Final Year Project
Interviews
Exploring different angles
Base Research
WEEK 1
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Research Brief
Generational Gap Between Parents & Teens in Asia
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The generational gap is a recurring issue shaped by differences in upbringing, cultural beliefs, and values.
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We chose this topic as It feels especially relevant today, with younger kids exposed to Western values much earlier due to globalization.
Exploring Different Angles
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Since the topic is broad, we wanted to diverge our research as much as possible before narrowing our focus.
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We explored various perspectives to see what resonated most.
Need for Personal Insights
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The generational gap is deeply personal and emotional, making it difficult to fully understand through seocndary research alone.
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To get a more authentic perspective, we decided that firsthand stories would be crucial.
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Interviews felt like the best way to capture real experiences and uncover insights that might not be widely discussed.
Explorations over the week
Over the week , we listed down 3 key things we would be looking into to help understand the various directions we can take.
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1
Larger theories that could help us understand the phenomenon
2
Explore the love languages/communication styles
3
Psychology behing generation gap
Psychology behing generation gap
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I focused on researching topics 2 and 3, while Yue explored topic 1.
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I began by looking into the main reasons why teens start growing distant from their parents and the underlying causes of this phenomenon.
Key Findings -
As teens grow older, their social circles shift from parents to peers.
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This stage is crucial for seeking independence and figuring out their identity, leading them to rely more on friends for support.
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Teens start forming their own opinions, which can cause disagreements with parents.
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Differences in outlook, mindset, or traditions often lead to conflicts and frustration on both sides.
Speaking from experience, my dad and I often argue about how things were done “back in the day” versus now. A lot of times i feel parents forget that they also have to keep up with their growing childrens and changing times, rather than sticking to their own experiences. these small clashes in perspective can really add up.
Explore the love languages/communication styles
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I then looked into how love is expressed in Western societies and compared it with Asian households. The differences stood out immediately.
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Western families tend to be more open with affection, often treating their kids like friends.In contrast, Asian families don’t always express love outright—it’s shown through actions like acts of service, nagging, or constant worrying. To them, just saying “I love you” doesn’t prove anything.
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This made me wonder—why do Asian parents see things this way?
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As I dug deeper, I found that in previous generations, showing emotions was sometimes seen as a weakness, something to be ashamed of.This mindset has been passed down, which explains why many parents today still hesitate to express love openly.
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I felt like this also ties into the authoritarian parenting style in many Asian families—being too emotional might feel like they’re lowering themselves to their child’s level, weakening their authority.
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It was really eye-opening to see how deeply ingrained these beliefs are, and it made me reflect on my own experiences. It’s not that Asian parents don’t love their kids—it’s just that their way of showing it doesn’t always align with how we expect love to look.
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To understand the common ways Asian parents express their emotions, I went through articles and personal blogs to find patterns across Asia in how parents show they care or try to connect with their kids.
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Among the many examples, food stood out as a recurring theme. It appeared in so many forms—cooking their kids’ favorite meals, preparing healing food when they’re sick, or even cutting up fruits and bringing them to their room while they’re studying. Food seemed to be a universal way for parents to show love.
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Beyond food, it became clear that acts of service and sacrificing everything for ones family were the primary way Asian parents express affection.
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One insight I found fascinating was that many Asian languages don’t have a phrase equivalent to “I love you” for family members.The phrases that do exist are often tied to romance, making them feel unnatural or awkward when used to express familial love. This cultural nuance is one of the reasons many parents struggle to say it outright.​
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But this made me wonder: what’s the impact on kids who are so used to seeing Western forms of affection in media?
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Many articles I came across discussed how this mismatch in affection can cause resentment and feelings of inadequacy in children.Children might feel like they're never good enough, leading to tension and alienation in their relationships with their parents.
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I also wanted to explore different forms of media that tackle the topic we’re focusing on.
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I wanted to see how these films or shows portray the generational gap, what themes they highlight, and the kind of impact they have on their audiences. Even though these stories often revolve around Asian families, they explore vastly different aspects of those relationships, making us reflect on them in unique ways.
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For example, Crazy Rich Asians sheds light on how some Asian families disapprove of Western ideals of individualism. In the film, Rachel, the main character, is seen as someone who may not be capable of putting family first or making the sacrifices expected in traditional Asian families.
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On the other hand, Everything Everywhere All At Once takes a very different approach. It dives deep into the complexities and nuances of relationships, particularly the tension and misunderstandings that can exist within families.
Larger theories that could help us understand the phenomenon
Maslows hierarchy of needs
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During our report writing class, we were encouraged to dig into larger theories that could break down the concept of the generational gap we’re exploring. I found it fascinating to see how much these theories could connect to our topic and give a clearer perspective on why certain conflicts and misunderstandings happen.
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For instance, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs really resonated with me. It made me realize how different the priorities between generations are. Gen Z, like us, tends to focus on self-actualization because many of our basic needs are already met. But for our parents or grandparents, their focus was on safety and stability—things that were less guaranteed for them. It explains why they sometimes see our goals as “selfish” or unrealistic when they’re just different.
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The Age-Period-Cohort Effect was another framework that clicked for me; as it mentioned external events shape a generation. Like, for us, growing up in a world of rapid technological change and social media has made us very different from our parents, whose world was shaped by slower changes or big, defining events like the Cold War or economic booms. It’s no wonder we sometimes struggle to relate to each other’s experiences.
