MDes Graphics / Illustration / Photography - Postgraduate Degree Show 2023

Degree Show Catalogue 2023

GLASGOW SCHOOL OF ART SCHOOL OF DESIGN

Introduction from Professor Stephen Bottomley, Head of the School of Design

Welcome to the School of Design 2023 Postgraduate exhibition of work in Fashion & Textile Design, Graphics/Illustration/Photography, Interior Design and Product Design Engineering.

We commend this year’s graduates on their hard work, congratulating them on their achievements. Design probes and challenges through lateral and critical thinking. It has the power to improve the quality of life and enrich our culture and society and in this exhibition, you see the evidence of these approaches, now manifest.

To our visitors, thank you for visiting our Postgraduate show. We hope you are challenged and excited by what you see exhibited across the magnificent Reid building. Enjoy your visit and explorations, knowing more can be found on our accompanying digital showcase, where more information can be found about each student and their work.

To all our staff, including academic, technical, admin and support roles, my sincerest thanks for all your hard work evident in this excellent exhibition and over the past year.

To our graduating students, we wish you every success in your future careers and ask you stay in touch with us and the Glasgow School of Art as an important alumnus of our school.

Best wishes

Professor Stephen Bottomley MPhil RCA, MA Design, BA Hons Head of the School of Design

MDes Graphic Design, MDes Illustration, MDes Photography

Brian Cairns Programme Leader

We are pleased to welcome you to view the work of students from the Masters of Design in Graphic Design, Illustration and Photography at The Glasgow School of Art. Yet again, we are astonished by the cohort’s focus, and we would like to congratulate them on their achievements - well done!

Working across various disciplines, including Graphic Design, Illustration, Photography, and the boundaries between and beyond, there are some fantastic projects for you to explore. The students have continued using creative forms of communication to challenge the world around us, whether exploring ideas of gender equality and sexuality in cultural identities, internal landscapes through jazz, Buddhist philosophy, or faith and identity; their criticality and ethical awareness have always been at the forefront of their production.

We are incredibly proud as a staff team to see students working physically with thoughtful and detailed outcomes. The work is produced with industry in mind, with the highest possible standards as their goal. Seeing their momentum gain and witnessing an extremely active studio environment in which they have all been part has been a joy. We hope you enjoy the fruits of their labour as you navigate the degree show, and we wish this graduating year the very best as they move forward into their future careers.

Adam Nolan Ahmad Zaim Zarif

MDes Illustration

Having originally come from a strictly design-based background, I’ve chosen to embrace the graphic side of illustration. My practice is rooted in digital image-making, however, I’ve developed a particular interest in print-based production methods. These include linoprint, monoprint and screenprint, each of which I engage with on an experimental level. Through these experiments, I create images that I can then go onto utilise and modify in a digital context. I’ve found that this process pushes me to create work that surprises me and keeps me engaged with my creative process. The pairing of image and text is of particular interest to me and I enjoy jumping between mediums to communicate a message.

I also allow my practice to be defined by my interests outside of illustration and design. These include history, nature and music, often leading me to work with themes of identity. My most recent project is a meditation on my childhood, having grown up in an Irish Catholic setting. Intrigued by the kitsch, low-budget printed material of the Catholic Church, I’ve reappropriated their visual language and messaging to produce my own satire-laced printed material – a reflection on my changing outlook on the Church, its influence over an extremely formative period of my life and its influence over my creative practice today.

MDes Photography

My photographic project, ‘Portrait of An Artist As Their Mother’, explores themes associated with gender roles, identity, self-representation, childparent relationships, vulnerability and memory.

Using constructed portrait images, role-playing, and performance, I adopt a variety of personas, in which I seek to gain a deeper understanding of my own experiences and embark on a transformative journey of selfdiscovery, where I break free of conventional constraints and societal norms, reimagine the concept of identity and embrace a more authentic truth. Through my images, I invite viewers to question and reflect on their own perceptions of truth and reality and in so doing, create a space for open dialogue, which fosters empathy, empowers self-expression and contributes to a more inclusive and compassionate society.

