Category: Digital

Do Not Design for Dear - a visual language for a media company with an online and print publication for the curious

Dear

Services

Brand Audit

Research & Analysis

Brand Identity

Communication Strategy

Creative Direction

Design Direction

User Experience

User Interface

Website

Creative direction

Yanda

Design & Art direction

Yanda / Preston Tham / Edward Harland

Illustration

Stephanie Christy Lim / Sweet Gamboa / Jordi Ng / Amy Ong

Editorial Writing

Jethro Lim / Joyce Yang / Goh Yanhui / Alicia Tan / Charmaine Poh / Joylene Chai

Collaterals Photography

The Gentle Studio

Printing

Allegro Print

Dear is a media company steeped in culture and grounded in locality. Curated for the ever-curious, it comprises of printed magazine, online, broadsheet with a mix of commentary, op-eds, interviews and photo essays as well as research documentaries and city guides.

At its core, DEAR is a storyteller. Every read is a journey. Every last word and image elevates the reading experience to one that is immersive and engaging. How much would you pay for a Ramly burger set? How do we save Orchard Road? What if objects had feelings? Our stories are cheeky yet contemplative, with a penchant for the non-conventional. They are written by and for the everyday man, in a celebration of never-ending curiosity.

Identity—

Dear is personal yet distant, a double entendre that entails both fondness and formality at the same time. Termed with a sense of endearment, it characterises affection from our dearest; Termed as a form of salutation, it delineates a standard greeting in our emails.

Preserving the personal touch of DEAR, our logo’s word mark uses a handwritten, organic line that symbolises the channel of connection that we stand for. It is designed for all contexts from digital to print, in which legibility plays a paramount role throughout.

With a healthy pinch of humour and a trifle of seriousness, we want to shake things up and connect communities through insightful and thoughtful narratives. From casual conversations to visual essays, our stories are here to question, paint a picture, and speak to you. DEAR is about uncovering the little oddities in everyday life, getting you the stories you never knew you wanted.

UIUX

Our website is designed to be modular for all screens. Small or big, we ensure that your reading experience is fuss-free and plain sailing. Apart from eye-catching visuals, subtle design elements complement the experience that assures spellbound attention from you.

Experience and Story

Divulge the delights of reading. That’s what we want to do. Each and every story is stripped to its core, researched to its demise with no stones unturned. The long and short of it- we have it all covered. With our visuals taking centre stage, our stories shy no less of its limelight through its subtle yet canny voice which offers alternative angles to ordinary (or not so) affairs.

A combination of illustration, art direction, design and writing come together to breathe new life into storytelling, making reading that much more robust, immersive and exciting. Where words come to life and imagery elevates everyday reading experiences, DEAR is about capturing the essence of what makes a story— the little oddities in everyday life, and a sense of never-ending curiosity of the world. From casual conversations to visual essays, our stories embody the joy of reading across various mediums.

Our stories are a combination of illustration, art direction and design, paired with writing to breathe new life into experiential storytelling, making reading that much more robust and exciting. Where words and imagery come to life to elevate ordinary reading experiences, DEAR is about capturing the essence of what makes a story— the little oddities in everyday life, and a sense of never-ending curiosity of the world. From casual conversations to visual essays, our stories embody the joy of reading across various mediums.

Do Not Design

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Do Not Design for Save Hair - rallying the world towards the importance of haircare.

Save Hair

Services

Market Research & Analysis

Brand Identity

Communication Strategy

Creative Direction

Design Direction

User Experience

Interactive Design

Front-end Development

Back-end Development

Payment Processing

Content Strategy

Creative direction

Yanda

Design & Art direction

Yanda / Elizabeth Zhang

Illustration

Elizabeth Zhang

Copywriting / Editorial & Socials

Joylene Chai / Faith Ng

Photography / Styling

Hosanna Swee

Printing

A&K / Prestige Labels / Pixeltech

Collateral Photography

Anton Tang

Haircare should be just as important as hair style, dyeing of hair, eating, fashion and every other daily affair we deem crucial.

To portray the weight of its importance, we did something rather unheard of— we integrated the dining experience into haircare. An emphasis on the indulgence on our haircare is an investment in feeling and looking good.

We set some ambitious goals. Save Hair's new identity needed to reflect the knowledge of scientific hair care that went into creating the brand, without appearing oriental and old school. Despite its rookie status, Save Hair needed to go beyond holding its ground in the international market to set thoughtful, innovative hair care on the global stage. How would we achieve that?

