Research
[Designers research]
For the five selected artist and their biography, initially, I thought that we needed to find designers that are related to our Design Week theme so I have tried my best to find some designer that has contributed or related to sustainability.
International Designer
1) Peter Busby
Biography
Peter Busby was born in 1952, and graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of British Columbia in 1977 and established his own practice in 1984, teaming with Paul Bridger to form Busby Bridger Architects in 1986. Busby + Associates Architects followed in 1994, and in 2004, his firm merged with the US firm Perkins+Will to form Busby Perkins+Will. He was appointed Managing Director of Perkins+Will’s San Francisco office in 2012. Peter Busby is renowned nationally and internationally as a proponent and practitioner of green building design. His advocacy for green design, which he considers an ethical commitment, is evidenced across a wide spectrum of endeavor.
2) Natalie Alabama Chanin
Biography
Natalie “Alabama” Chanin is an American fashion designer from Florence, Alabama. She was born and raised in Florence, Alabama. She has a degree in Environmental Design with a focus on industrial and craft-based textiles from North Carolina State University. After graduation, Chanin worked in the junior sportswear industry on New York’s Seventh Avenue, before moving abroad. For the next decade, she worked as a stylist and costume designer, traveling the globe. She is part of the zero-waste fashion movement. Her design company uses 100% organic cotton jersey fabric in their designs, which is sourced sustainably from seed to fabric. Chanin’s “open source” philosophy means that patterns and techniques for her garments are openly available through books and workshops. Alabama Chanin is rooted in the tenets of the Slow design movement. Known for her “eco-chic” designs, Natalie launched the A. Chanin line in 2013. In 2015, she expanded the machine-made garments line to include a home goods collection.
Local Designer
3) Hanson Ho
Biography
Hanson Ho is an award-winning creative director of Singapore-based design studio H55, which he founded in 1999. Since then, Mr. Ho has created numerous visual identities, brand applications, and publications that have represented Singapore at an international level. These include the visual identity design for the Singapore Pavilion at various Venice Biennales and the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize. Named one of the top graphic designers in Singapore in The Sunday Times, Mr Ho has received recognition and awards from some of the most prestigious international design competitions including the D&AD in London, Type Directors Club in New York and Tokyo, One Show Design, Creative Circle Awards, and the New York Art Directors Club. Apart from the multiple roles he plays at H55, Mr. Ho is also the curator for Singapore’s Mass Rapid Transit Art in Transit programme for nine of the upcoming Downtown Line (DTL) stations and is managing editor for The Design Society Journal.
4) Nathan Yong
Biography
Furniture designer Nathan Yong is well-known for his career. Having wanted to be a designer since the age of 15, he chose to pursue industrial design at Temasek Polytechnic as he was interested in the forms of products. With an established and growing international profile, Nathan’s designs have been sold in Germany, Denmark, Morocco, and the United States. He has also collaborated with renowned multidisciplinary designers Voon Wong and Benson Saw from the United Kingdom to produce design-conscious furniture that aims to be affordable for all. His relentless pursuit of simplicity and honesty in design has made him one of Singapore’s top designers and has garnered him numerous awards both locally and at the international level, for instance, the Red Dot Award. In 2006, the Break stool garnered a Silver Award at MINES International Design Intelligence and a Bronze Award at the Singapore Furniture Industries Council Furniture Design Award.
4) Olivia Lee
Biography
Singaporean industrial designer Olivia Lee (b. 1985) graduated from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in 2008 with First Class Honours. In London, Olivia worked as a designer for Sebastian Bergne. Passionate about education, Olivia finds time outside her professional practice to lecture at institutions such as the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Division of Industrial Design, Singapore Polytechnic and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. She currently teaches History & Theory of Industrial Design and facilitates a luxury retail design platform at NUS.
[Fold research]
Before starting the project, I went on to borrowed books about pamphlet folding and looked into some online references for inspirations. Here are some of the fold that I have been considering of that could bring out the flowy rhythm of my initial sustainability poster.
[Sketches & Folds Mock-up]
Here are the three draft folds – Pop-up fold, Angled accordion and Roll fold that I have explored.
1) Pop-up Fold
The first one has a pop-up element to give some surprises. However, as feedback, it was too extra to have the pop-up piece as it doesn’t serve any functional purposes and was just for “decorations”.
2) Angled Accordion Fold
The second one, an Angled Accordion Fold was having slanted elements at the top that overlay one on top of another which I find that it would be quite interesting for me to place all my flowy elements at the layers above. However, again it was too extra to have all the elements decorating the layer above for no reason.
3) Roll Fold
The final one would be the idea of having a simple Roll Fold. Whereby each time as you open up the brochure you could see the linkage and flow of elements from one page to the other. In the end, the Roll Fold seems to be the better option out of all and I have picked that to further explore with it.
Process
I have measured the layout carefully and translated the sketches into digital form.
[Digital Design]
[Black & White Print Mock-Up]
The feedback I have received is that actually there isn’t a need for 4 pages, the last one could be removed. Hence, from a Roll fold becoming to a Tri-fold. The inner side of the page has too much empty space an could have just fit all 5 artists together into one page. Also, I have unconsciously had a separated blob for one of the designers which sends a very wrong visual cue to the audience that it might bring across the information that out of all 5 guests there is one that is the key guest. The portrait of the designers was also not well resolved as it could be more rounded since my style is flowier. Finally, the last back page drawing a map was suggested.
[Sketches & Folds Mock-up Version 2]
After making the necessary changes, I was further suggested to border up the portraits etc and play with the position of the portraits too.
[Take away]
Again, I have unknowingly given out the wrong visual cue while designing the graphics and layout. I have learned to be much much more aware of the relationships of positioning the visuals and the messages they convey. Another take away is that when you have too many elements to deal with try to not overdo it as the design should serve a certain form of purpose instead of just for the sake of “decorations”.