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The Social Constructionist Perspective made me think more about how generational differences aren’t just about biology or age—they’re deeply rooted in the changing social norms. It’s wild to think about how things we consider “normal” today, like prioritizing mental health or valuing individuality, were not necessarily part of our parents’ social reality. These norms are constantly shifting, and it made me realize how much of the gap between generations is due to these evolving ideas.
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​I found Modernization Theory intriguing too, but also a little abstract. It talks about how modernization leads to more progressive or individualistic values, but it felt like such a generalization. I struggled to connect it directly to our project because it’s such a broad theory, and it didn’t quite explain the smaller, day-to-day generational conflicts we’re focusing on. I felt like it was more focused on large-scale societal shifts than personal relationships or family dynamics.
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One of the most practical theories, in my opinion, was Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory. It really clicked when I thought about how Asian families often prioritize collectivism over individualism, while Western ideals are the opposite. That’s such a huge part of the generational gap—how older generations want us to prioritize family and sacrifice, while we’re often focused on finding ourselves or pursuing personal goals.
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Finally, Erikson’s Stages of Development gave me more insight into the “why” behind the tension. Teens like us are at the stage of Identity vs. Confusion, where we’re trying to figure out who we are. But our parents, at the Generativity vs. Stagnation stage, are focused on providing and ensuring stability. This difference in priorities makes sense, but it doesn’t make it any less frustrating when they think we’re just being rebellious or ungrateful.
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Overall thoughts​​ -
Looking into these theories helped me reflect on the bigger picture and gave me more empathy for the struggles our parents might have in understanding us—and vice versa. It’s not just about differences in age but also about how society, culture, and history have shaped each of us. I feel like understanding these frameworks can help us bridge the gap, even if it’s just a little.
Eriksons stages of development
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The next step in our process was preparing for interviews to gain firsthand insights on how love is expressed in households, focusing on the perspectives and misconceptions between parents and kids across different relationships (e.g., mother-daughter, father-son).
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We designed the interview questions to allow participants to lead the conversation, giving them the freedom to express their thoughts and feelings organically, rather than steering them toward specific answers.
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To explore generational differences, we also included questions for parents about their own upbringing, aiming to understand how their relationship with their parents shaped their parenting styles and how values are passed down, altered, or resisted through generations.
WEEK 2
Conducting Interviews
Conducting Survey
Media Analysis
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After discussing our insight about food bonding in Asian families with our lecturer, he pointed out that it’s a common theme in media. This made us realize it might not offer the unique perspective we needed, so we decided to dig deeper for a more distinctive angle.
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While the qualitative data from our interviews was valuable, we realized it might not be enough to make our project convincing. So, we decided to incorporate quantitative data to strengthen our findings.
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We struggled to find relevant statistics online, which highlighted the need to gather our own data. As a result, we began drafting a survey for both parents and teens.
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When framing the questions, we considered factors like parents’ unfamiliarity with love languages, the gap between the love they express and receive, and how this could lead to misunderstandings. By using the same questions for both age groups, we aimed to identify the gaps and explore ways to bridge them.
Feedback
Survey
interview/survey results
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Over the past week, we began conducting interviews with our target audience, and for me personally, it was an eye-opening experience. It allowed me to explore the parent-teen dynamic and understand both perspectives. As a teen, it was hard to see beyond my own emotions, but now, acting as a third party, I could empathize with both sides and spot the gaps that often led to tension.
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As the survey and interview results came in, my teammates and I started identifying common insights and organizing them systematically. Many of these findings aligned with our secondary research, validating our observations. A key insight was the stark difference in how parents and teens perceive communication in their relationship.
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Many parents saw open communication as a strength, thinking they could talk freely about sensitive topics like love and mental well-being. However, only 28% of teens agreed with this, with most valuing mutual respect as the foundation of their bond. While parents saw themselves as approachable, teens were more hesitant and often felt neutral or uneasy about sharing personal matters.
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The communication gap stood out to me—while parents thought they knew their children well, many teens were holding back their true feelings. When we looked at the causes of conflict, both sides pointed to differing values. Parents saw it as a lack of quality time, while teens felt misunderstood and dismissed.
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This disconnect was clear in the interviews too. Parents were frustrated that their advice wasn’t seen as coming from a place of care, while teens felt their parents were stubborn and unwilling to listen. Ironically, while parents thought communication was a strength, miscommunication was at the core of most conflicts conflict.
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To me this stood out; The imbalance of authority also played a role, with parents freely expressing their to opinions as guidance, while teens felt stifled and afraid to speak up as it would come across as defiance.
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Another key insight, which aligned with our secondary research, was the role of food in bonding. Across responses, food was a love language—whether parents cooking their teen’s favorite dish or families gathering for meals. Yet, when asked how they wanted love expressed, quality time was the most desired.
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It made me realize that both parents and teens crave more time together, but fear of miscommunication or nagging holds them back.
insights
media analysis
As we delved deeper into our primary research, I explored how parent-child relationships were represented in media. Given the deeply personal nature of our topic, I was curious how these dynamics were portrayed in an emotional, unfiltered way. What messages did these stories convey? How did they evoke emotion? And could they offer a fresh perspective on our findings?
