2012-12-11

2012-12-10

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. 

2012-12-09

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.

2012-12-06

Final Illustrations

COVER
BACK