Intercultural Design
3/3/2025 - 21/3/2025 (Week 5 - Week 7)
Lim Yeng San (0366316)
Intercultural Design / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media / Taylors University
INTRODUCTION
Hello there!
We are "The Knifey Cult" (don't worry we are not actually one)
We are Taylorian students who founded this group for an intercultural design module assignment, which is themed... Everyday design! These designs may not be iconic or extravagant but play a crucial role in shaping the cultural and functional aspects of society. So us, group 32, has decided to delve into the territory of knives.
I hope you enjoy our journey.
Presenting to you... Knives in Culture!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Culture and Design
Visuals
- Everything that can be seen either man-made or created by nature. Visuals created by humans often have communicative purposes.
Design Significance
- Understanding the importance of designs culturally, philosophically, sociologically and historically.
Design System
1. Basic Assumptions
- Cultural functions/Purpose
- Values
- Principles
- Practices
2. Norms and Values
- Design language/Aesthetics
- Look and feel
- Design elements
- Design functions
3. Artifacts and Products
- Implementations/Use
- Tools
- Technology
Design Sensitivity
Cultural Sensitivity Awareness
Symbolism and Imagery- Certain symbols images may carry different meanings
- Be mindful of potential cultural interpretations to avoid causing offense
Typography and Language
- Consider language variations and ensure accurate translations
Colour Considerations
- Colours have cultural significance across different cultures and societies.
Addressing Cultural Sensitivity
Inclusive Design- Designs that are inclusive for people of different cultural backgrounds and abilities
Localization
- Adapt designs to local cultures
User Research
- Conduct research and studies across different groups
Cultural Awareness Training
- To develop an understanding of different cultures
MODULE INFORMATION BOOKLET
TASK 1
For the first task, we formed our own groups and had to prepare a proposal for an everyday design. At first we thought of studying three subjects, knives, chairs and drinkware. In the end, we decided to dedicate our project to cooking knives from different cultures.
We divided the research among ourselves based on the different cultures, eastern cultures which were China, Japan and Vietnam and western cultures which were Germany, France and Britain. I worked on knives in France and studied the French chef knife and French tableware.
For our sketches, we settled on three ideas for the TikTok video series.
- Knife Documentary - A video documentary series about knives from different cultures.
- Knife Manga/Comic - An educational video series featuring comic with humanized knife characters from different cultures.
- Love Story - A comedic video series detailing the origin of knives in a fun unserious manner.
Figure 3.1: The proposal for Knives in Culture (PDF)
TASK 2
Continuing from our proposal in Task 1, we conducted research based on the general public's knowledge on cooking knives and the culture they came from. To do this, we created an online survey and quiz to test people's knowledge on knives and collect their opinions on knife based educational content. We also conducted interviews with people of different backgrounds to test their knowledge and gather their opinions as well.
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| Figure 4.1: The online survey and quiz |
Link to survey and quiz:
From the responses we gathered, the majority of our respondents are interested in an educational video series revolving around cooking knives. We decided to combine two ideas from the previous proposal, the knife manga/comic and love story to create an educational video series with humanized knife characters.
The premise of the video series would be a knife obsessed cult summoning knives of different cultures to learn about them. I drew up a storyboard for the outline of the entire series.
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| Fig 4.2: The overall storyboard for the video series |
Each of us designed characters based on the knife culture that we researched. Since I worked on knives in France, I sketched the French chef knife. He's inspired by French fine dining culture and wears a chef's attire.
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| Fig 4.3: The French chef knife sketch |
Figure 4.3: The research and final idea development for Knives in Culture (PDF)
TASK 3
For the making of the video series, we divided the work among ourselves and were each in charge of our knife content video. I was in charge of editing the slides and the script documentation. I drew another storyboard for the French Chef Knife video.
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| Fig 5.1: The storyboard for the French Chef Knife video |
After that, I completed the sprites for the French Chef Knife. He only has a few expressions and an exaggerated chibi angry face. I like how his designs came out mostly because of his hair. I've been told by my group mate that he looks like he could be in a shampoo commercial.
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| Fig 5.2: The sprites for the French Chef Knife |
Our script for the knife content consists of facts about the knives and a bit of comedy to keep the videos interesting. I kept mine relatively short.
Link to video series script:
I got my friend, Imran, to record the voice lines. I then sent the storyboard, sprites, images and voice lines over to Kai Xuan to make the video. She then sent the footage over to Wen Chia for subtitles and sound effects. After she was done, she sent the video to Btari and Xian Zun to be posted on TikTok and Instagram. Kai Xuan also helped a lot with the creation of the slides.
Figure 5.3: The video-making process for Knives in Culture (PDF)
Link to Knives in Culture TikTok page:
Link to Knives in Culture Instagram page:
Link to Voice Actor's Instagram page:
FEEDBACK
Week 3
Dr. Charles liked the topic of knives and suggested ideas for the sketches.
Week 5
Dr. Charles liked the vision of the final product.
Week 7
Dr. Charles suggested to decrease the text and add more visuals.
REFLECTION
This assignment showed me the significance of simple everyday objects. I think it's important to expose more people to the history behind these everyday designs as they are becoming more and more forgotten. I'm now more interested in cooking knives after researching them.
My teammates have been wonderful in this task. I feel that we worked together really well to bring our vision to life even when things were going haywire.
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