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​Two short films stood out:​
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Let’s Eat – This film follows an immigrant mother and daughter as they navigate the evolving nature of their bond. Once inseparable in childhood, their relationship grows strained as the daughter matures. Food becomes a symbol of their connection—when they were close, they cooked and ate together. But as the daughter embraces a more Western lifestyle, their shared meals grow quieter. The cycle repeats when the daughter becomes a mother herself, reinforcing food as a generational thread of love and connection.
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Bao – A metaphorical take on the Asian parent-child relationship, Bao tells the story of a Chinese Canadian mother struggling with empty nest syndrome. When a bao bun she makes comes to life, she gets a second chance at motherhood. The bao symbolizes her son, and their eventual reconnection—again through food—reflects how many Asian parents express love through actions rather than words.
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Both films reinforced a key theme: food often acts as a silent bridge for reconnecting in Asian families, offering comfort when words fail.​
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Additionally, I started reading The Joy Luck Club, which presents mother-daughter relationships through contrasting perspectives, revealing the unspoken tensions and unconventional expressions of love. These narratives highlighted recurring themes in Asian families—the difficulty of openly expressing emotions, the clash of perspectives, and the subconscious ways love is communicated.
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This exploration reshaped my approach to our project. Rather than positioning it as a "solution," we wanted to create an experience that would help parents and children confront these unspoken emotions. Instead of allowing the gap between them to widen, our outcome should spark a moment of understanding and reconnection.
Expanding our Research
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While I focused on media representations, my teammate Reigne explored design for an empathetic society. She discovered that unlike traditional architecture, which follows a top-down approach, empathetic design is active and participatory—it considers the user’s emotional and psychological needs and integrates them into the final design. Although this concept comes from a vastly different field, it shares similar principles with our project: we are trying to design an experience that responds to real, deeply personal human needs.
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She also introduced us to empathy mapping, a tool used by designers to understand their audience’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. This could be incredibly useful in refining our outcome, ensuring that it truly resonates with our audience.​
Final Thoughts
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This phase of research has been extremely insightful. The more we connected our primary findings with secondary sources, the clearer our direction became. The biggest takeaway for me was that communication gaps between parents and teens are not just about speaking or listening—it’s about whether the conversation feels safe for both parties. The presence of authority, differences in values, and past experiences all influence how open they can be with one another.
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Moving forward, I want to explore how we can design an experience that fosters understanding rather than just communication. Instead of trying to "fix" their relationship, perhaps we can create something that allows them to step into each other's shoes—to feel, rather than just hear, each other's perspectives.
WEEK 3
case study
potential outcomes
pinup session
Developing Our Direction
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With our research coming together, we began discussing potential directions for our outcome.
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While we considered various mediums, two stood out the most—an immersive exhibition or a speculative design project. Both aligned with our intention of allowing parents and teens to experience the same moment through different lenses.
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To refine our approach, we explored past projects from our seniors and other relevant case studies.
Case study
​Case Study #1: Food as a Love Language
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This project explored how love is expressed in Malaysian culture, not through direct words, but through food, which is quite similar to one of the insights my team also found!
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The designer created a five-tiered lunch box, each layer representing a different love language with traditional Chinese New Year dishes. For example, yu sheng symbolized words of affirmation due to the auspicious phrases exchanged while tossing the ingredients, while steamboat represented quality time, as families gathered around the table, waiting for the broth to boil and cooking food together.
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To me this approach was compelling because it translated abstract emotional concepts into something tangible and culturally resonant. Although such a simple concept, it was so cleverly linked back to ones roots,
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Case Study #2: B-long
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A project by one of our NAFA seniors, B-long focused on Gen Z’s growing emotional distance from their parents, primarily due to social media.
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Their solution was a gamified experience designed to strengthen family bonds. It included conversation cards to encourage meaningful discussions and a recipe book for families to document and pass down cherished meals.
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Like our inisghts, this project also had common themes around food but used gamification as tools to foster connection.
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We came across several other projects, and a common thread among them was the use of gamification—whether through card games or board games—as a way to bridge the gap between parents and children. However, we felt that this approach was overdone. Gamification was often the expected route for such topics, and we wanted to take a more unexpected, thought-provoking direction. This led us to explore more speculative and immersive ideas.
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potential outcomes
We then began brainstroming ideas for possible directions we could go in​
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A Visual Display of Emotions
I came across a TikTok video featuring a device that connected to the user's head and displayed brainwaves on an external screen when exposed to different stimuli, like food or music.
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Each stimulus produced a unique visual output, offering a raw, almost vulnerable glimpse into a person’s emotions.
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This idea fascinated me—what if we could use a similar concept to visualize the emotions of parents and teens in real-time, making their unspoken feelings visible?
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The Dining Table as a Stage for Unspoken Words
Since meal times are often the only moments families spend together during a busy week, we considered using AR or VR in an exhibition setting to depict the unspoken thoughts exchanged at the dinner table.
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What if visitors could "see" what family members were thinking—the words they wished they could say versus what actually comes out?
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A ‘Translation’ Device for Family Communication
One of our key insights was the gap in communication between parents and teens. What if we designed a device that could "translate" phrases in a way that helped both sides understand each other better? Almost like Google Translate but for Asian family dynamics
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"Have you eaten yet?" → "I care about your well-being."
