PBL G9A

GSP 1

1. Main Projects (Week 1- Week 7)

Week 1

We created a visual collage about SDG 15 (Life on Land). We used images to show the impact of climate change on natural habitats and the need for land preservation.

Week 2

We designed a new NT$1,000 bill featuring Lin Sheng-xiang. He is a Taiwanese musician who uses his art to speak up for social justice and the environment.

Week 3

Our original mood board, titled "Save The Trees," used earth tones and blues to highlight environmental issues like urban congestion and deforestation. This helped us visualize broad problems before narrowing our focus to housing

Week 4

Our first plan was about saving trees and stopping deforestation. We wanted to show how urban growth hurts nature and indigenous lands.

Week 5

After getting feedback, we switched to Housing Inequality. We realized this was a more specific local problem where real estate speculation makes it hard for lower-income people to find safe homes.

Week 6

We drew 50 sketches to brainstorm ideas. We chose the best three and used design principles like balance and emphasis to make a final logo for our group, Shelter For All.

Week 7

We picked specific fonts and colors for our magazine. This brand kit ensures that all our designs look professional and stay consistent across our magazine and keychains.

2. Reflection on Growth

One project I would redo is the currency design. Because our team was focused on the "Local Injustice Research," we didn't communicate well, and the design was rushed at the last minute. To improve this in the future, I would identify each teammate's strengths earlier and assign specific design roles so we don't overlap on research and ignore the visual tasks. This lesson in teamwork helped us during our Project Pitch. The specific feedback we received was that our first topic (deforestation) was too broad. This led us to change our focus to Housing Inequality, where we could specifically target how low-income families are priced out of Taipei.

This project connects to my previous PBL classes, where we also used mood boards to organize ideas, but this time I am applying it to a real-world social issue. I’ve grown by learning how to split work based on what my teammates are best at. To improve my own study habits, I am fighting procrastination by using daily to-do lists. My actionable plan is to check off three small tasks before I leave class every day to make sure I don't fall behind on the final magazine draft.

3. Social Justice Investigation

Our group is focusing on Housing Inequality in Taipei. We define this as a system where housing is treated as a profit tool for the rich rather than a basic human right for everyone. This affects lower-income workers and families who are forced into tiny, unsafe apartments or must move far away from the city. It is a major local issue in Taipei because the Safety Gap means only wealthy neighborhoods can afford earthquake-safe buildings, while others are left in dangerous conditions.

4. Graphic Design Growth

At the start of the semester, I thought graphic design was just about making art. Now, I realize it is about the balance between art and information. I learned that design can make a message much more engaging; for example, our magazine and keychains are designed to show the visual contrast between overcrowded spaces and spacious ones. This helps make the wealth gap something people can actually see and hold, which makes the issue feel more real to the community.

Final GSP

1. Main Projects

Week 8

During Week 8, our group focused on designing a logo that would represent both our topic and our overall message. I helped brainstorm ideas, evaluate different logo concepts, and discuss how each design connected to housing inequality. We wanted a logo that would be simple, recognizable, and meaningful. After receiving feedback from classmates and teachers, we revised several parts of our design and eventually chose a house-and-heart logo. The house represents shelter and housing, while the heart represents care, empathy, and community. This process taught me that effective logos are not just visually appealing but also communicate a clear message to the audience.

Week 9-13

This was one of our early magazine cover drafts. At this stage, we were experimenting with different layouts, fonts, and images to determine how we wanted to present our topic. I helped evaluate different design options and considered how effectively they communicated the seriousness of housing inequality. Through peer and teacher feedback, we learned that some design elements were difficult to read and did not fully reflect our message.

Week 9-13

After receiving feedback, we revised the magazine cover by changing the colour palette, adjusting the layout, and improving the visual hierarchy. The darker colours and stronger contrast helped communicate the seriousness of housing inequality, while the revised typography improved readability. This revision helped us create a stronger visual identity that better connected to our social justice issue and target audience. I contributed to discussions about the magazine cover, colour palette, typography, and layout. I helped evaluate different versions of the cover and considered how effectively each design communicated our message. I also participated in revising the design after receiving feedback from teachers and classmates.

Week 14-15

Zoe Lin - Exhibition Pitch Planner

During Weeks 14 and 15, we focused on preparing for the final exhibition. This included creating our class T-shirts, participating in a mock exhibition, and developing our final project pitch. I contributed by helping prepare our exhibition materials, organizing information, and creating a detailed pitch planner to guide my presentation.

