Sharon Wan
The floating Diary of Charlie
A picture book that is created based on the real experience of an international student
The project "The Floating Diary of Charlie" employs animal metaphor to describe the difficult yet rewarding experiences that international students could encounter. Additionally, it draws on my personal experiences to develop a tale that aims to inspire international students who are considering studying abroad by demonstrating them that there is always something beautiful to discover in a foreign nation, such as New Zealand.
In my project, I investigated immigration, which is the emigration of people from one country to another for various reasons, including economic, social, family reunion, natural calamities, and the desire to relocate.
Immigration can be a very unpleasant experience, but from another angle, it can also be viewed as a brave gesture. This creative practice-led study explores the question of how pictures might be produced and used to represent fantastic stories that are based on my personal immigration experiences.
This project's goal was to use graphics to create a narrative that reflected on many aspects of immigrant life. Cultural barriers can be intimidating and frightening for a female design researcher who lives alone abroad. Through the use of colors and characters, the pictures develop an embodied practice in which sentiments and consequences are negotiated as a visual story of emigration.
To engage a group of immigrant teenagers interested in learning more about the day-to-day struggles of a Hong Kong student pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Visual Communication Design, the narrative approach used illustrations and a storytelling structure.
The project investigates the use of graphic style and colour to convey emotion throughout the chapters, beginning with my initial anxiety upon learning about studying abroad in my hometown, Hong Kong, and ending with my gradual assimilation into New Zealand. The study advances knowledge of design methodologies that tell stories about human experiences through visual narratives.
