Parsons School of Design
BFA Communication Design
Thesis 2017

Parsons School of Design
BFA Communication Design
Thesis 2017

How ______ Are You?
Katherine Cheng

Being Asian American embraces both cultures and merges them together into one identity. This identity is not as well known or acknowledged in American society, creating an experience of inferiority and exclusion in many Asian Americans. The lack of knowledge and representation of Asian Americans in mainstream culture exacerbates these struggles of self identify in the Asian American community, creating a divide between both cultures.

How Are You? aims to break this divide by raising awareness and gaining knowledge of the differences and similarities in both cultures through play. As the majority, White Americans can be ignorant of the minority experience. Asian Americans can focus on the disadvantage of their lives and ignore the positive impacts of being influenced. How Are You? helps people of all races understand each other by seeing similarities and differences of both cultures.

While playing, players answer questions together as a group to find out how influenced they are by both Asian and American cultures. Players answer from four categories, and depending on the answers the board game reveals how these cultures influence each other through game play. We live in a large melting pot in America where every culture is exposed and influences each other, often unnoticed. By the end of the game, stories and memories are shared to build empathy and bring people together. Players become aware of each other’s experience in the world. Through stories and memories, players show how each culture impacts and contributes to the multi-cultural American society today.

Andy Agus

Ameer Akbar

Sherifa El Alfi

Orhan S Awatramani

Evan Badr

Mrinal Bhatia

Yaël Bienenstock

Olivia Brodtman

Adomas Bruzga

Holly Burt

Kiana Caesar

Elizabeth Capreol

Christian Caraballo

Alyson Cardenas

Gabriela Carnabuci

Marjorie Chamberlain

Vanna Chan

Sachi Chandiramani

Leslie Chavez

Katherine Cheng

Emily Cho

Soomin Choi

Hyeree Choi

Talia Cotton

Dorothy Cruz

Katie DeAngelis

Nicole Jane Debler

Dominique DeVito

Megan Dias

Theresa Duemler

Juan Francisco Morales Egas

Michelle Eguia

Audrey Farnsworth

Peter Fowler

Myesha Evon Gardner

Alijah Gilbert

John Hammond

Jin Ju Han

Aimee Hedman

Perla Herrera

Lauren Horsman

Zhiyan Huang

Ji Hea Jang

Urvita Jhaveri

Myles Jones

Cheryl Kao

Phoebe Kennedy

Alice Yeji Kim

Jung Yeon Kim

Thomas Sang Gul Kim

Chewon Kim

Sanggyun Kim

Hansung Kim

Likando Kumoyo

Jang Kyungjun

Josh LaCalamito

Yunjoo Lee

Kyung Sun Lee

SooJi Lee

Meijun Li

Alice Lim

Junya Lin

Yuchen Liu

Kimberly Lombardi

Natalia Malik

Roisin McNulty

Simen L. Meyer

Nikoletta Mitsopoulou

Chloë Murray

Cyrus Nathaniel

David Dahao Ni

Mariana Del Nogal

Sofia Olarra

Kamila Ortiz

Ji Hyun Park

Sara Pena

Melissa S. Peralta

Camille Petricola

Sander Phoenix

Urvi Raghbeer

Andrew Ramirez

Brianna Saba

Stephen Salomon

Julianna Amelia Santolucito

Raida Saveree Sarwar

Ritika Shah

Shui Shan

Jisoo Sim

Lauren Stein

Pei Yu Sun

Shivalika Tandon

Nia Thomas

Laura Tien

Karina Tristandy

Paula Volchok

Djiun Wang

Kyra Wang

Taylor Wasikonis

Junlu Xie

Marie Yamamoto

Jasmine Zhang