Hoa Nguyen

MDes Graphic Design

The more I grow as a Designer, the more I realise that what I enjoy about Graphic Design the opportunity for my work contribute to the betterment of everyday life.

“Design shouldn’t just look good – it should do good as well.” This statement captures my practice and my motivations as a Graphic Designer. I appreciate every chance to work on social projects, which advocate for—but are not limited to—equity, diversity, & sustainability. Through my work, I aspire to help deliver meaningful messages, and raise awareness of subjects and themes that can do good. I believe that to truly make a positive impact and affect action through design, you not only need the technical skills but also a critical and ethical mindset.

One Planet is my final project on the Master programme. Conceived as a book and as a tool for environmental activism, it translates the famous One Planet documentary, narrated by David Attenborough into a printed publication/edition. This project provided a challenge for me to practice and develop my design skills including editorial design, typography, bookbinding, and creative coding—the process was thrilling, and the resulting work has led me to ask myself, what else I could do to make an impact.

Callai Watson

MDes Photography

In this photographic project, I explored the interconnected themes of music and community in the vibrant Scottish jazz scene. Collaborating with musicians, DJ’s and the audience, and immersing myself in the music and broader research has been an integral part of my creative process.

It enriched my perspectives and influenced my approach to the making of my images. Through my lens, I sought to extend the significant connections forged during live performances and was inspired to capture the essence of individuals and their passion for their music through expressive studiobased portraiture and documentary photography. During this project, I have laid the groundwork for meaningful collaborations with some extremely talented people, it has reignited my passion for music, and reaffirmed the importance of the community in shaping my artistic journey.

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Grace Merryweather Mclaughlin Anderson

I grew up with the understanding that if you can imagine something, you can create it; this outlook has formed the foundation of my illustration practice and has influenced the work I am interested in making. My final project at GSA directly addresses my original motivation to study on the course; to establish my own, authorial voice and visual language as a storyteller.

The publication, STLKR, takes its starting point from my personal interest in thrillers and surveillance. STLKR explores the idea of oppressor vs oppressed—the watcher and the watched—in a alternate reality where one’s digital security can never be expected.

Science fiction deals with the reaction of human beings to changes in science and technology; in STLKR I want to expand upon this to include a the wider effects of these changes on society and culture; a society that itself is involved not just in the observation but also in speculation on the events of another’s life—often with only a partial or adequate knowledge of what is really happening, and why the events and narrative are unfolding.

Anqi Wang

Throughout my studies I have always been drawn to fashion photography, but I’m not interested in superficially presenting fancy clothes on pretty models. My interest lies in using fashion photography as vehicle in which I can express myself to communicate and tell stories.

Through my current project work, I explore the contentious relationship between humans and artificial intelligence. Whilst AI is already here and is having a massive impact on many aspects of our lives, particularly the art and design industries, my work looks towards a near future, one where machines are all pervasive and endowed with consciousness and asks in what way will our existence change? Will the rapid development of technology engulf human beings? What would a post-human era look like? It is my hope that those looking at my images might think a bit more about our dependence on technology and the impact it might have on us in the future.

MDes Illustration

MDes Photography

Hanqiao Deng Jiaye Jin

My practice as an illustrator is motivated by my interest in—and desire to tell—stories. From childhood I have had a deep interest in the tales, adventures and journeys told through myths and legends; but also, the ways in which these stories communicate the inner journeys and emotion of the characters. During my study at GSA I found myself in a foreign land far from the cultural landscape I grew up in and that shaped me; navigating my own path through new experiences and developing new knowledge.

My final project takes the form of a children’s picture book; I wanted to develop a story using a universal experience—in this case, the process of losing the first tooth—as a metaphor for the moment of departure from childhood and facing up to change.