Do Not Design was commissioned to create a packaging design system for Save Hair. From product, packaging, website and social media management to stationery and in-store elements, our designs centered on these keywords: modern; sincere; healthy; comfort; confident.

To create Save Hair’s packaging, we put careful thought into the little details— material and colorway. Along with an earthy colour palette, our approach focused on clean visuals with modern sensuality, paired with dainty illustrations of products on a dining plate. A simple representation of the value of haircare.

We maintained a simple, type-based label to ensure visual consistency while openly displaying the ingredients list to create a sense of transparency and reliability for the brand,

Save Hair is designed not just to sell itself, but to look good in your bathroom. Through deftly crafted details in its packaging, we created a contemporary packaging that exudes charm and elegance.

We worked with Hosanna Swee on a lighthearted photoshoot that would bring out the raw, honest beauty of Save Hair.

Classy and organic, even Save Hair's name cards encapsulate the quiet, understated confidence of the brand.

Down to its email collaterals, we wanted to create a unique visual identity that remained cohesive with the rest of the brand.

Save Hair’s product line speaks sufficiently for itself. By incorporating hang tags on the bottles, we provided information about the brand and its mission, while sharing a self-explanatory instructional guide that negates the presence of a salesperson.

By replacing the use of shopping bags with a tote bag, this is our push for saving the environment, one bag at a time.

Do Not Design

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Do Not Design for Paladino - a purveyor of exquisite fabric for the modern gentleman

Officine Paladino

Services

Research & Analysis

Brand Positioning

Brand Identity

Communication Strategy

Creative Direction

Design Direction

User Interface

Website

Creative direction

Yanda

Design & Art direction

Yanda / Preston Tham

Photography

Munkong

Styling

Marie Lee / April Lee

Collaterals Photography

The Gentle Studio / Anton Tang

Crafted with the finest Merino wool woven exclusively in the best mills in Italy, a curation of trendy designs, colours and timeless essentials.

Art direction, branding and identity, publication design, digital marketing and responsive website design– these are a few of our favourite things! (and also what we constructed for Paladino) in order to introduce the brand to the market, while driving sales and building a customer loyalty base.

More than just a cosmetic development of the brand, our research went deep into understanding the suits market in order to drive the logic and reason behind every touchpoint of Paladino, while ensuring relevance for modern day consumers. We realised that brands like Paladino rely mostly on their representatives and tailors to build a reputation with consumers. The question was now about how we could take control of the narrative in order to increase our brand visibility. How could we transform our relationship with consumers? How would we create an interactive and impactful tailoring experience?

It came down to research. Conducting surveys. Analysing the traditional tailoring process. Speaking to those on the ground, finding out what people truly need. How do consumers even decide what they want in a suit? Do they follow trends? A budget? How are suits even made? How do consumers decide what and which fabric to be used?

What we came to realise is that the process of purchasing a suit always involves a middle man. Which meant that the opportunity for users to experience a brand was no longer a luxury. Competitors swatch books were also corporate and serious. Who said that had to be the case?

We took it upon ourselves to reshape the perception of swatchbooks, transforming into something reminiscent of a magazine, something anyone would want to pick up and really start flipping

The design system revolved around a defining straight line representing a woven thread that adds tone and balance to the overall identity; while establishing a distinction across the different collaterals.

Conventional colors for men include black, brown, dark red and green. Instead of using colors that were overused, stereotypically male and basic, we wanted to stand out from the crowd, right from the start.

This meant opting for a dye fabric color that is offbeat yet subtly luxurious— Orange. Sourced from across the globe in Belgium, orange would be distinctive and lush, a color that was most definitely not forgettable. Orange (Think Hermes, Louis Vuitton and even Holland and Sherry’s female range) also harmonized well with blue as a secondary color, which we ended up choosing.

Celebrating the spirit of craftsmanship, clarity and personal touches, the swatch book showcases fabric swatches in the best possible way against a stark white background. Handwritten text was paired with a timeless sans serif font to create a novel typographic language.

A set of custom icons are designed and set in a clear, friendly and easy to understand tone. Each layout spread portrays style in a relatable and engaging manner with its easy-to-reference format. The striking orange cover also reflects a forward-thinking mindset in revitalising the fabric market.

Paladino wasn’t a small, unassuming startup. It became a contender, a brand that was comfortable in the market, right from the start. With its good design, Paladino continued to take off and expand, seeking opportunities in the Southeast Asian market. From Japan, to Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines. And then, it came time to look for greater pastures within the US market.

