MY DESIGN QUEST

MY DESIGN QUEST
MDES 2014
TING WANG

FOREWORD
This book is written for people who want to understand
me and are looking for a way to be a better designer. As
a designer I don’t think I was born with it, I believe that
everyone can be a designer, but not anyone can become
a great designer. I dreamed to be an excellent designer,
and keep striving towards my dream.
I was born in China. When I was teenager, my mother
sent me to study art and after 3 years I was admitted to
the No.6 art high school with outstanding achievements.
I ranked the tenth in Hebei province on the artistic
skills exam. I learned professional art skills in Chinese
painting, color painting, drawing, and quick sketching in
art high school then I went to Australia to do my bachelor
degree study. In the University of South Australia my
major was Animation and my sub-major was digital
design. In this three and half years of study in Australia,
I learned a lot of digital and design skills, including web
design, User Interface design, Vision Identity design,
graphic design, illustration, 2D and 3D animation design.
Also, I improved my English skills and opened my eyes to
the world of design.
After my bachelor study, I found that all of the skills I
learned were like many pieces of a puzzle waiting for
me to organize them. I started to realize that I needed
to learn how to let them make sense. Especially, I have
to thank my parent’s for their support and suggestions.
Finally, I decided to study in NSCAD’s Masters program.
By learning from the master study at NSCAD, I recognized
the importance of design methodology and design
process. I also learned the best policy is to be yourself.
In next series of chapters I will explain what I did and
learned at NSCAD University, and I believe that my study
at NSCAD was a key step for me towards becoming a
great designer. I am so glad to share my experiences with
someone who has the same dream as me.

1UNDERSTAND
YOURSELF
1 - 15
2DESIGN SKILLS
16 - 45
CONTENTS
3DESIGN
METHODOLOGY
46 - 53

4DESIGN
METHODS
54 - 63
5THESIS DESIGN
64 - 71
6CONCLUSION
72 -75

MDES 2013/2014
1UNDERSTAND
YOURSELF

THESIS/DEGREE PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
The masters program started in summer 2013, and I
still remember the day when I first came to study in the
studio room. The exposed red pipes and some black
pillars stand out from the white wall, all of these made
a profound impression on me. In the next one and half
years of study we had a great time in this studio room.
course of the student’s program by the director of the
MDES program, the Chair of the Design Division, and up
to three full time design faculty members.
At the beginning students must complete a Process Book,
as well as the Thesis/Degree Project Introduction Poster.
In the Master Design (MDES) program students are
required to initiate and complete an approved, thesis/
degree project during the 3 semesters residency at
NSCAD. Progress will be reviewed regularly during the
1

ETHOS & ETHICS
Before working on the design project, students have to
read some articles about ‘ethos’ and ‘ethics’. Through
the study I started to understand how the great designers
think, and how design became successful.
A great design work is based on a full understanding
of the research, combined with personal experience
and academic study. The key point is the successful
design has to come from your life. For example James
Dyson is a great designer, and his design work always
is revolutionary and successful. His first revolutionary
design was the cyclone vacuum, and the design idea
came from his personal experiences. Once upon a time,
he was angry about his vacuum and it always broken
because the filter paper was blocked. He knew about the
principle of industrial cyclone towers, and started to think
about how the same principle could work in a vacuum
cleaner. In 1978, James Dyson set to work. Five years and
5,127 prototypes later, the world’s first bagless vacuum
cleaner from Dyson arrived.
I realized that a great designer not only needs wide
knowledge, they also need more experience. Personal
experiences plus design skills will equal a new and
unique design. So before I looked for a master’s thesis
topic, I had to understand myself.
3

GENEALOGY POSTER
This is a practice to understand yourself from your
family. Design a poster, which can combine the personal
family information with the genealogy. The theme of
the poster should be around a tool, which belonged to a
family member. Students need use this tool to show their
family genealogy. The first person I thought of was my
grandfather, and did a mind map to help me figure out
the relationship between him and me.

