OVOL: The best packaging boards in town

2022

OVOL is a leading paper and material supplier in Singapore. We were commissioned to design a poster to promote their newest range of environmentally friendly packaging boards which caters for everything from food & beverages packaging, boxing up ice creams, sending items in the post, packing medication to luxury cosmetic packaging and everything in between.

By stacking examples of packaging done using this paper range into the shape of an award trophy, we provided a charming juxtaposition to the tagline: The best packaging boards in town. We boldly went for a 'blank canvas' look, resulting in an imaginative and powerful visual theme for the poster.

DamnKohl.com

2022

Dan Koh is a book editor, film producer, independent writer and a long-time friend of our studio. We were thrilled when he approached us to help craft his website which was made up of equal parts digital experience and repository of his works.

An important consideration for us was to create a tone of voice that represented his persona; above all things and his works, his desire to be a human first — to connect, to share, to live, to think, and to be. We utilised a series of primary coloured backdrops and bitmap icons across the site to create a bright, fun, and truthfully nostalgic (Windows 95 aesthetics) look. Together, the elements help establish an appropriately earnest visual personality for Dan, a welcome antidote to an Internet awash with people who take themselves too seriously.

Visit digital experience here

ADM Gallery

2021

The ADM Gallery is housed within the School of Art, Design and Media, an iconic and prize winning, environmentally friendly building, located at the heart of Nanyang Technological University campus in Singapore. ADM Gallery presents exhibitions of practicing artists and designers from Singapore, Southeast Asia and beyond the region. It features works of contemporary art and new media, as well as research-focussed curatorial projects that intersect with fields in the technology and the humanities.

As long time collaborators with the Gallery, we was asked to redesign and completely overhaul the look and feel of the Gallery website and its communication touchpoint which is a showcase of all its past and present shows and its resources. We crafted an expressive brand symbol formed by three symbols of A, D and M, serving as a mainstay animated navigational tool throughout the website. With 'Sleek & Modern' as the guiding colour way principles, an earthy grey tone was applied across the side-scrolling gallery which allows viewers a comfortable focus towards the materials available.

Visit ADM Gallery here

CIRCUIT#2

2021

CIRCUIT#2 is the second edition of an online exhibition curated by Dance Nucleus, which features digital artefacts by 19 participants from 14 different cities of the Certificate Programme for Critical Practice in Contemporary Performance, also known as [CP]3. The materials in this online exhibition do not constitute completed works of art. ‘Artefact’ is a term used here to denote what is neither documentation of the artistic process nor artistic ‘product’, but may be used as a ‘third term’ as it were, to describe the different creative studies and propositions that help artists articulate their developing ideas with clarity. In exhibiting these artefacts, CIRCUIT#2 also seeks to propose new potentials for dance and performance in Asia.

When developing this digital experience, there was a desire for the identity to visually acknowledge the spirit behind these expanded treatments of research and creation, process and product, rehearsal and presentation. The site's mainframe is filled with vibrantly hued moving pictures of the participants artefacts, echoing the essence about potentiality the multi-faceted human experiences. The main navigation is informed by a carousel which directs one to each individual workbook featuring different mediums – photography, video, text, drawings, etc as varied ways of inscribing dance and performance.

Experience CIRCUIT#2 here

Write a Christmas Card 2021

2021

For the seventh edition of our studio's #WriteaChristmasCard series, we created a one-of-a-kind pinball machine card featuring a beautifully illustrated RoboSanta. There's nothing more satisfying than pinball landing exactly where you want it to be. No matter how old you are, you should never stop having fun. Live a little, and have a Merry Christmas! #ToTheMoon

#WriteaChristmasCard is our studio's yearly self-initiated campaign to encourage people to send a handwritten note or a card to someone they care about for Christmas. Through the joy of receiving, we hope it in turn inspires the recipients to do the same.

Accolades
Graphis Design Annual 2023 – Gold

+65: Home

2021

We were commissioned to design the +65 publication, an annual journal published by the Founders’ Memorial, National Heritage Board. This journal looks at Singapore’s post-independence history and society, how this history is interpreted, represented and remembered, and the ethos of modern Singapore as shaped by its founding history. It also explores the relationship between national policy and lived experiences through visual culture, artefacts from the National Collection and personal stories. Through these discoveries and reflections, the journal hopes to present a cross-generational perspective and draw connections between post-independence history and its present-day impact and relevance.

The topics covered an extensive range from multiple angles, and our design utilised a vibrant illustration palette coupled with archival images, to create a lively and engaging framework for telling the stories across the various sections. The charming juxtapositions and warm colour palette set the visual theme for this inaugural issue.

Hua Rong Yue Se

2021

Hua Rong Yue Se (花茸粤色) is a restaurant specialising in traditional Lingnan (岭南) styled cuisine with a Matsutake mushroom (松茸) soup base. We were engaged to craft a new identity system, spatial design and experience for this luxury hot pot restaurant in Shenzhen’s downtown district.

Lingnan is a geographic area in Guangdong referring to the lands to the south of the Nanling Mountains in China, that includes not only Cantonese culture but also blending the cultures of the Hakkas, Teochews, Taishanese, Hainanese.

