Miss-
Communication

Personal project

Print / Publication / Installation

My design experiment this year looks at the shortcomings of written and visual language. My own circumstance as a Korean-born immigrant to New Zealand has foregrounded my interest in translation and interpretation, and the differences between language systems. I believe that even miscommunication is a form of communication. For example, ‘Chinglish’ (Chinese + English) is characterised by distortion that occurs through translation, but the result is a new hybrid language. I am particularly interested in public or civic communications which are intended to be clear, concise and even international. Instead of seeing misinterpretation as a negative, I am interested in the potential of these occurrences to highlight subjective or personal experience.

Miss-
Communication

Personal project

Print / Publication / Installation

My design experiment this year looks at the shortcomings of written and visual language. My own circumstance as a Korean-born immigrant to New Zealand has foregrounded my interest in translation and interpretation, and the differences between language systems.

In my research, I have found that pictorial communication is used by civic authorities and organisations to attempt to bridge the language gap. My project, which adopts the language of pictograms, is influenced by Otto Neurath’s ISOTYPE theory (International System Of Typographic Picture Education) and Ludwig Wittgenstein’s concept of a language game. My own pictogram development has been influenced by an aspect of Neurath’s work in which he takes factual information and conveys it by visual means, and also Chinese hieroglyphics. In contrast to Neurath’s work, my pictograms seek to open up interpretation, to highlight and celebrate the differences between individuals rather than offer a succinct and clear definition. As in Wittgenstein’s earlier theory and language game, I have thought about how a similar language game might prompt certain ‘reactions’ and a fuller language. My project presents the results of a number of experiments into pictograms and interpretation, conducted and documented throughout the year.

Hello, I am Yuna Lee

UX UI / Print Designer

Yuna Lee is a Auckland based designer.
Her fields of interest are in publication,
identity, spatial, infography and digital design.

For more information, or just to say hello -
hi@yuna-lee.com
+64 21 0292 1532

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