, after producing the proposal and even during the creation of the work. 

1) Before writing the proposal: 

• Secondary findings - information found from other published and existing resources 
• Wikipedia & other websites
• YouTube documentaries
• Design sources & inspirations
• Primary findings - sketches of proposed artworks based on the secondary findings
• Sketches
• Storyboards
• Wireframe

2) After producing the proposal:

• Primary findings - data collected by you and the team
• On-site observation
• Interviews/ surveys

*Sometimes you need to observe the artefact as-is, don't have tunnel vision to specific elements. And sometimes you only need simpler terms to define and figure out big points.

3) During the creation of the artwork:

• Final design production 
• Processes
• Team contributions
• Data collected through public & existing resources

INSTRUCTIONS

Fig. 2. Module Information Booklet

Project 1: Proposal

For this module, we are technically given one big assignment that we work on in three parts, all to create the final submission at the end as a group submission. The first part of the assignment was to come up with a few topic ideas centred around the theme of 'Cultural Sensitivity in Design' to create a proposal.

Here are some ideas that I came up with during my own personal brainstorming: 
- Any issues in video games or media? Like the Genshin skin colour/outfit controversies
- How some people eat animals or food that other people don't agree with 
- Generational trauma (like the 4 Korean Daughters comic by @clownlifeizzi on Instagram)
- Discipline in government schools in Malaysia / schools in Asia
- Cultural appropriation in fashion/ media

And here are the ideas me and my group compiled:
1. Cultural Sensitivity in Design: Creating Inclusive and Respectful Gaming Experiences
2. Inclusive Design: How to Create Products and Spaces that Respect Cultural Diversity
3. Revolutionary Spirit and Women's Empowerment (Uniform)
4. Disciplinary actions in Asia
5. Cultural symbolism of the butterfly
6. Inaccurate Cultural Representation in Video Game Characters
7. Generational trauma
8. Cultural symbolism of the dragon
9. K-pop fashion
10. An idea based on a game about a South-Indian family living in Canada
11. Men using makeup: If women can wear it, why not men?
12. Culture Exploitation in Game Design 

In the end, the three ideas we decided to expand on are ideas 1, 6 and 8.

Since we needed at least three sketches, and we decided to do three ideas, we ended up doing three sketches for each idea. We also needed a write-up, visual references and citations. 

This is the proposal that we created:

Fig. 3.1. Proposal Presentation Slides

Fig. 3.2. Proposal Presentation Video

Project 2: Field Study

This part of the project is about collecting data. 

After submitting our proposal for our tutors to see, they chose our first idea to be the one for us to pursue: Cultural Sensitivity in Design: Creating Inclusive and Respectful Gaming Experiences.

The main focus of this idea is on a popular video game named Genshin Impact, specifically focusing on the sexualisation and cultural appropriation that is seen on some of the characters. 

For our research, we decided to go with three methods:

1. Interviews

We interviewed three types of people: Genshin players, Fashion Design students, and members of the Anime Society in school. The questions we asked were to get their opinions on the clothing designs in Genshin Impact and video games in general, particularly regarding sexualisation and cultural appropriation. 

Below are the questions:

1. Can you describe your approach to character design in video games, particularly regarding the portrayal of clothing and attire?
2. How do you balance the aesthetic appeal of character designs with considerations of cultural sensitivity and realism?
3. What factors influence your decisions regarding the clothing and attire of characters in video games?
4. How do you ensure that character clothing choices are appropriate and respectful, especially when it comes to avoiding overly sexualized representations?
5. How do you incorporate diversity and representation into character clothing designs, taking into account factors such as body types, ethnicities, and cultural backgrounds?
6. What do you think about our sketches on redesigned outfits for characters looking too sexual in their original outfits?
7. What advice would you give to aspiring character designers who are interested in creating more inclusive and respectful representations of clothing in video games?

Here are the answers (summarised) of the Genshin players (Cheyenne & Aaron):

Fig. 4.1.

And of the Fashion Design students (Manfu & Aden) and the Anime Society members (Brandon, Mika & Juvia):

Fig. 4.2.

2. Survey

For the survey, we tried sending it to artists on Instagram who often post art of character designs. However, only one responded. Luckily, one of my group members, Thanaphorn, was able to get in touch with some industry professionals and send the survey to them. 

It is good that we were able to ask people with more experience than us and receive some answers from people who know what they're talking about. 

Below are the survey questions:

1. Do you believe that clothing choices for some characters in video games are often overly sexualized?

2. Have you ever felt uncomfortable or offended by the clothing choices of characters in video games due to cultural insensitivity or oversexualization?