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"Go to sleep early." → "I worry about your health."
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although we hadnt finaised an outcome yet, these were areas that we found interesting and were looking forward to explore them further.While we continued brainstorming, our goal remained the same—to create an experience that wouldn’t just talk about the parent-teen dynamic, but would make people feel it
Pin up
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As we prepared for our upcoming pin-up, we outlined the key elements we wanted to present:
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A strong foundation of our primary and secondary research
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A clear research objective: to evoke empathy and understanding between parents and teens
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Two of our most relevant case studies to illustrate potential approaches
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A selection of speculative concepts that challenge conventional solutions
we wanted to ensure our direction was clear and going forward we could focus on honing in on our outcome.
WEEK 4/5
scenario definition
outcome exploration
W.I.P showcase
This week, we explored different scenarios to showcase in our outcome. Since we had multiple ideas, coming up with specific examples helped us determine which ones were most suitable. I first looked at common phrases that cause miscommunication between parents and teens—words that don’t always convey their true intentions. Parents may struggle to express care in a way that resonates, while teens often come across as indifferent, despite having emotions they can’t fully articulate.
I then examined recurring points of tension between them, categorizing these misunderstandings into common themes. While discussing with Yue, we realized that miscommunication is a key factor in these conflicts—much like an iceberg, where only the surface is visible while deeper emotions remain unspoken. We wanted to create an experience that reveals the underlying meaning behind words, not as a solution but as a space for empathy
Common phrases
full fledged scenarios
​We began refining our previous ideas and were most drawn to designing an exhibition/experience. Our vision was to recreate a familiar setting, like an HDB apartment, where parents and teens navigate everyday situations. They would interact with different physical elements that reveal the full story behind their interactions. We also explored the idea of them starting from opposite ends of the space and meeting in the middle—symbolizing an understanding of each other's perspectives.
During our consultation, we expressed uncertainty about which direction to take, as each outcome had slightly different objectives. Quentin introduced a simple yet impactful example: a parent offering food to their teen at a specific time, which may feel intrusive to the teen but holds deeper meaning for the parent, who wants them to enjoy the meal at its best quality. This highlighted how small moments contribute to the communication gap.
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Rather than narrowing down to a single solution, we were encouraged to focus on a relatable scenario and present it at the WIP showcase.
Working towards W.I.P
We realised that in order for people who’ve never seen our project to really get what we’re trying to say, clarity was key.
we wanted to find the core message that tied everything together. For us, that underlying idea was about how love, when not communicated clearly, often goes unnoticed or misunderstood.
So our goal became about making those quiet, everyday acts of love seen, bringing them to life in a more tangible, relatable way.
We created a mini flowchart that mapped out our thought process and what we were trying to communicate. We also wanted to show how these misunderstandings actually play out. so for our A1 Board, we added dialogue-based scenarios between parents and teenagers—moments where the intention behind an action didn’t match how it was received. It helped drive home the disconnect we were exploring.
Flowchart process
Misunderstandings
From there, we started fleshing out each of our ideas: the Love Receipts, the Exhibition, and the Speculative Device
For the Love Receipts, we wanted to give them more weight, so reigne suggested to use them as part of a campaign. The idea was to have pop-up spots around the city where people could create their own receipts based on personal experiences with family.
These would serve as reflections of love—simple moments that felt true to them. They could even be posted and shared, drawing people towards the larger exhibit. We pictured posters and MRT ads showing some of these receipts to spark curiosity.
A big inspiration for this was Spotify Wrapped—how people don’t really think about how much they’ve listened to music, but at the end of the year they get this cool, personal summary. We thought the same could apply to love—turning something quiet into something that feels seen and special.
For the Exhibition, we leaned into the HDB theme to keep it familiar and local. We imagined each room focusing on a different expression of love, made physical through objects and space.
One idea we were excited about was a TV scene showing a misunderstanding between a parent and teen. But when you flip the channel, you see the same situation—but with both of them saying what they actually meant. That shift in perspective felt really powerful to us.
For the speculative design idea, we wanted parents and teens to say some prompts and a device connected to their head and a television can visualise the internalised emotions that are unexpressed
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For this idea i was really inspired by an exhibiton i had visited titled the future is now. the visuals on it were also very captivating and abstract, which would be a good way to visualise the abstract emotions.
<<thats me
For visuals, we’re going with a local Singapore vibe with a slightly vintage feel—something familiar and nostalgic that can connect with people across generations.
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So, we began laying everything out on an A1 board for the showcase.
WEEK 6
W.I.P showcase
The WIP showcase turned out to be a really great opportunity for us to share our ideas—not just with peers but also with teachers. We encouraged everyone to tell us their favourite outcome and leave feedback on what worked and what didn’t.
Some of the feedback that really stood out to us included:
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One peer pointed out that most of our examples leaned heavily towards parents—their actions being underappreciated or misunderstood. They suggested we try to balance that by also highlighting how teens show love to their parents. We totally agreed. It’s something we hadn’t focused on enough, and we realised it’s important to scope that in and reflect it across our outcomes.
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A lot of people really connected with the campaign and exhibition ideas rather than the speculative one. The general feedback was that they explored these themes of love and miscommunication in a grounded, but meaningful way that felt super relatable.