My hope is that this book will help ease the nervousness and anxiety some children may feel about losing their baby teeth and, moreover, will inspire young readers to embrace the changes they encounter in life with curiosity and positivity.

I am a Graphic Designer that recognises the need for social responsibility and citizenship as crucial aspects of my practice. My project investigates the black market in stray cats in China, resulting in the abuse and death of thousands of cats each year.

The cats are captured and transported to supply the fur market in specific areas of China and later processed as food products. My project aims to highlight the lack of animal protection laws in China compared to other countries globally through a publication that presents current animal protection laws in various countries.

↘ artstation.com/journeyd_115

↘ 605657165@qq.com

↘ @ac3llyde

↘ jinjiayejjy@163.com

↘ @jjiayeee1

MDes Illustration

MDes Graphic Design

Jieyu Deng Jing Tong Teo

MDes Photography

Inspired by Japanese photographers of the 1970’s and primarily influenced by my isolating experience during the pandemic, my current photographic work, ‘A Taste of Salt’, uses a multiple narrative structure to explore themes associated with memory, family, love, home, friendship and loss.

Intertwining observational documentary and constructed image-making and using symbolism and metaphor, I visually reflect on this traumatic, but hugely influential period of my life. Taking my cues from Daido Moriyama and Takuma Nakahira, all of my photographs were made with an analogue camera/film and printed in the darkroom. This approach to image-making felt more authentic, allowing me to feel more connected to my work. As someone who previously studied graphic design with a strong interest in editorial design, I wanted to use my time on this programme to combine my skills and so it felt right to contextulise my photographic work in a publication. Whilst this is an intensely personal project, the pandemic was a collective experience and I hope that through my images, viewers can take stock, reflect and heal as I have strived to do.

MDes Graphic Design

My design practice is situated predominantly within print design, editorial and publication design. I aim to make work that provokes reflection and encourages readers to question self-identity, human connection/s, and materiality. I find inspiration in the banal, the objects and gestures of everyday life and am motivated to recontextualise them as artifacts; to incite, investigate, and memorialize any associated emotions. A theme that I return to regularly in my work revolves around how we navigate the human experience and present our proof of existence through printed materials and type.

The starting point for my final project: 妈我饿了 (Mum, I’m hungry), are the yellowed, stained pages of a well-used notebook containing my mother’s numerous, collected, recipes. I have designed a new publication, reproducing sections of my mother’s original book, the recipes it contains— from my mother and generations before her—and expanded the content to include additional materials, intertwining interviews, and contemporary reflections that explore the interconnected subjects of motherhood, memory, and food. The publication is a love letter to my mother and a celebration of the small acts of unconditional love both conceived and collected in her humble, spiral-bound, notebook.

↘ @sukekiyo_hitmol

↘ jingtong.myportfolio.com

↘ jingtongx@gmail.com

↘ @ifyouseemyreflection

Julian Hodgson-Thom Lara Glynn

MDes Illustration

I am a mixed-media illustrator from Vancouver, Canada. My practice explores found media and collage whilst also being informed by observational drawing. My time at GSA has been transformative, enriching my career and developing a criticality in my process and methodology.

My work explores riso printing and expressive mark-making. Drawing places and people immerses me in the moment, allowing intuition to guide my creative decisions. My sketchbook also plays a significant role in my practice, with initial sketches often integrated into final works. As an illustrator, I draw inspiration from the beauty and uniqueness of the places and people I encounter. I strive to create illustrations that resonate with viewers that communicate my perception of reality at a human level.

MDes Illustration

I’m an Irish illustrator, designer, listener, and storyteller. I’m passionate about meaningful, concept-led Illustration and am excited by the potential of communication design work to connect and grow communities— making our ordinary extraordinary. At the core of my practice is a regular sketchbook practice; one driven by play, curiosity, lots of quick experimentation and a love for creative image-making.

