DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY AND IMAGINE PROJECT 4: SELF-TITLED

 DIGIT.PHOTO & IMAG. | WEEK 12: FINAL PROJECT

07/07/25 – 13/07/25 (Week 12) 

Yang Shumeng/0378848

Digital Photography & Imaging

Week 12: Magic Lock Screen Animation Upload

instruction

Process

1. Write a biography about yourself

 

INTRO	I’m Yang Shumeng, a freshman studying Creative Media abroad. Navigating a new environment, I’m exploring how to blend my love for storytelling, digital art, and tech into my work.
PARAGRAPH 1	Studying overseas is both exciting and challenging. In my Creative Media program, I’m drawn to how technology shapes creativity. From trying video - editing software to learning interactive design in class, each lesson brings new insights. I’ve started using digital sketches and mood boards to document my cultural adaptation—like local street art and campus life—saving these as raw material for future projects.
PARAGRAPH 2	Outside class, I’m hunting for inspiration. I joined student creative groups, collaborating on zines and short - film challenges. These experiences push me to mix my cultural background with new views—like adding traditional storytelling to digital installations. Even daily moments, such as chatting with international classmates or wandering local neighborhoods, spark ideas for videos or interactive web experiences I want to create.
SUMMARY	As a Creative Media freshman abroad, I’m turning uncertainty into creative fuel. Every challenge—adapting to a new place or mastering design tools—helps me grow. I aim to make work that shows my skills and shares the unique journey of being an international student and young creative. This is just the start of turning my experiences into stories that connect across borders.

2. Write a statement about your work

 

INTRO	This work, inspired by Honor’s lock - screen customization video, explores how dynamic digital interfaces can tell personal stories. As a Creative Media freshman, I use this tech - driven concept to blend cultural curiosity, design experimentation, and self - expression into a micro - narrative for daily digital interactions.
PARAGRAPH 1	The Honor video’s seamless transition to a Tokyo - themed lock screen sparked my fascination with “small - scale storytelling.” I deconstructed its elements—the bold “TOKYO” text, the “すごい” (wow) bubble, and the vibrant visual flow—and reimagined them through my lens as an international student. Translating this into my practice, I designed a lock - screen concept that merges my cultural observations (like Malaysia’s street art hues, since I study there) with functional design. It’s a test of how limited digital spaces can carry layers of identity: the colors mirror my mood, the text nods to new experiences, and the transitions echo the rhythm of adapting to a foreign study life.
PARAGRAPH 2	Beyond aesthetics, this project ties to Creative Media principles. It experiments with user experience (UX) by making the lock screen both visually engaging and subtly interactive—hinting at how design choices guide daily digital interactions. I also challenge the boundary between “utility” and “art” in tech: a lock screen, often seen as purely functional, becomes a canvas for personal growth. In class discussions about digital storytelling, this work serves as a case study—proving that even pre - installed phone features can be reimagined as tools for creative self - expression, relevant to my journey of learning to communicate ideas across media.
SUMMARY	At its core, this work is about redefining ordinary tech interactions as creative opportunities. The Honor lock - screen video was a catalyst, pushing me to blend inspiration from digital design with my real - life context as a study - abroad student. It shows that creativity in Creative Media isn’t confined to grand projects; it thrives in reinterpreting everyday elements, turning a phone’s lock screen into a dynamic diary of identity, culture, and growth.

MOOD BOARD (3 Poster reference)

 

POSTER 1	POSTER 2	POSTER 3

1. Sketch your mock up poster:

 

SKETCH PROGRESS #1	SKETCH PROGRESS #2

1. Create a digital poster based on your sketch

DIGITAL POSTER PROGRESS #1

PART 3: FINAL POSTER (WEEK 12)

 

FINAL POSTER	TITLE: Tokyo Vibe: A Personal
	ARTIST STATEMENT:  This poster blends my identity as a creative media student with Tokyo - inspired aesthetics. The bold “TOKYO” and “すごい” (wow) capture the city’s energetic spirit, while integrating my personal image to tell a story of cultural resonance and self - expression. It’s a visual diary of finding wonder in urban landscapes, merging global influences with individual experience.

PART 4: FINAL VIDEO

FINAL VIDEO LINK: https://youtu.be/IVu4KduTcDA?feature=shared	TITLE:TITLE: Tokyo Vibe: A Personal
(Attach your Youtube video here)	ARTIST STATEMENT:  This poster blends my identity as a creative media student with Tokyo - inspired aesthetics. The bold “TOKYO” and “すごい” (wow) capture the city’s energetic spirit, while integrating my personal image to tell a story of cultural resonance and self - expression. It’s a visual diary of finding wonder in urban landscapes, merging global influences with individual experience.

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Reflections

This project marked a completely new creative exploration for me. I designed my first theme-based animated mobile wallpaper and used Photoshop’s timeline feature to bring the animation to life. From initial concept to final execution, the process was filled with challenges—particularly in planning the movement of visual elements and maintaining a consistent rhythm throughout the composition.

Despite these difficulties, the project allowed me to develop new technical skills and deepened my understanding of visual storytelling through motion. Overall, it was a highly rewarding experience that not only broadened my creative perspective but also inspired fresh ideas for future projects.