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One teacher gave us some solid feedback about our dialogue scenarios. He felt we weren’t clearly showing the contrast in love languages between the characters. He suggested removing the written descriptions and instead finding a way to let those differences come through more naturally in the scenes themselves. He also gave us an idea to include a sort of ledger that people could flip through, showing different misunderstanding scenarios—so visitors could see themselves in those moments.
We also discussed tying the Love Receipts campaign and the exhibition together more intentionally. The campaign could work as a kind of teaser—a way to raise awareness and give people a sneak peek into the emotional core of the exhibition.
That said, we did feel that the receipts, in their current form, didn’t quite match the warm, home-y vibe we wanted for the full exhibit. They felt a little too polished or superficial, and not as emotionally grounded as the rest. We still liked the base idea, but decided we might need to rethink how it’s visually and emotionally presented so it fits better.
Before the next consult, we decided to pivot a bit based on the feedback. We thought about creating smaller-scale exhibits that could be placed in public spaces like mall atriums.
These would be much more accessible—both in terms of location and time commitment. Unlike a full-scale exhibit that could take an hour or two, these smaller versions could hold the attention of passersby, spark curiosity, and still communicate our message. Think: people running errands or doing groceries stumbling upon it without needing to carve out a whole day.
Before the next consult, we decided to pivot a bit based on the feedback. We thought about creating smaller-scale exhibits that could be placed in public spaces like mall atriums.
These would be much more accessible—both in terms of location and time commitment. Unlike a full-scale exhibit that could take an hour or two, these smaller versions could hold the attention of passersby, spark curiosity, and still communicate our message. Think: people running errands or doing groceries stumbling upon it without needing to carve out a whole day.
The consult
Feedback by peers
The consult that followed the WIP showcase helped solidify our direction even more. One idea we got was to start with a pre-campaign that teases some of the misunderstandings, followed by the Love Receipts campaign. But after discussing it as a group, we questioned whether miscommunication should really be the hook. What we really wanted was for the unseen acts of love to be the thing that pulled people in.
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With the receipts, we wanted people to look at them and wonder, how many of these have I experienced?—and then reflect on whether they want to keep living without acknowledging those quiet acts. That emotional check-in felt more powerful to us.
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Our teacher also encouraged us to create at least 2-3 distinct exhibitions, each exploring different ways of showing love tangibly. Another great suggestion was to think beyond mall atriums for locations—like kopitiams or spots near schools. Basically, spaces where our different target audiences already are in their day-to-day life.
GENERATE PERSONAL RECEIPTS AT THE END
AD CAMPAIGN
EXPERIENCE ONE OF THE ROOMS
INTERACT WITH THE OBJECTS SYMBOLSING LOVE
A mini user journey we created
week 7/8
working on the exhibiton
To better understand how to make our exhibitons impactful, i looked into some case studies that had huge emotional impacts on their audience.
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I looked into the Museum of Broken Relationships, which is this really interesting collection of objects from people who’ve gone through breakups. Each item, even if it seems random actually carries a really personal story behind it. What stood out to me was how powerful ordinary things can be when tied to emotions or memories.
Other exhibitons
This really influenced how we approached our own exhibition. It made us realise that we didn’t need grand or dramatic visuals to get our message across. Even the most everyday household items could represent something much deeper—like moments of love, miscommunication, or care that often go unnoticed in family relationships.
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That idea of using simple objects to tell emotional stories really clicked with us. It’s relatable, and it makes people pause and reflect. We want to create that same kind of moment—where someone sees something familiar and starts thinking about their own experiences, maybe even things they’ve never put into words before. That personal connection is what we’re aiming for.
Exhibiton concept ideas
LIVING ROOM
The hidden intentions behind harsh words
(words of affirmation)
DINING ROOM
Acts of service, the most common from of showing affection
KITCHEN
Connecting both sides using food as a medium (quality time)
Living Room
Unfinished Calls - Rewriting the Narrative
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Setup: A classic home telephone with two buttons: "Parent" or "Child."
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Interaction: Visitors pick up the receiver and hear common hurtful or harsh-sounding phrases (e.g., "Why are you always on your phone?").
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Revelation: Pressing a button reveals the underlying emotional intent (e.g., "I just want to talk to you more.").
Conversations Left Unspoken
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Theme: Misinterpreted words and emotional weight (Words of Affirmation).
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Setup: Visitors sit on a couch while whispers of real-life arguments or passive-aggressive remarks play above them.
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Interactive Element: A TV plays realistic parent-child dialogues that sound cold. Visitors can press a
"Translate Love" button to reveal the actual intent (e.g., "You're wasting time" → "I worry about your future").
Kitchen
objects i listed that show underlying care
Dining room
The Unspoken Letters Chest
Concept: Emotional weight is often stored in physical objects that carry unspoken sentiments between parents and children. This exhibit reveals those hidden feelings through storytelling.
Interactive Experience:
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Visitors open a chest filled with objects like a toy, sweater, school report, or photo album.
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Each item contains a dual narrative from both the child and the parent—triggered by audio or digital prompts.
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Example: A childhood toy
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Parent's voice: "I kept this toy because it reminded me of you as my little one."
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Child's voice: "You still treat me like I'm that kid who needed help with everything."