Both Dublin and Glasgow are full of city foxes and for my final project at GSA, I have written and illustrated a book for children about these foxes; how they are adjusting to city life from the edges of the countryside, with adventures that sometimes land them in trouble. Where are they going? What are they doing? We know they eat the pet food & scraps from our bins, steal our shoes…

The picture book presents one such fox, Rua and his adventures, darting in and out of shadows, sometimes brazen, sleek, and fast. The story unfolds through illustrations made—playfully—using printing methods such as, mono printing and collagraph. We follow Rua, as he discovers how to play his part in his community, opening that conversation for all of us about finding our place, playing our part.

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Mingjun Guo Mingyu Han

MDes Illustration

I am an illustrator based in China; My project depicts my grandfather’s life story through an era of notable change in China. The narrative explores a series of vignettes that reveal crucial turning points in his life where he negated his own needs for the care of others.

My grandfather is an 86-year-old retired maths teacher. Despite the trials of his experience, he has faced these challenges with care and compassion for those around him. Many students still visit him regularly out of respect for his dedication and commitment to them and the care shown.

In his older years, he has returned to his hometown and now finds time to write his autobiography of the changes in China during his lifetime. The narrative is personal and aims to promote the principles he demonstrated to his pupils and family over nine decades to a broader audience.

MDes Illustration

Mother-daughter relationship are complex and frequently discussed in feminist theory. I grew up in a traditional Chinese family, and experienced judgement not only from males, but often from other women. In a patriarchal society, many rules are not explicitly declared. Often implemented through family structures and traditions.

My project does not seek to allocate blame, rather I am seeking to develop my own understanding of the social dynamics that sustain these societal values in a context of current feminist theory. Through reflection I explore the intergenerational relationships of women in traditional Chinese families.

Mingzhuo Zheng Qing Wen

MDes Photography

Based on my own experiences of intolerance, ignorance and bias, my current work explores vulnerability, gender identity and gender fluidity through photographic portraiture.

Through my images, I seek to present another view of the marginalised in society. As a photographer and mixed media designer, I like to work very closely with my subjects and I see making portraits as a collaborative process, one built on mutual respect, understanding and empathy. The world is not black and white, everyone should be allowed to have their own expression and lifestyle, they can be different, and there is absolutely no right or wrong.

MDes Photography

During my undergraduate studies in China, I developed a passion for documentary photography, which was unfortunately interrupted by the pandemic. Lockdown and travel restrictions made it difficult to make the photographs I wanted to. But after this hiatus, I have reignited my passion for documentary through my postgraduate studies at The Glasgow School of Art.

My project ‘Park Life’ observes and celebrates life in Glasgow’s parks and seems a world away from where we were, a few years ago - collectively restricted and robbed of our everyday freedom. I hope my images serve as a reminder of the importance of liberty and that even the simplest of pleasures should never be taken for granted.

↘ zmzhuo.cargo.site

↘ 1026411474@qq.com

↘ @mingzhuo_zheng

↘ 1453776801@qq.com

↘ @wenqinghi

Raunak Singh Rohan Tandley

Photography

During my studies in Glasgow, I have observed that there are a lot of restaurants and cafes that serve food from many different countries of the world, each proudly serving their genuinely authentic food. I had never experienced such international diversity in my home country of India and whilst we do have food from different states within the country, there is not as much from outside. Being a culinary enthusiast, I decided to create a celebratory photographic project that captures something of the essence of this diverse and global culinary scene, whilst also attempting to understand what makes a particular cuisine in a restaurant, “authentic”. Is it the people that make it, the ingredients and condiments, or the utensils and assorted paraphernalia used in the process?

To answer this photographically, I utilised, documentary, still life and portraiture to explore three areas within each kitchen and cuisinethe process of cooking, the dishes and the chefs. I really enjoyed my experience, speaking with different chefs and hearing about their different culinary journeys, it was a privilege to spend time with them. Hopefully my photographs do them and their art justice as well as celebrating the inclusivity and warmth of Glasgow and its wonderful food.