Reinventing the online experience of a fabric merchant for consumers: For the uninitiated, fabrics can be unnecessarily complicated and difficult to comprehend. Paladino was created to change that. The website is designed in a way that consumers can learn about Paladino's story and the origin of the fabrics, browse collections, create a look based on the fabrics offered, all in one site. From small to big screen, Paladino’s website is designed to look great everywhere. One of the main challenges was to translate the experience of touch into a digital format. To do so, we developed a tool that allowed visitors to view products in 3D, which showcased the depth and texture of each fabric and how it would reflect light or flow to fit the shape of each body.

Do Not Design

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Do Not Design for Love, Bonito— elevating a brand for the modern day woman with a bold & confident visual language

Love, Bonito

Services

Market sizing & research

Brand position building

Creative Direction

Design Direction

Packaging & Prototyping

User Interface

Creative direction

Yanda

Design & Art direction

Elizabeth Zhang

Illustration

Elizabeth Zhang

Collaterals Photography / Styling

The Gentle Studio

Printing

A&K / KS Packaging

Love, Bonito is the largest vertically integrated, omni-channel women's fashion label in the region.

Renowned for its mastery of the Asian fit, Love, Bonito takes a thoughtful, innovative and data-centric approach in creating the right experiences, products, community and content for Asian women all around the world. Cue, us! We were commissioned to refresh the brand’s corporate stationery in a way that would emanate the confidence and boldness of a modern, womenswear label.

We asked ourselves, how can we engage and make loyal customers out of the next generation of fashion consumers? With the demands of a new decade, Love, Bonito needed to evolve.

Since its birth in 2005, Love, Bonito has expanded its status as a rookie blog shop named Bonito Chico and needed an identity to reflect their growth and confident spirit. Since acquiring 13 million worth of funding, we saw the need to bridge the gap between its identity and its potential to expand to the regional market. Because iconic companies are built on their understanding of their customers and the strength of design, we wanted to merge thoughtful design with strategy to help Love, Bonito continuously stay relevant while standing out amidst large, global competitors like Zara.

Brand Audit. The new identity is a far cry from the usual, arbitrary graphics that trademark its competitors and smaller blogshops. Instead, an iconic, refined approach that reflects Love, Bonito's mission to empower women across the globe. Timed to coincide with the opening of their flagship store in Funan, Singapore, the new brand experience delivers an ambitious push on omni-channel services, combined with a renewed emphasis on brand storytelling.

Although eliminating packaging waste is quite impossible, we hoped to create packaging that would feel special enough for customers to keep. The envelopes are designed with fine lines, a small detail that makes it reminiscent of a clutch.

In creating the packaging for Love, Bonito, we wanted to create an identity that customers would remember and come to associate with the brand. This would position Love, Bonito as a polished, home grown brand. Its Gift Card packaging consists of a set of patterns and visuals synonymous to the bold language that Love, Bonito embodies.

In line with the rest of the brand’s visual language, the photoshoot for Love, Bonito is polished and classy, drawing attention to the brand’s corporate stationery.

We wanted to avoid the abstract graphics that are commonly seen amongst blogshops. Instead, we drew reference from Love Bonito’s store, which features details like terrazzo tiles, staircases and arcs. As a whole, their corporate stationery is iconic yet refined, reflecting their mission to empower women across the globe. Much like its principles— unabashed, uninhibited and undeniably you, we utilised organic forms and geometric shapes to reflect the energy and diversity that Love, Bonito yearns to inspire in women.

Photography by The Gentle Studio

We wanted to avoid the abstract graphics that are commonly seen amongst blogshops. Instead, we drew reference from Love Bonito’s store, which features details like terrazzo tiles, staircases and arcs. As a whole, their corporate stationery is iconic yet refined, reflecting their mission to empower women across the globe.

An all-access community and rewards experience, created to allow shoppers to join a membership programme, accumulate credits from shopping at Love, Bonito and unlock premium tiers for exciting perks.

Looking good is only the baseline. We take it one step further with our bold ideas, and create irresistible brands, each with a distinct personality that captivates and engages with its customers across the customer journey.

Do Not Design

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Do Not Design for The Future of Our Pasts - reintegrating Singapore's storied past into the future

The Future of Our Pasts

for Yale-NUS

Services

Festival Identity

Creative Direction

Design Direction

User Interface

Website

Spatial/Exhibition Design

Creative direction

Yanda

Design & Art direction

Edward Harland / Elizabeth Zhang / Evangelyn Ong

Illustration

Elizabeth Zhang

Printing

Allegro Print

Construction

2ideas

A project by Do Not Design

The Future of Our Pasts (TFOOP) is a month-long festival exploring lesser-known stories of the past and present— reimagined through artistic mediums.