This duality shows the emotional tension and difference in interpretation surrounding the same object.
Recipe for Love
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Concept: Love is like a home-cooked dish, full of care, effort, and personal flavor. Parents and children, however, "cook" their love using different ingredients, shaped by their own experiences and intentions.
Interactive Experience:
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Visitors choose a role: Parent or Child.
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They move through interactive stations,
"assembling" a dish using symbolic ingredients (e.g., "Providing for the family," "Listening," "Setting boundaries"). -
Each station invites reflection on how love is prepared and received differently depending on the perspective.
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The Time Paradox
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Setup: A dining table with two figures: one parent checking emails, one teen scrolling on a phone.
Interaction:
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Stand still → Time speeds up: The clock spins, and no one engages.
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Sit at the table → The figures "wake up" and begin to interact, symbolizing the impact of intentional time spent together.
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Visitors can leave messages on sticky notes about meaningful or missed family moments.
The love wall
At the end of each exhibition, the visitors would be allowed to make therr own love receipt. Upon being given two copies, they would be able to take one home, as a memory of the things they reflected on and a reminder of the exhibition. The other copy would be pasted onto a wall, where visitors would be able to see the look of love within so many different families, allowing them to find differences and similarities in the way love looks than their own.
The branding
To keep the whole narrative more consistent, we decided to shift the idea from “love receipts” to something that felt more at home—like household ledgers or utility bills. This made more sense with our domestic theme and helped the project feel a lot more cohesive. For our pre-campaign, we’re planning to use “running tab” style posters that show those everyday misunderstandings between parents and kids—stuff that feels super familiar and relatable. Around this time, Yue and i also expanded our visual mood board, which really helped us get clearer on the vibe and direction before jumping into designing any collaterals.
While thinking about the look and feel we wanted to embody, we were focusing on creating a design that would appeal to both parents and teens, which was going to be challenging task. We wanted it to really be specific to our singapore target audience so here are some keywords for our moodboard.
Keywords
Local
Nostalgic
homely
Familiar
Organic
Moodboard
The collaterals
The first concept of our ads were to place receipts on a homely dining table, with daily objects scattered around. Since we wanted the ads to feel familiar, we thought this would be a good way to trace back the acts of love to their own houses.
The receipt in turn would show the unconventional acts of love and the prices of each would be a huge number, to signify how many times those acts of love may have been expressed but not valued or seen.
Our main goal was to highlight love in the mundane, ad by using receipts to convey them, it would make people reflect on how much like these receipts, the acts of love are also disposed from the minds of both.
first draft of the bills
This is what we came up with
week 9/10
Feedback and public opinion
Upon showing the branding to various people, we were able to get a better understanding to how they were received. Quentin said that although the visuals were great, they did not convey the warm homely theme we were intending to convey. It was leaning more towards accountant vibes due to the numbers due to the setup, colours and font used. Similar to Quentin, our peers also had a lot of valuable feedback for us:
"It looks very corporate, cant tell its about family"
"Hard to connect with as doesnt convey the emotional aspects intended to be conveyed"
"It reminds me of the murder case files"
Since W.I.P showcase two was a week away, we were really panicking as we did not know how to go about it from here. While Yue took charge of the branding, i did my best in assisting her, with the finding of various visual elements, inspiration and crafting of visuals.
Yue expanded the moodboards to 3 different routes, and we thought maybe a combination of those could work since certain elements frome each could work well with our idea.
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We decided to perhaps pivot back to the halftoes and nostalgic colours used for W.I.P showcase 1 and see how it goes from there. We also wanted to try using colour blocking, duotones and bold type to convey these feelings through our work.
Struggle round 1
The pressure of figuring out a branding was getting very real. For W.I.P showcase two we had to have 50% of our outcomes done and here is a list of everything we had intended to make.
Based on the mood board previously, we tried to incorporate the dutones in our work. We also wanted to include pictures of people/families to give that feeling of connecting with the visuals...but the way we implemented them turned out to be a disaster
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The colours we chose made it look very grungy and and completely took away from the feeling we wanted to convey,
"It looks like a crime watch poster"
"Its too many words im not gonna read that tbh "
"It looks like a crime scene "
Once again feedback from our peers humbled us. However, in the long run, it really worked to our benefit. Our main struggle was trying to recreate the image we had in our mind. However it was very difficult to find the balance between it coming off as too government style or too grungy, while still evoking a feeling of warmth
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​Another issue we tried to tackle was making the receipt shorter, so its less words to read. But in doing so, the receipts no longer looked like receipts
Although the one on the left could work in reducing the wordiness, people still felt like the treatment used for the image looked like a missing persons photo. So we has to scrap that vibe and re-do it in the same day.
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I would like to greatly appreciate my peers for being so brutally honest, because at the end that is what pushed us to grow.
After exploring a number of different background ideas, we settled on something. Although we weren't really happy with it, it was the best we could do within the limited time frame. We had to settle something quick for the showcase and we decided to work on this after receiving feedback.
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Although they did convey the warmth and friendliness we desired , we still found issues with some thing:
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Doesn’t really scream ‘family‘
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Where do you even look; too many things fighting for attention
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Gives cafe vibes rather than a home
Ledger
For the showcase, i wanted to create a few pages of the ledger to get the public opinion. This ledger would portray the misunderstandings and misalignment scenarios between
parents and teenagers, almost serving as a prequel or the contextual part of the issue at hand.
