• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.45
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• pp.397-415
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• 2016

This paper will investigate how animated practice can be a research form as practice-led research in an ethnography approach. This practice-led research will explore the issue of the construction of contemporary identities (based on the strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) and in particular, the Korean youth culture and identity, exemplified, for example, creation of 'avatars' in the virtual characters of animated online games such as Massively Multiplayer Online Role-playing Games (MMORPGs). In this proposed discussion, I will argue that the sudden period of change in contemporary Korea bears some resemblance to the Victorian era as explored in gothic fiction (e.g. Jekyll and Hyde). In this sense, my animation investigates the connection between the fictional Jekyll and Hyde and a real murder incident by a young Korean boy, which actually happened on the 16th November 2010, in SouthKorea.I will, therefore, construct this practice-led research to obtain the primary data consisted of online and offline practices in 'social ethnography'. These practices engage with specific Korean youth identity, comparing the 'avatar' with the real lives of participants. However, this paper will only focus on the (ethnographic) research process and strategy, using animated (visual) practices, rather than giving the meaning of the specific case of 'Korean-ness'. Eventually, I will explore the four different animated representations as it presents the distinctive animated realties or documentaries by online and offline practices. My intention is to visually interpret the issue of 'Korean-ness' within its socio-cultural context, adapting the convention and code of Jekyll and Hyde concept into an animated documentary in the 'virtual' world (auto-animated documentary by recording avatar interviews and online game footages) and the 'real' world (self-created animated documentary, based on real people and events).

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.743-755
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• 2016

This study aimed to reveal the designer's creative process in the development of clothing designs. The researcher has taken roles both as a design practitioner and an observer. The full process of design development was concurrently documented while working to solve a specific problem. This included noting down the concept, keywords, and detailed scratch ideas, as well as refining the design by collecting sketches and taking photos. Integrated data from the captured design process were analyzed based on Lamb and Kallal's apparel design framework, which included problem identification, construction of preliminary ideas, design refinement, prototype development, and evaluation. The functional, expressive, and aesthetic (FEA) criteria of the entire process were thus assessed. Additionally, five professional apparel reviewers evaluated the design project based on FEA criteria. The results showed the processes for identifying targets and intentions, extracting the main elements from sources, developing the major visual concepts, and making final adjustments. Ultimately, this study revealed how a designer manages each stage of the creative design process. Sharing such detailed observations of the design process can help refine the knowledge involved in each stage of the creative process, and provide guidance for instructors in design education.