THE KOREAN WAR (THE LAST WAR)
5

Supersonic bullet flying between a
small, short duration (1 microsecond)
light source casts a shadow of
its shockwave onto a sheet of
photosensitive film forming the basis
for a shadowgraph recording system.
Soldiers use bullet to kill the enemy. I
remember he had shown me a bullet
from his last war in Korea. He told
me this bullet almost killed him. I
recognized that if the bullet killed
my grandfather, then my genealogy
tree would change a lot. That means
the bullet not only killed one person,
there are many people if will cause to
disappear.

THE FIRST DRAFT
I used the airflow idea in this poster, every point shows
a different family member. The bullet crossed 2 different
lines; one shows all people became family members
after the war. Another one shows all family members
before the war. The words on the airflow show the
relationship between each family member.
7

THE FINAL POSTER

THE BULLET MODEL
4/16
3 1/16
32/16
4/16
18/16
3 9/16
16/16
4 11/16
14/16
4/16
1/16
1/16
16/16
32/16
2/16 14/16
32/16
9

THE BULLET MODEL
Students need to learn how to work
in wood shop and plastic shop, and
we went there to work on our own
projects. We used a metaphor to
represent our family members,
such as how I used the bullet for my
grandfather. From the study I realized
how important about life is and how
fragile it is.
11

UNDERSTAND MYSELF

MIND MAP

MY HOMETOWN SHIJIAZHUANG (SJZ)
Due to the noticeably severe and increasing air pollution
from urbanization, more and more Chinese people are
concerned about the quality of the air they breathe. The
terrible air quality not only hurts China, there are some
experts who have pointed out that air pollution travels.
During the Beijing smog period, Korean and Japanese air
quality became worse than before. A reporter from the
Global Times also said that the bad weather in Korea and
Japan may have been caused by Chinese air pollution.
In 2013 the government listed the air quality for every
city in China, my hometown Shijiazhuang is the worst
city in the list. In January 2013, Shijiazhuang, Beijing,
Baoding, Tangshan and several cities around Hebei
province experienced heavy smog that lasted for weeks.
During this period, Shijiazhuang was the worst, with the
Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM2.5) showing a daily average
of 850. PM2.5 is an international air quality standard,
with 30 being a safe level for humans. In Shijiazhuang,
many people got sick and there was an increase in car
accidents and patients visiting hospitals. During those
few weeks, patients were “packed like sardines into

Beijing ‘Great Smog’ Comparison (2013)
wards with only half the necessary number of beds. Many
cases requiring hospital treatment could not be admitted”
Since the ‘Great Smog’ happened in Beijing, Shijiazhuang
and many big cities in China, citizens and government
have started to pay more attention to the effects of air
pollution now. Today, car pollution is the major pollutant
of air in many cities; so reducing it becomes even
more important. Car pollution is reflected in social and
educational issues as well as urban planning problems;
consequently figuring a way to reduce the air pollution
will be a systematic project. The processes of reducing
car pollution will cross-platform with education, urban
planning and industrial design.
15

MDES 2013/2014
2IMPROVE DESIGN SKILLS

THE DEANERY PROJECT - FREELAB
The Deanery Project is a centre for environmental
education and community engagement located in
Ship Harbour, a small community east of Halifax. The
Deanery Free Lab began with the broad objectives of
understanding and contribution. Students were eager to
learn about earth materials and building practices while
collaboratively creating a community resource. The Bike
Hub project allowed students to focus these learning and
community objectives on the conversion of a neglected
building into a community space. Students created a
bicycle repair and education space for diverse community
engagement while showcasing earth building techniques.
3

First, the existing walls were covered with a variety
natural finishes. The first rough coat, or “discovery coat”,
is a mixture of clay-rich soil, sand, straw and water. This
was applied to the two strawbale walls: it helps protect
the bales from moisture and prepares the wall for the
second coat, a mud plaster. Made of finely sifted mud
and water, this coat gives the wall a textured, red-brown
finish. The other walls, made of drywall, were covered
in a mix of white kaolin clay, sand, chalk and water. This
created a smoother finish, especially as the group’s skill
with trowels increased.
19

