Mengdi's Adventure of Self-Exploration

Thesis Book Design
Pratt Institute MFA Communications Design 2024

In the pace and chaos  of modern life, I often grapple with questions about my true self, negotiating how much time I’m afforded  self-exploration. The ceaseless demands of work and social interactions often leave me feeling detached from my identity. Urgently seeking self-discovery, I aim to navigate through my research using a unique blend of written narrative and design.

 

As both an artist and designer,  my approach  can sometimes be unconventional in manner and in form. Being at the cross-section of design and art allows for an authentic presentation of my views and approach in synthesizing the external world.. By narrativising and coupling notions of self with design research , characters emerge as different facets of my personality;contributing to the construction of my personal worldview and thoughts around design

 

My self-exploration primarily began with the construction of a worldview. In this adventure story, I transformed into a gust of wind, meeting a group of little creatures along the journey. Each one, with its unique name and style, represented facets of my identity. I use different shapes, colors, and patterns to express their uniqueness. In this process, I am sculpting different versions of myself. My thesis will grapple with the complexities  of my own self-awareness, personality, fears, expectations, and happiness; presenting an analysis of what I deem as my “authentic self.” Real-life case studies will illuminate issues around  identity. Ultimately, my artistic style and methodologies will transform these insights into strategies and  representations of my worldviewI see my work and research as an intimate stage shared with the world. Through this narratives and research that follows, my hope is for readers to  momentarily pause, and potentially embark on their own journeys of self-exploration.