MDes Graphic Design

As a Graphic Designer the world of science fiction inspires me, how technology and humans interact, and this fascination informs my work. I am a confessed tech enthusiast, following the latest technologies and developments.

Through my study at GSA, I am developing an interest in typography. Along with my interest in emergent technologies, I was curious to explore ways in which Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning can adapt to explore new possibilities in type design applied to technology as part of an ongoing evolution of typography and communication practice in a contemporary social context.

↘ raunaksingh.com

↘ raunaksinghmedia20@gmail.com

↘ @raunak_singh_photography

↘ rohantandley@gmail.com

↘ @rohan_tandlay

MDes

Shaoai Wang Tat Sang Wang

While studying in the MDes Graphic Design programme, I developed an interest in typography and editorial design. My project, ‘Un-natural Beauty,’ explores perceptions of beauty and identity, reflecting on how make-up is applied as a form of personal expression in different eras.

I explore early cosmetics products and their ingredients that were sometimes poisonous or damaging to their users over the longer term, resulting in blindness, permanent disfigurement, and death. I reflect on concepts of vanity associated with the use of make-up projected in the marketing images between the 1920s and 1950s in North America and Europe, forming a key element of my research.

My practice exists between illustration and graphic design. I am interested in ontological idealism and similar philosophical ideas. Critical reflection on life and art informs my work.

My project aims to communicate the principles of Buddhist philosophy through visual symbols. My prior study in Buddhism and art history informs my project. My interest in philosophy informs how I perceive the world, and though at an explorative stage, my work aims to address these philosophical ideas through Communication Design.

↘ shaoaiw@gmail.com

↘ @cynthia_ccpract1ce

↘ artstation.com/alexwang

↘ tatsanggwang@foxmail.com

↘ @tatsang_art

MDes Graphic Design

MDes Illustration

Yifei Xiang

My final project during my time at GSA is a highly personal collection of work, that presents an all-too-common experience of young people in the gay community in contemporary China. Homosexuality is still deeply misunderstood in Chinese society and there is a real lack of knowledge and understanding; I feel people don’t know us correctly. The work takes as its starting point, my own experiences of coming out to my mum, her reaction, and an encounter with a doctor who suggested “Homosexuality can be changed if you want it to be”

My work has been motivated by my understanding of Illustration as primarily a method of communication; how it can, and has in the past, be used to powerful effect to communicate, inform, and educate society. When people engage with illustration, it is not limited to traditional spaces where art is experienced, but often makes more direct contact with people in the social world. This presents an opportunity—for illustrators—to make important social issues more visible to people and in my case raise awareness and address issues of care for minority groups.

Tongbo Ni

I am a practice-based graphic designer from China.

During my postgraduate study, I travelled through Europe collecting tourist fridge magnets to document each journey. These fridge magnets and my travel experience became a focus for exploring social identity and culture. Sherry Turkle’s theory of ‘evocative objects’ inspired my reflections on these objects as devices to anchor memories, sustain friendships, and relate experiential narratives. My project explores my special connection with these objects beyond their materiality or function as companions of shared experience.

↘ yifeixiang.cargo.site

↘ yifeiillus@gmail.com

↘ @feiyuxiang3

↘ tongbo.cargo.site

↘ nn000609@outlook.com

↘ @tongbo_ni

MDes Graphic Design

MDes Illustration

Xinyun Chang Yating Peng

MDes Photography

My photographic work is rooted in observational documentary. I am intrigued by my surroundings, whether they are urban, rural, liminal or somewhere in between. I will often train my camera on details, things that others dismiss or do not see.

In my current work, I playfully explore multiple themes associated with spatial systems and rules through the objects, infrastructure and buildings/ interiors within them. Additionally, I observe the subsequent behaviours of people, both individuals and groups in these spaces, recording their interactions. Whilst this work is based on my personal observations and views, I hope that it can be appreciated and understood universally, providing viewers with a snapshot of how we live today.