Organised by Yale-NUS in support of the Singapore Bicentennial, TFOOP Fest ran from 16 February to 17 March 2019 at various locations around the city. TFOOPFest is a festival organised by Yale-NUS College, in support of the Singapore Bicentennial. Taking place for the first time in 2019, the festival featured 11 projects that reimagined lesser-known stories of communities and places of Singapore’s past through creative mediums. History is often perceived as static, monolithic and boring. In Singapore, what comes to mind when one thinks of history is common narratives and images. But what about some of the smaller, micro-narratives that might have slipped through the canals of history?

Do Not Design was commissioned to develop the festival’s identity and branding, spanning across digital, print and spatial mediums. Inspired by the connectivity of the future and the past, the festival’s identity is an interpretation of a string as a symbol of a progressive entity running through the times–– from past to present. Set in Elephant (designed by Gareth Hague), the logotype is a sans serif font inspired by classic woodtype grotesques with nuances of geometric shapes. A string intertwining through the title also emanates a perception of depth running throughout.

Exhibition Launch

Noteworthy tactile elements were infused into the spatial solutions as part of the festival’s launch party, further immersing visitors into a holistic experience.

The brilliance and vibrancy of the future is represented by an unmistakable, fluorescent orange which perfectly juxtaposes with the festival’s historical imagery and references.

Consistency throughout all touchpoints creates opportunity for free promotion. The striking fluorescent orange on the tote bag makes it outstanding amongst the overwrought public spaces, acting as a walking billboard to garner more attention for TFOOP.

Straying from the orthodoxy of event guides, unique editorial techniques were incorporated into the typical brochure format. While minute, these subtle details transform the conventional into something engaging, a visual arrest that demands attention from visitors.

Do Not Design

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Do Not Design for N-Tyler— honouring design while breathing new life into menswear classics

N-Tyler

Services

Creative Direction

Design Direction

Art Direction

User Interface

Website

Creative direction

Yanda (in collaboration with Uniform)

Design & Art direction

Yanda / Sherylene Chew / Cherie Chong

Printing

AlsoDominie

A project by Do Not Design / Uniform

N Tyler combines traditional tailoring and classic British sensibilities with a modern flourish to create a look that is perfect for the urban genteel.

In collaboration with Uniform, Do Not Design was commissioned to work on the art direction and design from the campaign, lookbook to website and marketing assets.

Titled ‘The Importance of Being’, the entire campaign photographed by Joel Low muses over the unique sartorial beat of gentlemen—the Genteel Patriarch, Self-Made Man and Heroic Artisan. These are the apostles from the fashion bible our fashion evangelists fervently worship.

The advertising campaign mimics the idea that it is a page torn off from the fashion bible

LOOKBOOK

To encourage more pick-ups and also to use the look book as a marketing tool on its own, we proposed to make the book more desirable and instagramable. We drew inspiration from the book of all books‚ the Bible—leather bound cover paper is sourced from Belgium and finished with pearl foil stamping; Lightweight textured paper for the inserts and cream coating paper for the whole book were used to mimic the aesthetic of the Bible. Large text ensures easy to read. Corners of the look book adopts a rounded-cut to prevent dog-ears. Each colour and piece of merchandise was also named so that they can be marketed individually when needed.

From backdrop of the photoshoot where we hand-dyed and stain ourselves with coffee, to the styling and art direction. everything has been taken care of—rolled-up pants, matching socks, hats, pocket squares, ties, bow-ties, shoes to props to bring out the character of each look.

DIGITAL MARKETING To appear as if a fashion evangelist had taken the inserts from a fashion bible to create this catalogue, a torn effect was used for the website and the digital marketing assets.

RESULTS There was a distinct increase in the number of pick-ups, interests and praises on the new book as opposed to the previous years where they were just another glossy paper printed material. The whole rebrand made the label exciting and refreshing again and we were able to reach out to an even new audience in stylists. Free media was earned when the campaign were featured in fashion websites and design coffee table books.

Do Not Design

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Do Not Design for Revlon— redefining the world's most desirable beauty brand for the festive season, launching it into the Southeast Asian market

Revlon (South East Asia)

Services

Social Media Strategy

Creative Direction

Design Direction

Photography

Creative direction

Yanda

Design & Art direction

Elizabeth Zhang

Illustration

Elizabeth Zhang

Photography / Styling

Hosanna Swee

A project by Do Not Design

A long established, global cosmetic powerhouse in need of a revamp.

