# Project Description Through Others Shiqin Yang Summary Final work I’m a designer who works at the intersection of data, emotion, and social care. My practice explores how design can support vulnerable voices, surface hidden experiences, and create small moments of joy in complex systems. I’m a designer who works at the intersection of data, emotion, and social care. My practice explo... College London College of Communication Course MA Design for Data Visualisation Graduation year 2025 Through Others visualises how personal identity is shaped through human connection. Drawing from messages, calls, and photographs with fourteen people, the project turns everyday data into mosaic portraits and printed archives. The poster presents an overall map of relationships — a quiet landscape of care, memory, and distance — while the accompanying booklet reveals the personal stories and emotions behind each connection. Together they explore how identity is continually reconstructed through interaction, inviting viewers to reflect on how their own social worlds shape who they are. Final work Personal Archive This physical archive documents fourteen relationships that have shaped my identity. Combining personal conversations, photos, and memory fragments, it transforms emotional and cultural data into layered visual records. The design uses greyboard covers and printed pages to evoke the feeling of research and remembrance — suggesting that identity is not fixed, but continuously reconstructed through connection and reflection. Relational Archive (Open View) The open archive reveals a series of folded pages, each containing records of one relationship. The accordion-like structure allows multiple layers to be viewed at once, echoing how personal identity is shaped through overlapping memories, emotions, and data. The tactile experience of turning and unfolding pages mirrors the process of reflection and reconstruction that defines the project. Relationship Mosaic Poster This data visualisation poster represents fourteen relationships through mosaic patterns, where each coloured square corresponds to a dimension of communication — messages, calls, photos, and shared time. Together, these fragments form an intimate map of how personal identity is shaped through connection. The white gaps signify silence and absence, reminding viewers that relationships are defined as much by distance as by closeness. Interactive Takeaway Zine This takeaway zine invites visitors to create their own archive by reflecting on the people who have shaped them. It includes blank tables and a mosaic grid for recording memories, emotions, and values. By filling in the page, each participant visualises their own network of relationships — extending the project’s reflection on identity beyond the artist’s personal experience. Research and process Archive Making Process This collage documents the hand-making process of the archive, including cutting, folding, gluing, and binding each page. Every layer was precisely measured and assembled by hand to create the folded pocket structure that holds the relational records. The making process itself reflects the project’s concept — careful, reflective, and built through connection — turning material labour into part of the research narrative. UV Printing Process This set of photos documents the UV printing process used to produce the visual layers for the project. Working with Mimaki printers, each data mosaic was precisely aligned and printed onto coated sheets. The process required multiple tests to ensure accurate colour balance and registration. Through this combination of digital precision and material experimentation, the data became tangible — turning digital traces of relationships into physical artefacts. Share this project Through Others visualises how personal identity is shaped through human connection. Drawing from messages, calls, and photographs with fourteen people, the project turns everyday data into mosaic portraits and printed archives. The poster presents an overall map of relationshi... A link to this page has been added to your clipboard Browse related work Archives & Collections Craft & Process Data Identity Mental Health Emotion Handmade Social Storytelling