We created the brand identity, spatial design and environmental graphics for Hua Rong Yue Se, synthesising the hallmarks of traditions into a luxurious, yet sentimental experience. The logo is made up of a set of Chinese calligraphic characters infused with iconography that the namesake represents - inspired by floral gardens, fungi, Lingnan styled 'rabbit roofs' architecture and the luscious Southern China landscapes - forming the words 花茸粤色. A set of visual motifs were also created in an impressionistic Chinese ink style, for applications ranging from menus to cutlery and environmental graphics.

The new branding is also translated to the store design, from the main signage and entrance, to the interior main dining and VIP areas.

Lingnan is well known for its gardens, having natural barriers such as the Ng Leng Mountains and extensive river network. The region also has strong sunlight and receives regular monsoon, thus plants are lush throughout the year in this subtropical natural landscape. With this rich natural scenery, people in Lingnan have been able to create a colorful style of traditional gardens distinct from those in other regions. For much of the past millennium, this area has also been engaged in trade activities with Western Europeans and Southeast Asians. These frequent cultural exchanges with the outside world has also led to the development of a unique Lingnan architectural style, one that is Anglo-Chinese in nature, evident through the use of elements like stained glass in their buildings and gardens.

Our brief was to take one back to the quaint, romanesque moments of being in Chinoiserie styled Chinese gardens. The store front consisted of an elaborate pavilion (凉亭) set amongst a garden, resulting in an eye-catching presentation that would draw both enthusiasts and casual passers-by to take a closer look; an unorthodox yet highly effective strategy in a high-end mall. A long curved corridor then leads customers into the main space itself as they traverse through an interactive floor pathway of koi fishes swimming in a pond.

sAiL is the Future

2021

Novoflex’s proprietary sAiL is an innovative single inlay solution for smart card applications including payments, telecommunications and IoT that is patented in over 30 countries across the US, Europe and Asia. We were tasked to design a brand new set of communication materials for this technology-driven company that is transforming the industry.

The design of the sales kit plays with the idea of unravelling through the chips's various key selling points via an interactive experience that presents the information in an accessible and interesting way. The opening spread of the kit features an analog rotating wheel which underscores the chip technology's limitless design potential by featuring the custom chip shapes (could be a logo or any brand imagery) that the EMV smart chip could adopt.

Accolades
Graphis Design Annual 2023 – Honorable Mention

A promotional video was also produced in conjunction with the sales kit as a digital means to introduce the revolutionary product to a wider audience base. In our technology-enabled world, smart chips increasingly power solutions across many industries and use cases. We wanted to showcase how Novoflex is passionate about providing high quality and proven solutions to meet evolving client needs.

It is challenging for card issuers to differentiate their offerings through rewards and rates. Increasingly, marketing now drives cardholder affinity and engagement, and ultimately wallet preference. The concept of the fully animated film is targetted at narrating how Novoflex helps partners bring their brand promise to life.

In collaboration with Semicolon.

Good Design Research Showcase

2021

Launched in March 2020 in the middle of a COVID-19 pandemic year, Good Design Research is an initiative by DesignSingapore Council to bring forth the importance of how design backed by deep research and experienced knowledge partners can make a true difference – aimed at empowering designers to build deep domain knowledge and solve the most pressing global and societal challenges. Singapore designers are turning crises into opportunities, rising to tackle society’s biggest questions with bold new initiatives by designing for impact through research and experimentation with materials, technology and processes.

We were commissioned by the Council to design a permanent exhibition space at the National Design Centre in conjunction with a rotating section that will feature different designers' research projects across the year. Aimed at informing the general public on the merits of good design research, we developed an engaging experience design that immerses visitors within an interactive exhibit space, letting them uncover the stories and rationale behind the intent of each project, and to challenge the idea of research as something that is dense and intimidating.

This exhibition showcases local designers who have adopted design research to make a positive impact in three areas – People and Organisations, the Environment, and Community and Culture.By designing more thoughtfully with a human-centred approach, Singapore's homegrown talents reveal new possibilities for a better world by design.

ADM Undergraduates Prospectus 2021/2022

2021

The Fourth industrial revolution is characterised by a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres. It also brings renewed focus on how arts and culture are critical in formulating the advancement of society and mankind. Tasked with designing the ADM Undergraduates Prospectus 2021/2022, a yearly publication published by the NTU School of Art, Design and Media introducing their Design Art and Media Art programmes, we wanted to echo the college's position in grooming the next generation with the powerful tools to enact meaningful change in this new world.

This issue features an expressive computer generated module we designed that represents the diversity of ways in which art and design can impact technology and society. A quadrant is 3D printed onto every cover; juxtaposing how each student has the potential to be a part of this movement. The result is sophisticated, emotive, and stunning to the eye.

Accolades
Communication Arts 2023 – Institutional Brochure – Winner
C2A Creative Communication Award – Best of Best in Brochures / Books
365: AIGA Year in Design competition – Winner
Graphis Design Annual 2023 – Gold