3. How would you rate the overall design appeal of the sketches featuring redesigned characters with more covered-up clothing? (1-5)

4. Do you feel that the redesigned clothing in the sketches is more appropriate and respectful compared to the original designs? (Insert sketches of the redesigned clothes)

5. How do you think the redesigned clothing impacts the portrayal of female characters in video games? (Positively/Negatively/No impact/Other)

6. Do you believe that characters with more covered-up clothing are more relatable to a wider audience?

7. Would you be more likely to play a video game featuring characters with redesigned clothing that is more covered up?

8. In your opinion, does the redesigned clothing enhance the character's personality and traits?

9. Do you have any additional comments or feedback regarding the sketches featuring redesigned clothing for video game characters?

10. How do you balance the aesthetic appeal of character designs with considerations of cultural sensitivity and realism?

11. How do you ensure that character clothing choices are appropriate and respectful, especially when it comes to avoiding overly sexualized representations?

Link to google form used for survey: https://forms.gle/JMqrsx3pjWKorkfE8

3. Research and articles

For the last method, we resorted to simple research and reading opinions and articles found online.

Below are some of the articles:

1. https://www.reddit.com/r/RaidenMains/s/rYavAnWgyo

2. https://www.reddit.com/r/GirlGamers/comments/1462ejw/genshin_impact_sexualization_in_the_community/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

3. https://www.quora.com/Are-there-any-inappropriate-scenes-in-Genshin-Impact/answer/Vintasaru-1?ch=15&oid=1477743638309976&share=7fd6bf28&srid=6exsL&target_type=answer

Here is the summary of all our research:

Fig. 5. Data Collection

Final Assessment

After all of this, we were now tasked with creating visual design outcomes that are related to our chosen theme. In other words, we were to produce a final product of all our research. 

Since our research was about a video game and character designs, we decided to follow that line of thought to create our final submissions. We redesigned four Genshin characters that we thought were more sexualised (Xingqiu, Venti [Archon form], Raiden Shogun and Yae Miko) and modified their outfits slightly.

Fig. 6.1. Xingqiu and Venti [Archon form] redesigns

Fig. 6.2. Raiden Shogun and Yae Miko redesigns

Genshin Impact has had collaboration events with different companies before, and this usually results in the characters being pictured in attire that they do not wear in the game. We decided to go along with this and create 'merchandise' of sorts with the redesigned outfits for two of our characters, Xingqiu and Venti. The type of merch that we chose is cupsleeves.

Fig. 7.1. Xingqiu redesigned outfit (28/3/2024)

Fig. 7.2. Venti redesigned outfit (28/3/2024)

Fig. 7.3. Cupsleeve design 1 (29/3/2024)

Fig. 7.4. Cupsleeve design 2 (29/3/2024)

For the other two characters, Raiden Shogun and Yae Miko, we kept it simple and decided to change their splash art in the game and edit it onto the 'wishing banners' present in the game. 

Fig. 8.1. Raiden Shogun redesigned - splash art (30/3/2024)

Fig. 8.2. Yae Miko redesigned - splash art (29/3/2024)

Fig. 8.3. Riaden Shogun redesigned - wishing banner (30/3/2024)

Fig. 8.4. Yae Miko redesigned - wishing banner (29/3/2024)

Here are our final slides and submission, detailing our project, including our problem statement, research problem(s), reference list and more:

Fig. 9.1. Final Presentation slides (30/3/2024)

And here is our final presentation video:

Fig. 9.2. Final Presentation Video (30/3/2024)

FEEDBACK

Week 5
Specific Feedback: 
- He likes that Genshin is going against culture
- Be careful to have sources, don't just base your research off of opinions or self-wants
- Green light to continue on with data collection, topic and progress so far is approved

Week 6
Specific Feedback:
- Be careful when doing data collection to take into account all opinions, whether they're agreeing or disagreeing with your own opinion/your research or project

REFLECTIONS

Experience
This module is quite important in my opinion, because it is sometimes easy to forget to conduct research before you design. Design is art, but design is also meant to serve a purpose. This module serves as a good reminder, and even gave me reason to look at real-life examples, of why research is important in design. Although a simple concept and the final product was quite tiring to make, especially with the time we had, I think it's good learning experience for me.

Observations
Though from the interviews we had, especially when asking about our initial redesigns, we found that people's opinions can be quite varied. Some people like some elements and others don't, and it's clear that it's difficult to please everybody in something like character design when people may be looking for different things. 

Findings
During the time this module was conducted, I came upon a fun, unserious series on YouTube Shorts of a guy rating the way artists draw female fantasy armour. It's shocking how many people depict female knights in 'sexy' or revealing armour that is no longer protective anymore. Of course, you could justify that in a fantasy world the armour doesn't need to be realistic, but people in the comments of those Shorts agree that more protective armour arguably looks more attractive. It just proves that different people want different things when it comes to something like character design.