3H STUDIO

Brand Identity & Zine

Role | Lead Designer, Founder/Editor-In-Chief, Copywriter

Creative Direction, Brand Identity, User Research

Duration | January - April 2024

3H STUDIO is a communal workspace for adopted third culture kids (TCKs) to gather and collaborate. 3-C, the in-house publication of 3-H STUDIO, is a collaborative zine for adopted TCKs to share their stories and learn more about each others’ first/second/third cultures.

s ee zine

Design Process

In the United States, globalization and the mobilizing workforce has led to a rapid influx of multicultural expatriates and citizens who are searching for their place in their world. However, many of these adult TCKs (third culture kids) continue to struggle to adjust to their new environments and form a secure sense of identity. Thus, resulting in a perpetual state of rootlessness and cultural and communal disconnect.
As a international adoptee and self-proclaimed TCK myself, I felt uniquely suited to create something that could give back to the adopted TCK community and provide them with the resources and knowledge I wish I had growing up.
I wanted to figure out how we can better support TCKs as they transition into late adulthood and navigate the intersection of their first, second, and third cultures.
I started by asking: How might we create opportunities for adopted TCKs to interact with peers from their home cultures?
With the design objectives of accessibility, community, and collaboration in mind, 3H STUDIO and 3-C were born!
3H STUDIO: a communal workspace for adopted TCKs to gather and collaborate
3-C: a collaborative zine published by 3H STUDIO for adopted TCKs to share their stories and learn more about each others cultures
3H STUDIO and 3-C are a hybrid solution of physical and print intervention designed to reduce the isolation and confusion in the shared adopted TCK experience. They work together as a design system to provide mutual support for fellow adopted TCKs at various stages in their journeys.
With 3H STUDIO and 3-C, TCKs can navigate adulthood feeling emotionally secure in their identity and home cultures. As a result, adopted TCKs now have access to a communal network of cultural peers and can feel empowered to effectively self-advocate and share their adoptee narratives.

Ideation

3H STUDIO and 3-C are a thoughtful culmination of a semester’s worth of research, iteration, and refinement. I employed a human-centered design practice throughout the three months to ensure my approach resonated with fellow adopted TCK peers and reflected their diverse experiences.

Preliminary solutions brainstorm

Ecosystem mapping of problem space

Impact/feasibility matrix

Definition

After evaluating the scope of my solutions, I moved onto solution ideation where I evaluated my concept in context. I created two customer journey maps, a competitive analysis, and some preliminary design sketches.

Competitive analysis (matrix and feature comparison)

Customer journey maps (current and future state)

Concept sketch for 3H STUDIO space

Exploration

From there, I then began to develop 3H STUDIO’s brand identity and map out design drafts of my proposed solutions to present to my peers. I was inspired by contemporary magazines’ bold typography and posters. I decided on red, white, and black as the primary brand colors due to their recurring use in Korean culture, motifs, and high visual contrast.

KEYWORDS: modern, authenticity, biographic

3-C zine cover iterations

Mood board for poster series campaigns

Poster series design drafts

Completion

The final designs for 3H STUDIO include a poster series campaign to promote the brand’s visual identity and 3-C’s adoptee-run magazine, which helps adopted TCKs connect with their intersectional identities through educational content and adoptee interviews.