IDENTITY
I am a 3rd culture designer. Growing up in multiple cultures, I am rootless, and this is reflected in who I am as a designer. My work is shaped by this sense of dislocation, and I design for the unspoken. This means that I do not design with clear labels or categories. I design not to explain, but to evoke emotions.
In my projects, I explore the themes of materiality, using both physical and digital mediums as merely tools to carry my message. I come from a technical background, yet I now design for the tensioned invisible space between function and form.
Earlier in my studies, I approached design literally, looking it as an art of problem solving. I drew knowledge from engineering concepts and design frameworks, following a professional, structured format.
However, I have found that I don’t want to solve problems. I want to make space for them, an environment for stillness, contradiction, discomfort, and memory.
I do not insert myself into my designs, and have their presence speak for themselves.
VISION
I am a designer who operates in the negative space between clarity and ambiguity, user and society, function and feeling. My design vision rejects categorization and instead embraces contradiction, silence, and subtlety as forms of communication.
Rooted in my early background in Technology & Realization (T&R) and mechanical engineering, my design approach began with logic, precision, and clear functionality. Over time, I’ve shifted toward User & Society (U&S), rethinking the role of technology as a vessel for evocation rather than efficiency. This evolution was guided by my growing interest in Critical and Ambiguous Design, influenced by Dunne & Raby’s Speculative Design, which argues that design should raise questions rather than offer solutions. Their work helped me understand that ambiguity is not a lack of clarity but a deliberate design choice. a method of inviting reflection, discomfort, or pause.
I approach Creativity & Aesthetics (C&A) not as just a means to apply cosmetics, but as a carrier for emotion. Light, for instance, is not used to illuminate but to communicate; quietly, nonverbally, and often contradictorily. This aligns with theories of Experience Design, where the aim is not utility but resonance. I aim to craft narratives through materials, form, and presence, allowing users to feel rather than try to understand. My portfolio demonstrates how I moved from utilitarian user experience in Year 1 to poetic and presence-driven interactions in Year 2.
In all areas, my work is deeply reflective. This may be ironically due to the reflective nature of PI&V, but my professional identity is defined not by grades and requirements. From the start, I was unconsciously designing towards this vision; I am now merely doing it consciously. I design for contexts that feel unplaceable. I resist the urge to declare or define. I aim to create work that invites the user to cocreate along with it.