VISCOM04

Dictionary: research and purpose

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After talking to my friends, Hazmi, Ruzana, and Mai earlier today, I started to think of how to make my brand audit of cafes & restaurants in Singapore be more interesting and unique..

In my earlier dictionary list of words, I have the word EDUCATE. I want to educate non-designer people so that they also can have keener eyes on design. As for designers, they can also benefit from the exercise. The reviews gathered online/offline could be used as a reflection and learning opportunity for everyone,

For this Dictionary project, perhaps, it would be good also if I printed some flash cards with questions for someone to be able to pay more attention to the cafe/restaurant’s branding? Possible questions are:

  1. How does the service make you feel?
  2. What’s the dominant color of this cafe/restaurant?
  3. Where can you find the smallest logo applied at?
  4. … (and 47 more questions variation)

For my FYP, it is a high possibility that I must make an app where people can review the design of a cafe/restaurant brand. At the same time, I will also publish a book containing my interview with cafe/restaurant owners/managers, speaking about their brands..

 

Resources to help my fyp:

  1. Brand New
    Brand New is a division of UnderConsideration. Its sole purpose is to chronicle and provide opinions on corporate and brand identity work. We cover redesigns and new designs of well-known products, companies, and organizations. Brand New is edited and 99% written by Armin Vit.
  2. Brand Guide

    Brand Guide: Singapore Edition is the first edition of the Brand Guide Series by Foreign Policy Design Group.

    A documentation of the most progressive local brands & a celebration of the visionaries & designers behind them – it is filled with takeaways and anecdotes capturing the vision to fruition of each brand owner.

Dictionary: Dancing Crab Singapore

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On 22 March 2016, I interviewed Phyo Wai Linn, assistant manager of Dancing Crab. Dancing Crab is a Louisiana Seafood restaurant. The one that I went to is at Orchard Central.

Some keywords that I gathered from interview and observation

  1. Concept (as taken from the website):”Welcome to Dancing Crab, serving a mix of robust, country-style Cajun seafood and the distinctive richness of Creole cuisine. Dancing Crab is a refreshing, American counterpart to Singapore’s equally famed preferences for seafood, shellfish and rich flavors. Backed by one of Singapore’s oldest seafood restaurant leaders, TungLok Group, Dancing Crab sources their shellfish from the same vendors used at the group’s best seafood restaurants, offering a range from Boston lobster to Dungeness crab.New Orleans, Louisiana is known for its happy atmosphere, lively music, and high spirits. Dancing Crab brims with life, bringing the same emphasis to its colorful location at The Grandstand, welcoming its guests to eat, drink, and be merry.”
  2. Food: wet and gravy seafood for Singapore’s tasteIMG_5447 IMG_5448 IMG_5450
  3. Primary color: black (classic)
  4. Secondary colors: white and red (to attract customers)
  5. Logo: red crab with ‘Dancing Crab’ in bold sans serif IMG_5441
  6. Visual language: vectorized seafood illustration with bold textIMG_5439
  7. Props: flags, beach-inspired props like crab, nets, anchor, lighthouse, etc.
    IMG_5451 IMG_5452
  8. Music: hip-hop with high upbeat that some of the customers will also shake their legs according to the beat.IMG_5454
  9. Working culture: no old-school (no strict rule). However, if possible, the staffs should not put their back towards their customers to be aware of the customers’ needs.
  10. Customer feeling: happy about the food and place. The staffs will clap and dance for customers who are having birthday as a surprise.IMG_5443

    http://www.dancingcrab.com.sg/video/DC_Mobvid_Full.mp4

  11. Customer range: any age, any nationalities
  12. Motto: not FINE dining, but FUN dining

Reflection

Firstly, I was surprised that I did not feel that shy in approaching peopleeeeeeee!!! YAAASSSSS.

Anyway, I think that I am in the right direction for my FYP since I could learn more about branding in the direct field, and I could talk to a lot of people. One homework for me is to make my own name card to be exchanged with the people I will be in contact with.

Next, I was thinking of promoting the restaurants I went to on an Instagram account solely devoted to talk about the visual side of interesting cafes/restaurants/hawkers.

Calendar: Reflection

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This whole process of gathering ambience sound, interview script, photo, and video of Sungei Road Thieves’ Market had me realized that time in Singapore is tracked through the memories of the people who have strong connection of the heritage site…

Conclusion: time, memory, people, and places are the meta keywords for time tracking.

Dictionary reference: Re:Refugees

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4fbe3e34803051.56df5f03e2198 89286234803051.56df5f03e0f71The circulation of myths and misinformation are significant barriers in understanding the issues concerning refugees and asylum seekers. It is a complex and delicate subject that can be difficult to approach, and much of this information is both restricted and misleading or misunderstood.
Re:Refugees is a two-part resource book educating us with the truth behind common myths and questions regarding refugees and asylum seekers and provides terminology frequently used in conversation, allowing us to understand the impact and power these words have. When informed with the truth, we gain clearer insight and a genuine understanding towards refugees, enabling us to appropriately respond to the realities of the refugee plight.
This book is designed for aid workers or anyone interested in the field. I envisioned for it to be purchased online and could be supplied and distributed by NGOs to reach their networks and communities.
Artwork by Natalie Shue, Australia.

https://www.behance.net/gallery/34803051/ReRefugees

Dictionary reference: Joseph Kosuth

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Joseph Kosuth - Tony Godfrey, Conceptual Art, London: 1998 'One and Three Chairs' (1965), by the U.S. artist, Joseph Kosuth. A key early work of Conceptual art by one of the movement's most influential artists. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_and_Three_Chairs#/media/File:Kosuth_OneAndThreeChairs.jpg

Joseph Kosuth – Tony Godfrey, Conceptual Art, London: 1998
‘One and Three Chairs’ (1965), by the U.S. artist, Joseph Kosuth. A key early work of Conceptual art by one of the movement’s most influential artists. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_and_Three_Chairs#/media/File:Kosuth_OneAndThreeChairs.jpg

One and Three Chairs, 1965, is a work by Joseph Kosuth. An example of conceptual art, the piece consists of a chair, a photograph of the chair, and an enlarged dictionary definition of the word “chair”. The photograph depicts the chair as it is actually installed in the room, and thus the work changes each time it is installed in a new venue.

Two elements of the work remain constant: a copy of a dictionary definition of the word “chair” and a diagram with instructions for installation. Both bear Kosuth’s signature. Under the instructions, the installer is to choose a chair, place it before a wall, and take a photograph of the chair. This photo is to be enlarged to the size of the actual chair and placed on the wall to the left of the chair. Finally, a blow-up of the copy of the dictionary definition is to be hung to the right of the chair, its upper edge aligned with that of the photograph.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_and_Three_Chairs