MDes Graphic Design

As a creative whose practice crosses between both graphic design and illustration I am motivated to utilise creative processes of many materials and media to initiate discussions around existing social phenomena. I enjoy exploring the communication potential in combinations of image/ photography and design elements such as type and design thinking around composition, balance and the use of space and visual weight to present narratives and impart meaning. I have used my time at GSA to develop my skills in these areas and investigate the possibilities when integrating new media within Graphic Design and present more speculative concepts and themes.

In the project Cat Utopia, I designed a website presenting an imagined world where the cat is the dominant species and protagonist. This construct provides an opportunity to explore the fairness of coexistence between humans and animals and is based on the evolutionary relationship between cats and humans from ancient times to the present. The website uses this speculative narrative to provoke self-reflection and open further the discussion around the complex and interconnected relationships between humans and other living species in the world.

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↘ jingting0121@gmail.com

↘ @pamelapeng_

Tong Yang

MDes Photography

I’m a restless nonconformist who has always felt like an outsider. Since I was a young at nursery school, I have felt dislocated from my surroundings and at odds with the world around me. My photographic project ‘Fitting In’ is a playful exploration of themes associated with my feelings of uncertainty, curiosity and connectivity. Using constructed images and elements of performance, my images are a visual manifestation of my search to fit in. Although personal in nature, I believe my images can be universally understood, particularly by others, who like me, feel like they are searching for something and trying to make sense of the world.

Yinuo Xu

MDes Illustration

As an illustrator, I primarily worked on single pages during my BA. However, I became more inclined to experiment with picture books and comics to tell relatively complete stories in my MDes. I aimed to find a balance between self-expression and information reception, and it took me a long time to understand the significance of communication between individuals and between individuals and their environment.

It became the starting point for my project on internet censorship, meaning that the space for information and communication should not be invaded. When the integrity of text and images is compromised by the censorship system, so-called “”clean and harmless information”” is distorted into weird implications. With a chaotic information censorship system on the simplified Chinese language internet, creators go to great lengths to avoid risks. Therefore, to talk about this theme, I attempted to use personal experiences with virtual stories in two interconnected parts.

At first, I followed some dystopian-themed works, but I soon realized that rendering the censorship system like a nostalgic horror movie wasn’t quite captivating enough. In my final comic narrative, I used crayons to create a sense of emotional turmoil, opting for brighter and more vibrant colors to produce a ridiculous atmosphere and the feeling of being choiceless under censorship.

↘ yinuoxuhz@163.com

↘ @yinuoxu_XAX

Yuting Lang

MDes Graphic Design

As a designer, I am motivated by the opportunities inherent in graphic design to engage audiences with new ideas and different perspectives on existing content. To challenge their understanding and present new ideas that encourage questioning and reflection. I am keen for my work to directly address the developments and the changes occurring in contemporary Chinese society, utilising both traditional print design thinking and techniques, in combination with contemporary digital design tools.

For my final postgraduate project, my research focused on the relationship between popular culture as presented in Hong Kong Gambling movies and social change in Hong Kong. The project collects and documents the emergence of gambling cinema in Hong Kong in the 20th century into an archival publication. The work aims to present how the Hong Kong gambling movies in the 20th century were born as a part of the growing culture of cinematic entertainment and developed into the blockbuster spectacle of contemporary releases. The publication will also present how, under the influence of social and economic changes, the responded to and/or reflect the social expectations of the time/s and ultimately their impact upon the moral vision of gambling in Chinese society.

↘ anguslang9527@gmail.com

↘ @anguslang.jpg

Cover image: Jieyu Deng

Studio photography: Alan McAteer, Shannon Tofts

Design: Kat Loudon and Phoebe Willison

Headline typeface: Rules by Freddie Guthrie

Printed by The Newspaper Club on 80gsm bright recycled newsprint.

All work shown remains the property of the designers and may not be reproduced in print or any other media without written permissions. Contact details for all work is provided on each page for any enquiries.