Assignment 2:
Design Your Own Country
510 million km² on Earth.
Place it anywhere you want.
Where and how will you build your country?
Empathy
Everyone, Spill
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Empathy was the stage where we kickstart the assignment. As learned from the last assignment, we figured it was best to gather as much relevant information as possible. So, each of us spilled our likes, dislikes, favourite country, wants in a country and so on.
Define
We had to decide on a direction, set on an aim for our country. What would our country define as? What is our country?
Patterns​
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We looked for patterns and similarities in the multitude of varying personalities; a ground we can stand on when building our country. After analyzing everyone's Empathy, we came up with a narrative that perfectly depicts our aim of the country we were going to build.
A Country's Characteristics​
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Giving our country its characteristics and feature was what gave our country it's backbone and structure. Here, we built them based on our aim, as well as our likings and morals.
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Location​
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It is a country we are building after all. As easy as it was to throw a dart on a map and make that as its location, we wanted our country to be well-planned and close to reality. Thus, we did a brief site analysis at the area beside Japan, to pick the perfect location for our country.
History​
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No country exists without its history. Since our country was located beside Japan, we incorporated our history with Japan's. With research on Japan's history, we were able to integrate our history with Japan's isolation in 1623 and WW2
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An Identity​
It was time to wrap and tie all parts of the country up with a name and its motto, and this was constructed with all aspects of the country in mind.
Ideation
At this stage, we generated the initial ideas and sketchups for our flag and country. We did this with great considerations of the identity of our country as a flag and country would need to reflect on its personality
Flag​
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We explored on symbolisms. Colour symbolism and geometry was something that we wanted to include. We also made sure our flag incorporated something unique to our country's identity
Country​
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Our country was inspired by the Yin Yang concept. When the ‘bad’(red) is surrounding the ‘good’, the ‘good’ (green) oversees, when the ‘good’ is surrounding the ‘bad’, the ‘good’ influences. As much as we want to explore on the creative side, we decided to have a balance between being realistic and creative
Prototype
I chose idea 3: A Zombie's Yearn for Freedom. I chose to explore on this idea because it emphasizes on my the message of my narrative the most. It also shows the frustration I have behind the pen of the paper on how much Science has set things into stone. The Zombie feels free after escaping from its coffin and sees the light. In a way, I am the frustrated Zombie, and I feel alive seeing the light this assignment had given me
Flag
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Two circles overlapping each other has a symbolic meaning of two souls combined. Our country may be divided for efficiency but with nature tying both together, it is one as a whole. It also means that the two societies are interdependent on one another
Country
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We gave it the touch of reality it needed: the ragged edges, tackling real-world problems and giving natural elements its texture
Final Work
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Reflection
Lifelong Learning
I've learned to extract important and updated information, especially when researching about specific technologies and transportation systems. With this, I became more intellectually engaged with the current and upcoming technologies.
Discipline Specific Knowledge
I've learned to do research on governmental systems, which helped me get a basic understanding on the considerations when running a country
Global Perspectives
I was able to understand the value of civic responsibility and community engagement, especially when I did research on other countries as a case study. I've learned that different countries are run differently than others, and that a country's geographical location can indirectly impact its culture.
Digital Literacy
This assignment gave me an opportunity to learn Procreate as I designed the assignment using Procreate. It made me realise the importance of drawing on separate layers.
Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills
This skill was especially prominent when I had to arrange a multitude of ideas from 6 different members into one. Analyzing and organizing the use of the limited of our country also helped me learn the skill of problem-solving.
Communication Skills
I've learned to communicate with my group members through texts and meetings. I called up 2 meetings in total, and effective communication was what made possible for the project to be done with just 2 meetings
Intrapersonal Skills
I've learned to carry my weight as a team leader in the group. I've also reflected on my progress as a team leader. I felt that I did the best I could do get equal contribution from everyone, though I think it could've been done more equally in the future.
Interpersonal Skills
My team had its share of communication problems. One member was from China and was not fluent in English, yet there were members who only understood English. We also had a member who was bedridden due to his recent surgery. However, I've learned to adapt to these circumstances and had to translate from Chinese to English and vice versa.