Final

Minor Project Proposal Update

It has been one year since I came to UK. This country is still a stranger for me but more familiar than before. Though I already get used to the life, there are still so many things I haven’t explored. From a small country in Asia to a big historic country in Europe, I found some difference between these two cultures. Some made me laugh and some made me confuse, all of these small things gathered together to be my new life.

In the project, I am going to produce a guidebook of live in London as a student who is studying abroad. What gave me culture shock, how to avoid homesick and how this city looks like in my eyes. Sometimes I feel homesick when I am alone here, I use the communication application in my mobile or Skype to contact with my friends and families. It shorten the distance between us. I also cook by myself, although I am not pretty good in cooking I still try to cook some Chinese food by myself. Sometimes I can’t understand the British behavior and life style. I would like to share my experiences through this book, some ordinary but special experiences to me.

I will use illustrations to present this book. The main idea of this book is about culture shock and homesick, what I met in different culture and how do I stop homesick. And will including different topics “EAT”, “CONNECTION”, and “LIFE”. I love to exchange postcards with my friends, so the format will be the postcard style, twelve pieces, symbols I have been here for one year. I will put my personal opinions on the back of postcards. All postcards will be binding to a book.

To make this book, I need to give it a tittle, and design the typography style for it. I will try to combine English and Chinese letters, transform English letters into a Chinese character. All illustrations will be painting by the graphic tablet. I have never used it before, so it is a new challenge for me. I searched for other postcards book and I researched for many kinds of guidebooks that introduce London. I found some books as my references, one is a journal of travel around Taiwan Island, author traveled alone and painted what he saw or what he ate on a postcard. Readers can follow his route to travel and the size of book is suitable in pocket. Another book is Tired of London Tired of Life. It is a book that gives advices to who has tired of London what they can do everyday in London.

And the most necessary thing to me is to do a great time management that makes sure I can finish my project on time. 

Minor Project Supporting Statement

This is a guidebook for overseas students in London. Not as ordinary guidebooks, this book is for students who are from foreign countries, especially from Taiwan or China. It includes 12 postcards with different illustrations. I choose the postcard format is because people in my country love to send postcards back to their friends when they are traveling. Even some friends will ask for a postcard instead of souvenir. Postcards play an important role in communication for long distance traveling. I use 12 postcards to construct the mental state that I have already been here for 12 months, Rolling back in my mind what made me feel special when I first came to this country, and what culture shock strike me and how I avoid homesick. I drew the illustrations of different circumstances, Such as living, food, culture, entertainment, etc. Each illustration has one topic, and I try to sketch how London looks like in my eye. In regards to what British people get used to but strange for foreigners, for instance, for British people, they may never realize that they have so many different coins. Traffic as well, people from right-hand traffic country are confused when they cross the street. I also drew some key stuff for overseas students like sim card, Internet and food. These are linking bridge to where we came from and affectional connection to our hometown.

Final Illustrations

COVER

BACK

                     

                   

                   

                   

                   

                   

                   

Santa Claus is Coming To Town

Hi Girl, don't you cold? I feel freezing cold!

After the review, my tutors gave me some points to modify, one of these is thinking what British thing makes me laugh or makes me feel weird. I was think about the different culture. When I first came, there are too many types of coins that really confused me, I can't remember each one, so I always gave notes when I was paying money but I gathered more coins. After I get used to it, now I can take money very quickly!
The second thing that confused me is the left-hand traffic. I always forgot to look at the right side before cross the street, and I know it's very dangerous. Although I already get used to this, I forgot to look at the left side first when I am in my country.
The third thing is I always wondering why those girls wearing miniskirts on the street seems like they don't feel cold anymore. Maybe they have put something keep them warm under their skirts.

Typography

Hesitated between these two typography of typewriter. After some discussions with my friends I choose the first one.

Story Board

LONDON in Chinese

I was thinking the typography of the tittle, I tried to combine the capital 'L' and lower case 'l' to be LONDON in Chinese words. My book is about how London looks like in Chinese opinion, so I think using Chinese as a tittle is good. My tutor Sue suggests me to draw these two words by myself, I figured out I can use the calligraphy, or a practice notebook of Chinese words. I still keep the first idea to built LONDON by alphabets. Because of this book is talking about London, I put English tittle next to Chinese one. It also can let English readers know how to pronounce these two Chinese word. 

Result:

  

Postcard Research

Minor Project Proposal

In the project, I am going to produce a manual of how to live in London as a student who is studying abroad. How to avoid homesick and how this city looks like in my eyes. Sometimes I feel homesick when I am alone here, I use the communication application in my mobile or Skype to contact with my friends and families. It has shorten the distance between us. I also cook by myself, although I am not pretty good in cooking I still try to cook some Chinese food by myself. I would like to introduce these in the book, it will be a personal manual or a journal about my travel. Although I am now live here for more than one year, I still feel that I am not ‘live’ here but ‘travel’ here. It is hard to get into a totally different culture, even I have already get used here, sometimes it still a stranger to me. I do not know whether I will staying here or go back to my country after I finish my university, therefore I want to record the UK life.

I will use paintings and photographs to present this book. The main idea of this book is about culture shock and homesick, what I met in different culture and how do I stop homesick. And will including four different topics “EAT”, “SPEND”, “CONTACT”, and “PLAY”. I love to exchange postcards with my friends, so the format will be the postcard style, twelve pieces, symbols I have been here for one year. All postcards will be binding to a book by using white glue. The text in the book will be kind of I am writing a postcard to tell my friends what happened around me.  Therefore the book will be very personal.

To make this book, I need to give it a tittle, and design the typography style for it. I will learn the knowledge of typography in English characters. Try to improve my skill in using software like Illustrator and Indesign, and try to painting with graphic tablet. I have never used it before, so it is a new challenge for me. I have researched for many kinds of guide books that introduce London, and I will reading travel journals written by other people as references. I found some books as my references, one is a journal of travel around Taiwan Island, the author traveled alone and painted what he saw or what he ate on a postcard. Readers can follow his route to travel and the size of book is suitable in pocket.

 

Another book is Tired of London Tired of Life. It is a book that gives advices to who has tired of London what they can do everyday in London.

I also get a lot of event information from blog or Facebook, according to the information I can attend different events and exhibitions. I hope I can make a lot of memories here so I try to go many different places.

And the most necessary thing to me is to do a great time management that makes sure I can finish my project on time.