THE DEANERY PROJECT - FREELAB
Second, the group chose to make two mosaics. They
used a selection of ceramic shards from the property,
once a church camp and still well remembered by the
community. The shards were pressed into the mud
plaster described above, with occasional reinforcements
provided by the stronger mud-straw mix. Experimentation
with the mud plaster allowed the mosaic makers to
create relief in the walls. Extremely tactile and repetitive,
the mosaics were an artistic endeavour that added
character and life to the space.
Third, the group built a workbench. It was made from
wood planks donated by a neighbour, who retrieved the
logs from a lake where they had stayed submerged for
eighty years. This wood was difficult to work with due to
its weathering, but when good pieces were found, they
made for a strong surface.
Fourth, windows were installed on the interior wall,
bringing extra light to both rooms. The group used
recycled windows, and used the existing studs to inform
their placement. Finding the studs proved challenging
without a stud finder, and the students learned a lot
about working with wood framing.

Finally, a veranda covered with a green roof was
constructed out of larch. The logs were cut on Deanery
property with help from a neighbour, then the group
stripped the bark using draw knives. After cleaning
the trees, the students carried them up the hill to the
site. The green roof was built with pond liner, gravel for
drainage, straw and finally, soil and turf. The gravel, soil
and turf were recuperated from the initial excavation of
the site of the veranda.
Local clay, local wood, straw from neighbouring farms
and mussels from down the Bay: the material approach
at the Deanery FreeLab was remarkably local. Much
of these opportunities arose from Kim Thompson’s
constant contact with the local population, whose
generosity and implication are impressive. Working
together, they have accomplished a connection to the
land unheard of in most projects.
However, the project is not without challenges. The night
before the students’ arrival, three youths vandalized the
main building as well as last year’s Free Lab project, a
strawbale sheiling hut. The approach to dealing with this
issue was also unique: Kim Thompson chose to include
the kids in our construction process, where they helped
with odd jobs. The choice was to engage, rather than
punish. This also has got the parents involved with the
Deanery, which may prove beneficial to all parties.

MEDIUMS OF COMMUNICATION - POSTER DESIGN
The assignment is to make a record
of a process in one sensory medium
and then to translate that process
into another sensory medium. As
much of the original communication
as possible must be maintained.
Students are expected to engage
critically with the ideas of translation;
Students are senses that we take
for granted, the shortcomings
and the advantages of expanding
communication to encompass more
than one dominant sense.

This is the first draft work, and I tried to translate a sound
into an image. I recorded a sound that walks from city
center to a national park in Halifax.
25

Final Poster - Voice of Halifax

THESIS TOPIC - INFOGRAPHIC POSTER DESIGN
This poster designed for my thesis topic, which included topic information
and research data. I have tried 2 different designs and each time got more
reflection.

Headache and anxiety [SO2]
BACKGROUND
In China economic growth is unusual fast with more
buildings and power plants, those results cause the
coal-based energy consumption is increased a lot
and brings more air pollution. Socially owning a car
is a symbol of affluence and consequently the car
market is growing excessively. The research shows
that car pollution is one of the major causes of air
pollution in urban areas, and it also brings some
traffic congestion and noise problems.
Impacts on the central nervous system [PM]
OBJECTIVE
The aim of the investigation is to give a concept or
solution for reducing air pollution in China. From
change the urban environment to help citizens get
a comfutable sapce. From improve environment
education to help people of all ages has positive
attitudes toward air pollution issues. From upgrade
the traffic system to get a better life in city. From
combine with natrual and urban space to get a
healthy living area. When everything works together,
the concept becomes to a powerful urban system.
Imitation of eyes, nose and throat
Breathing problems [O3, PM, NO2, SO2, BaP]
CONCLUSION
This design process incorporates variety disciplines,
including Western history, Asian culture, urban
planning, traffic system, education and industrial
design. Many design opportunities come out from the
process, in the limited time the outcome may only
focus on one or two areas that have been discussed
in the research. But the final concept will be a urban
system, which cross-platforms with education, urban
planning and industrial design. The concept of this
system is to combine nature and the city together, to
reduce the air pollution a variety ways.
Beijing Air Pollution
Fire
Cardiovascular diseases [PM, O3, SO2]
Impacts on the respiratory system
Irritation, inflammation and infections
Asthma and reduced lung function
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [PM]
Lung cancer [PM, BaP]
Vehicles
Coal
Dust
Impacts on liver, spleen and blood [NO2]
Impacts on the reproductive system [PM]
Ting Wang I DMES I Fall 2013
Final Poster
29