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Rather than simply depicting them as stats, we wanted to convey them with impact, something relatable and personal. So we decided on a very notepad, organic feel aesthetic.
Explorations
Finalised pages
Cover and back explorations
Collaterals for W.I.P 2
Here is what we ended up with for the showcase
Explorations
Diy receipts
Ledger
Posters
presentation board
Exhibiton renders
week 11
Overall, I think our project is in a pretty good place concept wise. Our peers loved the exhibition ideas and resonated a lot of with our project; Upon explaining our project to them, our peers began reflecting on their own experiences and connected it with how we had portrayed it in the exhibitions. However since we were already taking on so much, we decided to scrap the kitchen exhibiton as it was too complicated, and felt our ideas were conveyed well enough with the rest of the collaterals
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Writing the love notes was also an amazing moment of reflection for our peers. They really sat down and took time to think about everything their parents did for them, and how they behaved during their own rebellious phases. however, the stuff at the top (Billed to:,etc) confused them, so we took that into account for the future DIY bills so its easier for people to fill out without confusion.
We also received feedback from another lecturer, Chloe, who mentioned our messaging is a bit messy currently. She also suggested ideas for how we could tighten it, which were very useful.
We went into the WIP showcase with our ads still very much a work-in-progress (literally), so we were super open to any and all feedback—especially around how people were interpreting our visuals and messaging. After working on this project for so long, we realised we’ve kind of lost that outsider perspective, so hearing what others thought was really helpful.
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A lot of the feedback we got helped us realise that most of the challenges we’re facing now are about refining the final collaterals—making sure everything from the touch points to the visuals all align and clearly communicate the message we’re trying to get across.
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Chloe gave us some really interesting feedback that we’re keen to explore further. She suggested leaning into our stamp/logo “A Second Glance” by using lenticular printing—so the same visual could shift depending on the angle you’re looking at it from. We really liked that idea, especially because it ties in so well with our whole concept of different perspectives and how the same moment can be seen in completely different ways.
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From there, we started thinking about designing two connected ads that sort of invert each other—one that highlights misunderstanding, and one that shows those quiet, often unnoticed acts of care. That contrast could be a really powerful way to communicate our theme visually, and we’re excited to test it out.
week 12
Finalising branding
It just seems odd not captivating
very vague, not visually pleasing
This section will go through the some other iterations we did for the branding and how we finally landed on the one that had an impact on people.
Failed versions
Our target audience just did not get it.
One of the biggest struggles we ran into was trying to find the right balance. We needed it to work as an ad—something that actually grabs attention—but at the same time, it had to clearly communicate the contrast we were going for and still feel like a “receipt.” That’s... a lot. And honestly, doing the connected ad concept ended up being way harder than we expected.
We were basically trying to tick three boxes:
– grab attention like a real ad
– show the hidden acts of love in parent-child dynamics
– and still keep the receipt idea intact
And somewhere along the way, it just wasn’t hitting right.
One moment that stood out was when someone saw the comparison we made—like a parent scolding their kid for coming home late vs. staying up all night waiting—and their reaction was kind of a flat, “okay... so?” That stung a little, because that emotional contrast was exactly what we were trying to highlight. But hearing that response made us realise the message wasn’t landing the way we intended.
So we turned to user testing. Reigne’s friend Khairul, who isn’t from a design background and had zero prior context of the project, was the perfect person to test it with. Totally unbiased.
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At this point, we had already tried simplifying the layout—making the text way bolder and cutting down on excess info to give it more of an ad feel. But we’re still figuring out how to make the emotional contrast actually hit while keeping it visually tight.
The final branding
We eventually landed on a visual direction that actually made a lot more sense for what we were trying to do all along. Yue came up with the idea to move away from the halftone/graphic-heavy backgrounds and lean into something that felt more real and familiar—photographed visuals with natural lighting, slightly filtered to have that film camera softness.
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It felt like a full-circle moment for me because honestly, that nostalgic, cinematic feel was something I’d always been drawn to. It became overcomplicated due to the struggle in balancing everything it and drifted from that original vision,
But this brought it back in a way that felt intentional and aligned with the project’s tone. Instead of over-stylised visuals, we focused on capturing small, grounded moments—something that looked like real life, but with just enough polish to feel intentional.
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Final inspiration
Iterations, deciding on the font style that would evoke emotion
This direction was something we initially scrapped way back during our rebrand—because it felt like too many images would complicate things. But now that we’ve figured out how to work around that with overlays, textures, and editing (like adding grain, light leaks, and scratch effects), it actually helps elevate the emotional tone instead of cluttering it.
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Right now, we’re in the process of testing this ad version with people outside of design—because if they can’t understand it, it’s not doing its job. The aim is for it to be instantly clear, but still emotionally impactful. We kept the text bold and direct, and the copy is meant to hit a nerve—paired with visuals that remind people of their everyday lives.
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Overall, this latest version feels more ad-like in a good way—it grabs attention, but still carries the emotion we’re trying to highlight through subtle visuals and “receipts” of overlooked acts. It finally feels like we’re getting closer to that balance we’ve been chasing from the start.