During the mock exhibition, we received feedback on both our presentation and display. This feedback helped us identify areas that needed improvement, including how clearly we explained our issue and how effectively we connected our design choices to our social justice message. As a result, I revised my pitch, added more specific examples from our research, and strengthened the explanations of our logo, colour palette, and tangible design.

Preparing for the exhibition helped me improve my communication skills and confidence when presenting. It also taught me the importance of being able to explain not only what I created, but also why I made specific design decisions. By the end of the project, I felt much more prepared to discuss our research, design process, and social justice issue with visitors.

2. Reflection on Growth

During this project, I contributed to the cover design, logo development, and overall visual identity of our magazine. I participated in discussions about colour choices, typography, layout, and imagery, and I helped evaluate different versions of our magazine cover. Through this process, I learned that graphic design is not only about making something visually appealing but also about communicating information and emotions to an audience. Every design choice needed to connect back to our message about housing inequality and help readers better understand the issue.

One important piece of feedback we received was that our original colour palette did not clearly communicate the seriousness of housing inequality. In response, we changed our colours to include warm cream and beige tones alongside darker red tones. The cream and beige colours represented comfort, stability, and the safe housing that everyone deserves, while the red tones represented urgency and inequality. This change helped create a stronger emotional impact and made our magazine feel more unified and professional.

Compared to previous projects, I became more involved in group discussions and decision-making. In the past, I often focused only on completing my assigned tasks. During this project, I contributed more ideas, provided feedback to my teammates, and thought more critically about how our design choices connected to our message. As a learner and group member, I became more confident sharing ideas and accepting feedback. In the future, I still want to improve my time management by setting personal deadlines and breaking large tasks into smaller goals so that I have more time to revise and improve my work.

This project connected to several other classes, especially English and Geography. In English, we practiced research skills, evaluating sources, and communicating information to an audience. These skills were important when creating our magazine because we needed to gather reliable information about housing inequality and present it in a way that readers could easily understand. Similar to writing assignments in English, we had to think carefully about how to organize information and communicate our ideas clearly. The project also connected to Geography because we investigated a real-world issue and examined its causes and effects. And in PBL, we looked at how housing policies, economic factors, and social conditions contribute to housing inequality in Taipei. Through this project, I was able to apply skills from multiple classes while also developing a deeper understanding of how different subjects can work together to solve real-world problems.

3. Social Justice Investigation

Before starting this project, I knew that housing inequality existed in Taiwan, but I did not realize how serious the problem had become. One fact that surprised me was learning that Taipei's house price-to-income ratio is around sixteen times the average household income. This showed me how difficult it is for many ordinary families to afford housing. I also learned that housing inequality affects more than finances. It can influence people's safety, health, opportunities, and overall quality of life.

Before conducting research, I assumed that housing inequality mainly affected people experiencing poverty. However, I learned that even people with stable jobs can struggle to afford housing because housing prices have increased much faster than wages. Many people are forced to live in smaller spaces, older buildings, or farther away from the city because of rising costs.

This investigation changed the way I think about social justice because it showed me that many social issues are connected to larger systems and policies rather than individual choices. I also realized that many people misunderstand housing inequality because they see it only as an economic issue. In reality, it is also a social justice issue because access to housing affects many other aspects of people's lives. Learning about organizations such as OURS helped me understand the importance of advocacy and community action in creating meaningful change.

4. Graphic Design Growth

Throughout this semester, my understanding of graphic design changed significantly. At the beginning of the project, I mainly focused on making designs look attractive. As the project progressed, I learned that graphic design is also about communication, problem-solving, and helping audiences understand complex information. Every design choice, from colours to typography, can influence how people interpret a message.

The design principles that helped me the most were contrast, emphasis, balance, and unity. These principles helped our group organize information effectively and guide readers toward important content. I also learned how colour can be used to create emotion and strengthen a message. Understanding these concepts helped me become more intentional and thoughtful when making design decisions.

Graphic design played an important role in communicating our social justice message. Housing inequality is a complicated issue, but through colours, typography, images, and layout choices, we were able to present information in a way that was engaging and easier to understand. The design decision I am most proud of is our final logo and colour palette because they clearly represent both the issue of housing inequality and our belief that everyone deserves safe and affordable housing. This experience taught me that effective graphic design requires both creativity and purposeful decision-making.

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