Chenyu Zhang

I chose migration identity and inclusion for my final project topic. What led me to this project was something personal. I grew up between different cultures, Shanghai, Toronto, now London, and I often feel like I’m navigating multiple identities at once. I always have a question in my mind, where is my real home? what is belong? what things can still live with me even i left that place? And that link me think about tattoos. Tattoos were something I always wanted, but in my traditional family they were completely unacceptable. That made me think: what if there was a space to explore tattoos emotionally, without actually getting one? This project let me combine visual design with personal experience, and helped me realise that what I want to create isn’t just a product—it’s a space.

I named my website Etchive, means etch + archive. Etchive is a digital platform where people can try on tattoos in AR/VR, browse designs, and read or share the stories behind them. It’s not about encouraging people to get tattooed—it’s about giving space to think, feel, and reflect. It’s for people who are still unsure, still figuring things out.

I visited some art Gallery and find some interactive design to inspire me of how design can feel alive. I also go found so books in our school library, like “Why I Love Tattoos” and “Bodies of Subversion”, which help me understand how tattoos carry memory, emotion, gender, and rebellion. These made me want to build something deeper than just a “tattoo simulator.”

This project is mainly a website, so most of the design will be done in Figma, including the landing page, the VR try-on space, the story reading page, and the archive. For the visuals, I used Photoshop and Procreate to handle elements like tattoo graphics, textures, and small layered details. Some of the visuals were hand-drawn and scanned, because I want the site to feel more human, not just like another clean interface. 

Throughout the project, I have been documenting my ideas and processes, using sketchbooks and digital tools to map, test layouts, and build processes. Along the way, I've also talked with my tutors and friends, and their feedback has helped me shape the design into something more clear. However, I know I'm not quite there yet. The idea is strong and this prototype points in the direction I want to go, but it's just the beginning. I still have more to learn, especially on the technical side, to actually make it into a working website. Things like coding and user interface development are still new to me, but I want to figure them out so that one day it can actually go live and be used by real people.