MA Fashion and Textile Design (14097)
Scheme of Work Autumn 2024
SFT5970 Personal Creative Identity
Subject Lecturer
Consultation: By appointment
Ryan Houlton: ryan.houlton@polyu.edu.hk
Uki Lau: nam-kai-uki.lau@polyu.edu.hk
Introduction
This unit will help you to discover your creative identity and visual language, as well as establish pathways
for future creative work. You will learn how to articulate and contextualize your work to effectively express
who you are and communicate your thinking.
Objectives
This subject aims to assist students in developing an authentic identity. Students will be introduced to the
significant role that their own distinctive values and self-beliefs have, in the shaping of their personal creative
identity. They will learn how their personal experiences and backgrounds, can translate into unique styles,
ideas, or points of view, that can enrich and diversify their work. In addition, they will identify where they can
place their work within the global creative landscape.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the subject, you will:
a) Develop and establish an authentic creative identity and define a pathway for future creative work.
b) Obtain a clear comprehension of how to utilize diverse forms of media to convey creative notions.
c) Establish their own form of visual literacy to effectively communicate ideas and contextualize work.
d) Conduct personal in-depth research, supported by well-informed critical analysis.
e) Develop ethical creative responses to sociocultural beliefs and values.
Outline
Details Content Remarks
Week 1: Tuesday 3rd September
(Identity)
10.30-13.00 14.00-16.00
Location: MA Studio
Wednesday 4th September
(Analysis, Visual Literacy, Visual Language)
13.30-16.00
Talk by Laylor Sailor
(Creative Research)
17.00-18.00
Location: MA Studio
Thursday 5th September
(VISIT MPLUS MUSEUM)
15.00-18.00
Week 2: Thursday 12th September
Tutorials
Grp1: 13.30-17.00 18.00-20.00
(Research for Signatures)
Friday 13th September
Tutorials
Grp2: 10.30-13.00 14.00-17.00
(Research for Signatures)
Week 3: Thursday 19th September
Signatures
Hand-in & Presentations
Grp1: 13.30-17.00 18.00-20.00
Location: 4D Theatre
Thursday 19th September
Signatures
Hand-in & Presentations
Grp2: 10.30-13.00 14.00-17.00
Location: 4D Theatre
Week 9: Thursday 31st October
(My Thing Briefing)
10.30-12.00
Location: MA Studio
Week 11: Thursday 12th September
Tutorials
Grp1: 13.30-17.00 18.00-20.00
(My Thing)
Friday 13th September
Tutorials
Grp2: 10.30-13.00 14.00-17.00
(My Thing)
Week 13: Tuesday 26th November
My Thing
Hand-in & Presentations
Grp1: 10.30-13.00 14.00-17.00
Location: 4D Theatre
Wednesday 27th November
My Thing
Hand-in & Presentations
Grp2: 10.30-13.00 14.00-17.00
Location: 4D Theatre
**Venues and times may be subjected to change, students will be informed in advance and accordingly, where possible
Assignment Brief
You have been given the space to explore, discover (or reaffirm) who you are, to establish your creative identity, your
visual language, and the pathway for future creative work.
This is not about fashion.
This is about you, your identity, your personal values and beliefs, your observations and perception of the world we
live in today, and what you envision for the future. And how you can express/communicate this through every aspect
of your work going forward.
Project 1: Visual Research File (20% Final Grade)
This project requires you to conduct extensive visual research, all of which needs to be documented within a file and
be representative of you and your personality. Consider art, film, music, design, graphic design, everyday objects,
textures, literally anything that resonates with you. You must ensure that you establish some context for whatever
you document in your research file.
Deliverables:
An extensive Visual Research File that represents you as a person.
You must avoid only sourcing things from the internet.
Deadline: Thursday 19th September (mid-point review)
Thursday 10th October (final hand-in)
Project 2: Signatures (30% Final Grade)
Informed by your research you need to establish your own design elements, these shall function as your design
signatures (font, colour, texture, graphic layout etc). Your final design elements must then be presented
professionally. You need to explain ‘why’ you made the choices you made.
Deliverables:
A professional presentation to introduce your final design elements that represent your creative identity.
You must avoid only sourcing things from the internet.