DATA VISUALISATION - 3D POSTER DESIGN
In this assignment, students need to use data visualization and combine
with a song. The data could be anything around this music, and I chose a
song called ‘Most Dazzling Ethnic Trend’. The data shows how popular it is in
different music websites.
Mind Map

Design Ideas
31

Final Poster

All parts of dragon used
transparent plastic,
worked in wood shop.
33

PRINCIPLES
A designer can control and force the movement of the
viewer’s eyes in and around the layout of the design. For
example, the eye will travel along an actual path such
as solid or dotted line, or it will move along more subtle
paths such as from large elements to little elements,
from dark elements to lighter elements, from color to
non-color, from unusual shapes to usual shapes, etc.
Graduation of size, and repeated shapes and size of
related elements subtly leads the eye as well.

CANADA GOOSE - ANNUAL REPORT DESIGN
Students need to design an annual report for any existing
company. From this design work students will learn
some skills about grid, layout and Indesign. I did this
assignment for ‘Canada Goose’, which is a big clothing
company in Canada. I reached any information and tried
to understand everything about Canada Goose.

Design Concepts
37

Inside page

Feeling The Natural Space At Home
Problem
Aim
Do you often feel the pressure when you live in the city? Our product used 4D technology to let you live in the
NATURAL SPACE AT HOME - PRODUCT DESIGN
Do you know living in a big city raises postpartum
country without leave your home. The natural environ-
can bring a sense of feeling about peaceful. Our aim
Feeling
depression
The
risk?Do
Natural
you know that
Space
there is a higher
At Homement
concentration of psychiatric illness in the city than in the is to let our customers feeling relax at home, to bring
country, and there is increased risk for anxiety disorders, them in a natural space. In the environment they will easy
Problem mood disorders, and schizophrenia? Do you feel hard to Aim to go sleep, and reduce the pressure from city living. Our
Do you often relax feel yourself the pressure at home? when hard you to go live sleep? in the Do city? you know Our product customer used will 4D feel technology the natural to let environment you live in from the any
Do you know insomnia living can in a wreck big city your raises mood. postpartum 40% of psychiatric mood country sense. without They leave can your smell home. it, see The it, hear natural it and environment
can Everything bring a sense just run of feeling as a system about to peaceful. work together. Our aim For
even touch it.
depression disorders risk?Do are you preceded know that by insomnia, there is a higher and insomnia sets in
concentration the of same psychiatric time as illness another in 20% the city of mood than in disorders. the Do is to let our example customers when feeling you see relax ocean, at you home, will to hear bring and smell it.
country, and
you
there
know
is
listening
increased
to
risk
calm,
for
relaxing
anxiety
natural
disorders,
sounds that
them in a natural space. In the environment they will easy
mood disorders,
slowly put
and
you
schizophrenia?
to sleep?
Do you feel hard to to go sleep, and reduce the pressure from city living. Our
relax yourself at home? hard to go sleep? Do you know customer will feel the natural environment from any
insomnia can wreck your mood. 40% of psychiatric mood sense. They can smell it, see it, hear it and even touch it.
disorders are preceded by insomnia, and insomnia sets in Everything just run as a system to work together. For
at the same time as another 20% of mood disorders. Do example when you see ocean, you will hear and smell it.
you know listening to calm, relaxing natural sounds that
slowly put you to sleep?
3D Image
Window
3D Image
Window
Perfume
Speaker
Perfume
Speaker

