Ethan(Yichen) Zhang

Master of Design

My name is Yichen Zhang, also known as Ethan. I worked as a graphic designer for 4-years before coming back to study master of design at Swinburne in early 2019. Being a graphic designer for a few years, I have learned to play my role in each stage of the industry pipeline; let it be concept art, finishing design or even pre-press. My skills in Photoshop, Illustrator, and Indesign are better than other software in the adobe creative suite; however, I have been exploring non-stop and have learned a good level in adobe XD as well as other applications that I use in conjunction for content creation purposes. I’m also efficient in both traditional and digital drawings, which comes handy for design concepts in various design disciplines.

My skillset is broadened with my study, mainly in the aspect of critical thinking and problem-solving. I had the privilege to be part of the Design Factory Melbourne’s SUGAR NETWORK project of 2019-2020. Partnered with a design team from Hasso Plattner Institute Germany and corporate partner Takeda Pharmaceutical, we had a wonderful year working on our Design Thinking project.

I’m also a man of multi-cultural, growing up in China, worked and studied in Australia has made me culturally aware when approaching designs.

I have a great sense of humour which can never hurt. Follow my Instagram if you would like, contents related to design concept and research will come starting next month!

Untitled

Acknowledgement of Country

The School of Design and Architecture respectfully acknowledges the Wurundjeri peoples of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners and knowledge-keepers of the lands, waters and sky that surround us, where we work, learn, create, communicate and make place. We recognise that sovereignty has never been ceded and this always was and will always be Wurundjeri Country. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who continue to make a better world through design.

We extend our acknowledgement to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, students, alumni, real-life clients, and knowledge keepers, who have contributed to our own education diversity and growth. We will continue to ensure that staff and students respectfully honour ancestral connection to Country and Place in everything that they do.

We are dedicated to the notion of design to make a better world and we acknowledge that making tools, shaping place, sharing stories, making meaning, wayfinding and collaborating have long been and continue to be both central and integral to First Peoples' cultures. We recognize that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ cultural contributions have continued relevance to design practice and commit to: reconciling ancestries of design and contemporary practice as well as pursuing culturally and professionally appropriate ways to engage with a diverse population of colleagues, industries and clients. In a time of treaty-making and voice we understand that there are overlaps between caring for Country and the sustainable production of goods, services, experiences, products and buildings.

Guided by the principles of respect, reconciliation, and reciprocity we undertake to indigenising and decolonising design practice by dismantling colonial structures and challenging biases that have marginalised Indigenous voices and design.

As students of SoDA you will be given opportunities to both engage with and educate yourself in Indigenous creative practices and cultural protocols through a lens of inclusivity, diversity, respect, mutual understanding, inter-cultural dialogue in all aspects of design practice. Indigenous people have been telling stories, making tools, and connecting to Country through visual media, placemaking and place marking for more than 60,000 years and these practices are part of an ongoing, evolving and live tradition.