To Structure: Humanizing and Personalizing the Data
Weiran Zhang
When we encounter abundant unfamiliar data and information, our initial impulse is often to find a structure: to organize, order, categorize, and classify it. Organizing, classifying, and pattern recognition are fundamental methods to interpret and make sense of the world around us. These methods are at the foundation of other ways of learning, essential tools for giving logic to spontaneous experiences. They are also fundamental processes in graphic design. While a classification system like a taxonomy or typology can help us make sense of disordered data, imposing a structure on a data set can render other interpretations or “ways of seeing.” This thesis seeks to understand how our backgrounds and subjective experiences influence our innate methodologies for pattern recognition, categorizing, or interpreting data, especially personalized data that reflects, captures, or documents a subjective experience. How can designers be inspired by “personalized” data, and what new meaningful narratives can this data bring to us?
Nature Exists in Small Moments
Taking a few deep breaths of fresh air, noticing the colors of the sky, feeling the warmth of the sun on our skin, or maybe it's a plant poking out of a crevice can all be ways of experiencing nature in small moments.
Design Response - Title Font Design
The white squares represent the ground bricks and the green shapes simulate plants exploring the growing space from the gaps.
Interaction between Humans and Nature - The Impact on Each Other (Interactive installation)
Visualized the "war" between human and nature in the most powerful way, so that the audience can feel the violence, the destruction and the reward.
We often justify our destruction of nature as a means to meet our resource needs. In this installation, nails symbolize the desired materials that we seek, and each nail we acquire represents a fallen branch from its original position. As the gaps in the fallen branches are filled with nails, more and more natural space is occupied by human society.
Could it be possible that some individuals may pause their actions once they comprehend the connection? When we become aware of the consequences of our actions on nature, is it possible for us to cease our destructive behavior?
Book Design
In order to create a strong tactile experience while reading, the book was crafted with rough watercolor paper. After experimenting with the font, a serif font was selected to complement the paper's texture and generate a handwritten ambiance.