I changed my first idea, and tried to
combine everything together and the
final outcome became to only one
product. The product can works in
any situation for everyone.
After research I found OLED
technology, which technology allowed
me to use a soft screen for my display
part. My screen could just rollup and
hide it in the speaker part.
41

Final Product
43

Want enjoy a natural space? No problem, you can feel it at
home and have thousand choices for you!
Want feels it real? No problem, we bring 4D technology
to you.
Want relax immediately? No problem, just a button with
your smart phone.
Do you have problem with Insomnia or depression?
Natural environment will relax you easily and let you go to
sleep as a baby.

MDES 2013/2014
3DESIGN
METHODOLOGY

DESIGN METHODOLOGY
When people think of design, what may come
immediately to mind is graphic design, website design,
or logo design. However, design is much more than
visual art. It incorporates elements of business, science,
engineering, education and social systems in addition to
various artistic aspects. For example, some designers
build business systems to assist companies in organizing
different departments or arranging their spatial work
stations more efficiently. Other designers engage in
environmental or spatial design that aims to improve
a sense of place, while still others focus on structural
design in engineering. Design, then, has different
connotations in different fields, indicating that design
itself is naturally interdisciplinary.

Interdisciplinary design theory is one of the most
important aspects of a successful design process. If the
design process is thought of as a puzzle, interdisciplinary
design would be like many single pieces fitting together.
The puzzle can still show the ‘big picture’ without a few
missing pieces, but the work is then incomplete. The
goal of interdisciplinary design is to create and develop
solutions that take all conceivable solutions into account
and then to work towards the best one. To this end,
interdisciplinary design theory presents design research
as an opening up of many facets of design.
The design process is based on different methods and
includes a thorough understanding of the context and an
in-depth investigation of all relevant information. From
the outset, the research itself is multidisciplinary and
involves natural sciences, humanities, arts, behavioral
sciences, creative arts, technology and engineering.
For our purposes, the present design process requires
a scientific as well as social (i.e., psychological and
economic) understanding of China’s emerging air
pollution crisis, operating in tandem with the western
approach, the natural environment, education, and urban
planning. In working towards a solution, designers group
in an interdisciplinary format to discuss the problem,
analyze the situation, and hammer out ideas. Artifacts
are a useful way to translate messages between concrete
objects and abstract concepts at this stage. Researchers
incorporate artifacts as a role-playing device in the
practice of design research methods, arguments, or as an
answer to a research problem. There are numerous fields
where design and creative thinking can be applied.
51

uderstanding the
situation and looking
for question
create choices
and make
choices
build it out and get
feedback from it
PROBLEM
ANALYSIS
PLAN
EVALUATION
CONTEXT
CONCEPT
ACTION
REFLECTION
UNDERSTAND DESIGN IMPLEMENTATION
DESIGN RESEARCH

create choices
IMPLEMENTATION
it out
build
and get feedback from it
ACTION
EVALUATION
REFLECTION
PROBLEM
DESIGN RESEARCH
CONTEXT
ANALYSIS
understanding
the situation and
Looking for question
UNDERSTAND
PLAN
CONCEPT
choices
and make
DESIGN
53

MDES 2013/2014
4DESIGN METHODS

METHODS
Methods are important elements of design methodology.
Designers can follow various methods to keep their
research at a high level of quality, efficiency, and
relevancy. In the present research, the designer used
methods such as IDEO method cards, video diaries,
mind maps, and artifacts. The most useful methods help
designers remain open to all options, delve more deeply
into the design problem, and come up with solutions that
are viable and holistic.