Deadline: Thursday 19th September
Project 3: My Thing (50% Final Grade)
For this project, you are asked to define your creative identity, visual language, as well as the foundations of your
design practice through the creation of a thing.
The ‘My Thing’ can be anything, a sculpture, video, artwork, performance, installation, literally anything.
In addition to the ‘My Thing’, using your newly established design elements from your signatures project, you will
need to create a supplement that explains the context behind the creation of the work.
Deliverables:
A thing that effectively defines your creative identity, visual language, and design practice, supported by a supplement that
explains the context behind the creation of the work.
Deadline: Tuesday 26th November
Marking Criteria
Students will be assessed based on continuous monitored course work, distributed as follows:
Grade New Grade Point Short Description
A+ 4.3
A 4.0 Excellent
A- 3.7
B+ 3.3
B 3.0 Good
B- 2.7
C+ 2.3
C 2.0 Satisfactory
C- 1.7
D+ 1.3
Pass
D 1.0
F 0.0 Failure
There will be a deduction of one grade point if work is handed in after the deadline. 3% per day will be deducted from the
final grade, every day thereafter.
Please note that late arrival to class, unexpected absence and lack of participation will affect your grade, deduction of marks will
be at the discretion of the Professor.
You will be encouraged to:
Participate in class discussion and speak English in class.
Avoid using your mobile phone / tablet in class, unless authorized by the Professor.
Always be punctual and effectively manage your time.
Copyright Disclaimer:
Please use original images as the copyright of an image belongs to its originator. According to international copyright
law, you may only use images when there is no owner, or if the image is over 100 years old.
Transgression of these laws may attract serious consequences for your work.
Source copyright free images. These images are not to be used for mass production so please ensure that you modify
the images by at least 50% (in terms of likeness) before you use them in your work. Originate your own work.
Any infringement to copyright laws will result in failure of the unit
Specific assessment methods/tasks % weighting Intended subject learning outcomes to be assessed
A B C D E
Project 1: Visual Research File 20%
Project 2: Signatures
30%
Project 3: My Thing
50%
Total 100%
Learning outcome Assessment Criteria How assessed
Innovation and Experimentation Project 2: Signatures
Develop and establish an authentic
Personal and Professional Development
creative identity and define a pathway
Project 3: My Thing
for future creative work.
Innovation and Experimentation Project 1: Visual Research File
Obtain a clear comprehension of how to
Communication & Presentation
utilize diverse forms of media to convey
Project 2: Signatures
Subject Knowledge
creative notions.
Project 3: My Thing
Communication & Presentation Project 2: Signatures
Establish their own form of visual
literacy to effectively communicate
Project 3: My Thing
ideas and contextualize work.
Research and Analysis Project 1: Visual Research File
Conduct personal in-depth research,
Independent Thinking
supported by well-informed critical
Project 2: Signatures
analysis.
Project 3: My Thing
Global Perspective Project 2: Signatures
Develop ethical creative responses to
Independent Thinking
sociocultural beliefs and values.
Project 3: My Thing
Assessment Criteria:
Innovation and Experimentation Personal and Professional Development Communication & Presentation
Subject Knowledge Research and Analysis Independent Thinking Global Perspective
Reading
Books
Boylan, A. L., (2020), Visual Culture, The MIT Press.
Costanza-Chock, S., (2020), Design Justice: Community-Led Practices to Build the Worlds We Need, The MIT Press.
Jobling, P., Nesbitt, P., Wong, A., (2022), Fashion, Identity, Image, Bloomsbury Publishing.
Leski, K., (2020), The Storm of Creativity, The MIT Press.
Mackinney-Valentin, M., (2017), Fashioning Identity: Status Ambivalence in Contemporary Fashion, Bloomsbury Publishing.
Moyer, D., (2019), Visual Literacy Workbook: For Graphic Design & Fine Art, Oxford University Press.
Rexer, L., (2020) The Critical Eye: Fifteen Pictures to Understand Photography, Intellect.
Samara, T., (2020), Design Elements (Third Edition): Understanding the Rules and Knowing When to Break Them – A Visual
Communication Manual, Rockport Publishers.
Scott, G., (2019), New Ways of Seeing: The Democratic Language of Photography, Routledge.
Toth, E., (2020) Design and Visual Culture from Bauhaus to Contemporary Art, Routledge.
