Art Direction | Project 1: Art Direction Ideation
Melvin Yung Khun Yew | 0357241 | Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Art Direction
Week 1 — Week 9
Defining a Creative Solution for Community Impact
These are the jump links to each part of this portfolio
Instructions
Mr Kamal, my lecturer for the Art Direction module for this April 2025 semester, gives us a heads-up on the upcoming tasks and requirements.
- Demonstrate the ability to identify and analyze community problems through research.
- Formulate a creative and strategic art direction concept aligned with an SDG goal.
- Collaborate effectively across disciplines to produce a unified visual direction.
- Communicate creative ideas clearly through visual and verbal presentation.
Work Process
Throughout Project 1, my primary role in the group was to contribute strategically to the development of EMO: TION, a campaign addressing digital miscommunication inequalities aligned with UNSDG 10: Reduced Inequalities. As the lead website designer, I focused on shaping the digital solution that the campaign would ultimately deliver.
Here are my contributions to our first project:
1. Participating in Ideation & Final Direction
I actively took part in all group discussions during the early exploration stage. Together with the team, we identified the rising issue of emoji misinterpretation across cultures and generations all around the world after Hui Yi, one of my teammates, brought up this idea. Where I also contributed more extra insights on how this issue relates to communication inequality and played a role in finalizing EMO: TION as our project direction.
 |
| Ideation Phase on Miro Board |
2. Proposing the Digital Solution & Key Website Features
With the project grounded in SDG 10, I proposed an interactive campaign website as our main outcome. I outlined key features that would embody inclusivity, empathy, and cross-cultural interpretation:
- Emoji Encyclopedia showing official vs. cultural definitions
- Custom Emoji Maker for personalized emotional expression
- Universal Emoji Understanding Map visualizing cultural and generational differences
- Interactive Public Poll to gather user interpretations
 |
| Rough Ideation of website feature during week 4 |
These proposed features became core components of our project’s defined output.
3. Contributing to Art Direction Decisions
During group art direction discussions, I collaborated with teammates to evaluate and refine our visual language. I shared design opinions on typography, color palette, UI personality, layout clarity, and the balance between playfulness and minimalism. This ensured our campaign’s visuals aligned with the theme of emotional communication and digital clarity.
 |
| Website Design Reference |
 |
| Overall Art Direction Reference |
4. Writing Sections of the Design Proposal Document
Regarding the task delegated by Kar Yee, our project lead for the Art Direction module, I completed several key sections of our shared proposal:
- Why our proposed issues about the emoji usage misunderstanding matter (Locally & globally)
- Our Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
- Our Target Audience Profile
- And descriptions of the Interactive Website Output
These writings helped articulate the research justification for our EMO: TION branding and strengthened our conceptual clarity as a team throughout the first project. It is very important to have a team working towards the same goal to ensure smooth sailing later in the project.
5. Sketching Website Layout & Lo-Fi Wireframes
As the lead website designer, I produced lo-fi sketches and initial wireframes, showing:
- Homepage hero layout
- Navigation structure
- Sections for concept introduction, encyclopedia, map, and poll
- User flow through the campaign
These sketches and plans served as the foundation for my later high-fidelity prototyping and visual refinement.
 |
| Sketches of the campaign website design |
Our Deliverables
Presentation Slide
My reflections
Working on Project 1 has been a meaningful experience that allowed me to combine research, teamwork, and creative problem-solving across disciplines. I gained a deeper understanding of how art direction plays a crucial role in shaping social impact campaigns, especially one that tackles a subtle but significant issue like digital communication inequality.
As the designated lead website designer, I learned how to translate abstract concepts—such as “emotional miscommunication” and “cultural interpretation”—into usable and interactive digital features. It pushed me to think not just as a UI/UX designer, but also as a storyteller. Designing for awareness and empathy required me to consider how users experience information, how they react to visuals, and how subtle design choices can influence understanding.
Teamwork was another major takeaway. Discussions on art direction taught me how to compromise, integrate ideas, and maintain a consistent visual identity across multiple media.
I also improved my research and documentation skills, especially when writing the global and local relevance of the issue, identifying the target audience, and framing the unique selling proposition. These tasks strengthened my ability to justify design decisions, which is essential for any professional designer.
One challenge I faced was balancing creativity with practicality—especially when proposing features for the website. I had to think about what is visually impactful for the campaign, while also considering real-world feasibility for development. This helped me become more realistic and strategic in planning interactive experiences.
Overall, this project helped me grow both creatively and professionally. It reinforced my passion for UI/UX design and prepared me for future industry expectations where designers must be able to conceptualize, articulate, and prototype meaningful digital experiences. EMO: TION has not only been a collaborative success but also a stepping stone for my personal development as a future UI/UX designer.
Comments
Post a Comment