Almost the final
Received feedback that maybe add more of a human touch, as some of the ones like oranges or grocery bags feel disconnected but the ones with people really works.
THE FINAL
We FINALLY DID IT. WE MADE IT TO THE END.upon user testing, these ads gave us the exact reaction we wanted. We tried it out on both parents and teenagers and they both immediately understood the message.
REFLECTION
It was a long and perilous journey. However the branding and ads were finally confirmed.
We as a group learnt so much together, and ultimately realised not to overcomplicate things. We need to trust our gut, and thank our peers for being honest in a way that benefitted us at the end
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However, the work doesnt end here, we need to transfer the impact portrayed by this ad, across the various other collaterals as well.
It was a long and perilous journey. However the branding and ads were finally confirmed.
We as a group learnt so much together, and ultimately realised not to overcomplicate things. We need to trust our gut, and thank our peers for being honest in a way that benefitted us at the end
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However, the work doesnt end here, we need to transfer the impact portrayed by this ad, across the various other collaterals as well.
Other things accomplished this week
Shopping for supplies for the model
Working on the ledger
Buying the phone for the exhibiton
Writing the script for the tv and phone installations
week 13/14
PRODUCTION PRODUCTION PRODUCTION
Ledger
For the ledger, we wanted to expand beyond just misunderstandings between parents and teenagers. I also wanted to show the inner working of both parties. the things they wished they could have said, things that made an impact on them, their own personal experiences and what love looks like to them.
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Since we wanted to showcase both perspectives for the book, we initially were planning to make two books, one in the teen's perspective and on for the parents perspective. However, Quentin suggested to combine them into one, but make it so that upon flipping the book upside down they could read the other perspective.
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We really liked this idea as it kind of show that even though they have so many differences to overcome, beneath the surface they are very similar.Almost like two side of the same coin.
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For this book, i really wanted it to be super organic, scrapbook vibes. I was really inspired by books our seniors had produced, as i taken perused them during my time at level 12. ​
The pages had a lot of interactivity, which is what i also wanted to incorporate to convey the message of looking beneath the surface.
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Moodboard
Designing
Parent interactables such as receipt of things bought for their teen unsaid, saved children drawings, memories from the way their kid was born and more
A dictionary style entry that translated acts of services into how they were considered expressions of love.
Teenager Interactables like a photo memories, a wishful report card, a sticky note with reminders to help their parent and a birthday gift idea for parents.
The covers for both sides, designed to show their contrasting personalities. One more formal, professional. the other full of personality, stickers and a notebook style.
translucent paper with harsh words, followed by a heartfelt diary entry of what was unsaid
Printing
Yue helped me format this complicated ledger, and went to o down and print it. Im so happy with how it turned out! Its such a personalised and fun addition to the entire project project.
TV video and phone call
I also worked on the videos we needed for the tv and phone installations.
​I scoured the internet for clips of parents and teens arguing, and i found the perfect ones by mediacorp.​ To match the themes of nostalgia, i wanted to edit the clips to have a vintage feel.
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We had our friends help us do the audios fr the telephone who we are very grateful for.
Working file for the TV video
Working file for the son's phone call video
Working file for the mom's phone call video
To differentiate the Tv video from the phone ones, we decided to create a title vintage card. Even though such a simple addition, it made the whole video elevated in a sort of sense.
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We thought this would also be a good opportunity for us to give credits to those who made this possible, so we added it into the title card.
Inspiration
Title card explorations
Final title cards
Model making
Since we had decided to physically make the interactable parts of the exhibiton, we also all worked on laser cutting, painting and assembling the models this week.
Lasercutting
Painting the models
Final touches
All that was left was to tie up all the ends of the production. The last thing i worked on was the exhibition labels and directory to help the viewers know what all our interactables were, and guide them to it.
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While i worked on that,,yue and reigne worked on the presentation board.
Final outcomes
The weekend before presentation, we went to print everything.
AD posters
Exhibiton labels
Exhibiton pamphlet
Key visual
Presentation board and directory
Lunchbox interactable
Glasses interactable
Tv model
Final Reflection
It’s kind of surreal to think this is the last project of my design school journey. When we first started, I knew I wanted to create something that felt personal and real—but I don’t think I fully understood just how much this topic would hit home, not just for me but for so many others too.
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Throughout this whole process, I found myself constantly coming back to the idea of quiet love—the type that doesn’t announce itself, that hides in routines, habits, and the small things people do for each other without ever saying it out loud. It made me think about my own relationships, the things I’ve missed, misunderstood, or taken for granted. In a way, this project became more than just a school assignment—it became a space to reflect, process, and grow.
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It definitely wasn’t always smooth. There were moments where I felt completely stuck, where things didn’t land the way we hoped, and I questioned whether we were communicating the message clearly at all. But those setbacks forced us to pause, re-evaluate, and get even more intentional with every choice we made. And honestly, I’m proud of how we kept pushing through, even when it was messy.
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What I’m taking away from this—beyond just the final outcome—is the importance of designing with empathy, with care, and with a real desire to connect. Because at the end of the day, good design isn’t just about visuals or concepts. It’s about making someone feel something, even if just for a moment.
This project helped me close this chapter on a note that feels authentic to me. And that, to me, is the best way I could’ve ended this journey.
THANK YOU