#des302week10

[karyacemplon]

Week 10- On da grind

Figure 1

Indonesian meme

Note: This meme can be roughly translated as "I am going off(line) first (bray is slang for bro). I am questioning my life right now"

Honestly speaking, I feel mentally better in week 10 than I did in the previous week.

What?

This week was characterised by two words: stress and grind. However, this push might be a good aspect, as I managed to get my card design quite literally finished. Buttttt at the same time, a declining state of sanity. I feel immense gratitude to the FabLab technicians (especially during printing, cutting and sudden laser cutting) for supporting and helping me despite the short notice and the recognisable cramming.

Week 10 felt like an emotional rollercoaster. One moment, I was stressed, and then I felt relieved. The week was dominated by late-night calls with my friend and black coffee. I know. Who drinks black coffee at 2 am? Apparently me. Despite being a whirlwind of emotions, this experience I gained new insights about approaches.

Since beginning my design journey, I have been scared to come into the FabLab. I do not know what influences me to feel this way, but I just know that coming into the lab--even the old Design space--makes me anxious. However, I have to admit that this experience was a letdown. I am disappointed in myself for allowing this to happen in the first place, but I am grateful to have gained new knowledge along the way.

Final designs

Figure 1

Flora and Fauna cards

This is the design I created for the flora and fauna cards. By combining the two colour palettes I have and decreasing and increasing hues, I was able to obtain the colours of the card. On the cover page of the cards, I have included a Māori word and its meaning. Inspired by a piece in the museum, I chose Haumanu, meaning to revive.

Figure 2

Question cards

As for the question cards, I have chosen the word Whanaungatanga, which roughly means kinship. The chosen words reflect the card game themes, of connecting, environment and communication. Slightly different from the flora and fauna cards, the questions deck adopt a ticket-style design.

Overall, I aimed to make the card designs inviting, warm and easy to the eye. Hence, the mixture of warm and cool tones.

Figure 3

Rulebook

Similar to the style of the question cards, I designed the rule book to look like some kind of ticket. The rule book will be folded piece of A4, and includes the details of the game.

Figure 4

Prompt Sheet

The prompt cards are replaced with the prompt sheet, but this time, using this is optional. The game provides a list of prompts and also encourages players to make their own prompts. Moreover, the cover page follows the theme of the cards and includes the word 'Kōrero', meaning to speak.

Figure 5

Map sheet

Instead of A4, the map will be printed out in A3 size. This will allow for more drawings, notes, and scribbles of thoughts. The map includes the names of areas where the species might potentially be and some quick facts, which will be improved and added in the final iteration.

Printing

Printing is evil. I encountered multiple struggles when it came to printing, and nothing seemed to work 😭. At first, I felt relieved as I had completed my file and needed to print it. Everything was sorted, and the paper; I allocated some time to print. I thought everything was going well until I encountered the first problem--being unable to print from my laptop. All the computers in the design space were fully booked, so I had no choice but to print from my laptop. Printing normally went well, but the challenge came when I had to use my own papers. Somehow, my laptop did not have the bypass tray settings; despite getting help from the technicians, I ended up on a closed road.

The technicians helped me print using their computers. However, the second problem occurred. Using my papers meant that I could not use the double side feature and had no option but to put it back in for a second round. This is risky, as me being me; at some point, I might forget which way the paper goes. In the end, wasting paper if I repeatedly make a mistake 😃🙏.

Therefore, to mitigate this problem, I decided to go to a printing location where my friend had previously used their service. This is where everything went downhill... It turns out I did not set up the document properly, which took more than two hours for me to reset it. And guess what? I did not end up printing as the store closed and I partly gave up.

Nevertheless, I did not give up. I went to another location with public university computers. This is where I encountered the irritating challenge of having a somewhat corrupted file. It turns out that sending the file, downloading it, and printing it from my university email caused the outcome to be darker and have dark boxes. At this point I was very annoyed and in the verge of crying.

I rushed back to the design space and asked for help once more. This problem could not be solved; hence, I had no option but to print with printing paper and paste it onto the paper I bought. I was filled with anxious thoughts and was irritated. However, the support, help, and advice I received from my peers and the FabLab technician profoundly helped me to become calmer and relieved.

Laser Cutting and Final Outcome

A FabLab technician recommended cutting the cards using a laser cutter. And being quite a messy cutter, I feel a burden off my chest hearing that I am able to do this. However, after a few trials, I manually cut as I had little time left. Over an hour, I felt my soul leaving my body and entering again. However, I finally finished it and was ready to take pictures! I felt relieved but not fully relieved.

Figure 5

Photograph

Note: This is a photograph taken for the poster.

Figure 6

Photograph

Note: This is a photograph taken for the poster, but not used.

Figure 7

Photograph

Note: This is a photograph taken for the poster.

So What?

I gained some valuable insights from this experience. Overall, this emphasises the importance of having a backup plan. For instance, if printing back to back does not work, then printing normally is the backup plan. If laser cutting does not work then manual cutting it is. I know I made a project plan with plans A, B and C, but this experience alone shows how important these plans are.

Furthermore, when talking about my regrets, I was fully expecting to be hit by reality or roasted by my peers and the technicians. However, I received responses that I did not fully expect. Instead of being roasted and being told the straightforward truth, the reactions I got were generally optimistic. Particularly not to dwell in the past and just focus on the present moment. Yes, I regret my actions, but I cannot change them anymore. All I can do is focus on what I am currently doing and what I will do in the future.

Buried underneath stress and panic, somewhere deep within me, I believed in myself that I would complete this. I did complete the assignment, but at what cost? I was not fully satisfied with the outcome, and I felt ashamed and embarrassed of myself.

Now What?

Now what? Well, it is time for a reflective action plan. I think my main challenge is overestimating my time, leading to poor time management. Along with setting priorities and creating backup plans, having a moment of reflection can be helpful. This way, I can both think idealistically and realistically about how the plan will be executed. Having a plan of what I hope and what might actually happen helps estimate the time I need or have left. At the same time, pushing me to continue.

Referencing Bersuwara. (2024). [Social Media Post]. X. https://x.com/bersuwara/status/1802968063228400002