In this case, I used IDEO method cards to look for new
ways to work out design ideas. IDEO method cards
are a collection of 51 cards representing diverse ways
that designers can understand the people they are
designing for. IDEO method cards explain how and when
the methods are best used and also demonstrate how
they have been successfully applied to real-life design
projects.
I also used a video diary to record the research process.
This method helped me to remember each design
element in the design process and allowed me to look
for something new later, upon review. In general, video
diaries can embrace many different film styles and
present a very personal view of how the subject sees the
world.
For a designer, drawing or “showing” is a good way to
explain ideas. Because visuals are processed faster in
the brain than text, a representative artifact is helpful for
designers to present their design ideas. Artifacts can be
shown in numerous ways (e.g., in craft or digital media),
and can be either two- or three-dimensional. The aim of
an artifact is to present a visual concept of the project in
such a way that it can be grasped instantaneously. The
artifact may ask a question or give an answer, or it may
show an issue or present a solution.
57

DESIGN THINKING

Over the past few decades, China
has developed a serious problem
with air pollution. Millions of people
have become ill from China’s toxic
air and are dying because of it.
However, because air pollution is an
‘invisible killer’, people do not pay
much attention to it. More recently,
vehicle emissions from China’s
growing automobile consumption
have worsened the effects of air
pollution. Automobiles, a status
symbol of China’s growing wealth
have increased exponentially as
an offshoot of China’s economic
boom. Along with increasing the air
pollution, however, vehicles have also
led to increased traffic congestion
and car-related injuries and fatalities.
As of 2013, the highly industrialized
and heavily populated Shijiazhuang
topped the list as the city with the
worst air quality in China.
59

NATURE + HUMAN + CITY
This artifact asks the question: How can we combine humans, nature, and cities all at same
time? We know that these three elements share the same world, and that the Earth is a closed
system that is easily polluted.

INVISIBLE DANGERS
This artifact shows a butterfly flying in the sky. People
may think it shows a beautiful picture when they look
at it from a distance. A butterfly is a powerful, resonant
image that makes people think about beauty, animals,
flowers, and vitality. But if you look at the artifact more
closely, you will see how messy and terrible it is.
Air pollution is an invisible killer hiding in plain view,
if we have eyes to see it. We may have good medical
technology, so when we fall ill from the pollution, we can
go to a doctor. But what about our planet? Who can save
the Earth when it gets sick?
Air pollution is like invisible forces around us; being
invisible, these forces cannot be seen and therefore are
hard to associate with damage to our body. However, the
truth is they are killing us day by day.

NATURAL CHAIR
A chair is a man-made product
that belongs to the human world.
However, when it combines with
nature, it becomes special and
abnormal.
Soft grass appears to be growing on
the seat, and if you don’t look too
carefully, you may think there are
only two legs supporting the chair.
Although people may like the idea
of a chair with such a soft seat, they
may worry about the functionality of a
chair with only two legs.
This grass chair shows a concept of
how we can mix nature with human
space. In the real world, creating
a natural environment may not be
the most optimal approach from an
economic perspective, but it should
nevertheless be the option we choose
to work with in the future, given the
human necessity for clean air and
water over automobiles.
63

MDES 2013/2014
5THESIS DESIGN

REDUCING CAR POLLUTION IN
CHINA - THESIS DESIGN
After one year of study, students
complete a final design for
their thesis topic and prepare a
thesis book. Through the design
methodology that I designed for my
process, I finished my final design as
a product called ‘smart streetlight’.
After reviewing the research, I
deeply understand my hometown
and how people love the natural
environment. My design is based
on the understanding of my living
area and combines living space with
natural space.

This Smart Streetlight (SSL) is designed to help reduce
air pollution in China, especially vehicle pollution. The
SSL can cover all of the main car pollution areas in
the city and will help reduce the emission of harmful
pollutants. The warning system helps citizens pay
attention to the air quality and is a safe way to protect
drivers, walkers and bikers in heavy smog.
The SSL not only improves safety for citizens, but it also
helps the government save money. The filter machine
and LED light will cost 2-kilowatt hours for 12 hours of
working time, which is just 40% of the normal street
light power cost. If the power saved from the midnight
brightness changing system is added, then the SSL
will save more than 80% of power. This means that for
every 10 kilometers of road, the SSL will save more than
500,000 Chinese dollars per year, and at the same time
improve the air quality.
67

After reflection and interaction with the product design,
I decided to develop the design on 3D software by
rendering the product with a series of 2D and 3D images
and using an infographic poster to explain the product.

3D rendering images
69

Poster
NON-ROAD
ENGINES
23%
38%
CARS & TRUCKS
Canada
123.42
US
530.3
Germany
150.21
UK
119.68
Russia
Key
114.69
Road CO2 mt
China
228.02 Japan
224.24
GLOBAL SOURCES
OF POLLUTANTS
21%
HOUSEHOLD &
OTHER PRODUCTS
18%
INDUSTRY
0.2 -0.6
0.1 - 0.2
0 - 0.1
UAP DEATHS PER 1000 POPULATION
India
91.06
6 - 8 watts 50,000 hours
13 - 15 watts
$76.65/year
8,000 hours
$32.85/year
$328.59/year
60 watts
1,200 hours
Light Emitting
Diodes
Compact
Fluorescents
Incandescent
Light Bulbs
Annual Operating Cost
(30 Incandescent Bulbs
per year equivalent)
Watts of electricity used
(equivalent to 60 watt bulb)
Life Span (average)
VEHICLE POSITION
73%
Streetlight saving
(STREETLIGHT NUMBERS)
on electricity bills
VEHICLE SPEED
FULL POWER
HALF POWER
LOW POWER
25%
48%
HC
PM
NOx
CO

HC
PM
NOx
CO
VEHICLE POSITION
(STREETLIGHT NUMBERS)
73%
Streetlight saving
on electricity bills
VEHICLE SPEED
FULL POWER
HALF POWER
LOW POWER
25%
48%
71

MDES 2013/2014
6CONCLUSION

As a Chinese citizen living in the
city with the worst air quality for
more than 10 years, through this
one year I developed the final design
work based on personal experience,
as well as academic research and
creative thinking. The aim of the
investigation is to create a concept or
solution to reduce the air pollution in
China. However, the study time was
too limited to cover all aspects of
the issue. Through my methodology,
many design opportunities emerged
from the interdisciplinary design
process. In the limited time available,
the final design focuses on vehicle
emissions mainly arising from car
pollution.
These design explorations inhabit
and expand on ideas found in this
research. The thesis began by looking
at how to enrich the experience
of reducing pollution through the
use of sustainable power sources.
Research across disciplines sought
to uncover unique pollution-reducing
opportunities. Investigations were
made into finding poetic resonance

in different areas of study, such
as education, urban planning and
industrial design. In the end, after
exploring, musing and probing, the
research began from a personal
experience for design practice and
the desire to find a direct and fast
method to fix the air pollution issue.
The methodology of action research
and investigations through
design proved useful. A deeper
understanding of the design process
through the methodology helped the
designer realize the value of art and
design practice. For this thesis topic,
the design methodology was based
on understanding the design aim and
problem, then proceeded to plan the
design choice and, finally, to improve
the design through reflection. In
addition to allowing designers to
explore other disciplines beyond
their own specialties, the process
of interdisciplinary design supports
a more powerful and complete
outcome.
an infographic poster. A number of
sketches were presented that could
be expanded into advertising or demo
videos in the future. An additional
discovery of this design work was a
process for analyzing and developing
materials to address the needs and
interests of a variety of people.
All of the design ideas in the thesis
book can be seen as a process of
envisioning. To envision is to create
a future space that promises a more
beautiful city. Ultimately, these
design ideas not only work for China,
but also can serve as a guide to
combat air pollution issues around
the world. That is me, a designer
who discovered himself to change
the world. Are you ready to be a great
designer?
The design process is like building
a house, with research and practice
forming the structure’s base pillars.
Without a fully researched topic, the
design work will never be successful.
The artifact is a way to practice
design thinking and is also an easy
way to bring personal experience into
craftwork. The design exploration
could work deeply from the artifact
idea or go farther. After reflecting on
a number of design concepts, I chose
the streetlight idea for its simplicity
and ease of implementation. The
final exploration was drawn from the
research done to date and applied to
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