In creating Revlon’s festive season campaign in 2019, we wanted to disrupt the beauty landscape while repositioning Revlon at the forefront of womens’ minds. Our job was simple. Reign in the festive season with a series of social media posts, a popup store and photoshoot for its launch in Southeast Asia.

Revlon’s christmas festive identity needed to reinforce the brand’s core proposition to provide glamour, excitement and innovation. This looked like a lavish indigo unboxing experience and a series of blown-up red lip installments to showcase Revlon’s festive lippies.

Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable and appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, point size,

Do Not Design

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Do Not Design for 1 KM: Jalan Besar - a curation and exhibition of the work of like-minded creatives for curious eyes

1 KM: Jalan Besar

Services

Curation

Communication Strategy

Creative Direction

Design Direction

User Experience

User Interface

Website

Social Media

Creative direction

Yanda

Design & Art direction

Preston Tham

Illustration

Jesslyn Sutisna

Copywriting

Joyce Yang

Photography

Damien Chong

Printing

Allegro Print

A project by Do Not Design

Pioneered in the spirit of curation and experience, 1KM is an exclusive discovery of creatives who live and work within the one-kilometre radius in the same neighbourhood.

Like-minded entrepreneurs in art, design, architecture, retail and F&B are putting together ‘satellite events’ for curious eyes and potential collaborations with some of Asia’s most imaginative minds.

The letterform in the logo can be adapted to the width or height of different layouts suggesting how creatives are reachable within close proximity. The visual language is flexible and it provides a sense of movement moving across fields of applications.

The campaign visual takes directions from the neighbourhood's vernacular typography and visually reference the unique architecture of the area here. Key words related to 1KM are condensed into different typographical objects like buildings and roads in creating the campaign visual. Crimson orange is considered for the identity as it's used to grab visitors' attention in this vibrant neighbourhood.

GUIDE BOOK A content driven brochure does not only cover the usual information but also focuses on telling Jalan Besar’s history, interviews with collaborators as well as yummy food recommendations.

We designed and collaborated with the neighbourhood’s seamstress to conceive the 1KM tote bag. Materials were sourced from the shop that produced old-school tool bags.

The red wayfinding signages can be spotted easily at the allocated spots from afar. Maps of the particular areas are drawn specially for visitors to understand the participating creatives better.

Do Not Design

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Do Not Design for Concrete Cocktail— reimagining the cocktail experience, with accessibility and authenticity in mind

Concrete Cocktail Co.

Services

Research & Analysis

Brand Identity

Communication Strategy

Creative Direction

Design Direction

User Experience

User Interface

Website

Creative direction

Yanda

Design & Art direction

Yanda / Nora James Yee

Collaterals Photography

Anton Tang

Illustration

Ng Si Qi

A project by Do Not Design

A balance of fresh goodness and sublime quality, Concrete Cocktail promises an authentic, distinct experience. No more pretentious, scam-ey cocktails— they mix, you pour.

Cocktails are more than just a drink but rather, a start to a great night with friends, or alone (if that’s what you prefer). We crafted a bold, approachable identity for Concrete Cocktail. In a relatively small and niche marketplace, we needed to deliver a distinctive brand experience that would evolve their identity for the next era of growth. This translated even throughout the rebranding process, from its logo to the packaging of each bottle. Like its name, the new identity of Concrete Cocktail takes inspiration from, you guessed it— concrete!

To reflect a sense of flexibility and inclusivity, we created a logo that wasn’t strictly defined. Depending on the occasion (or not) the hand gripping the bottle can be replaced with one of many variations of hands. In the same spirit of ambiguity, the logotype consists of variations of scribbled-inspired typefaces, which is reminiscent of the name scribbles on an unfinished glass of drink at a bar.

Looking good is only the baseline. We take it one step further with our bold ideas.

Wrapped in concrete. Just as its name suggests. Concrete Cocktail’s bottles reflect the brand at its essence: authentic and distinct with its concrete-inspired paper wrapping. Because design should never compromise function, we took the journey a bottle takes to its receiver into consideration. More than just its literal meaning of a ‘concrete cocktail’, the paper wrapping cushions the bottle giving users an unboxing experience that isn’t commonly known to cocktails.

Do Not Design

Work with us — write to we@donotdesign.com

Do Not Design for Archifest— reimagining Singapore's visual landscape for an architecture festival

Archifest

for Singapore Institute of Architects

Services

Festival Identity

Communication Strategy

Creative Direction

Design Direction

User Experience

User Interface

Website

Creative direction

Yanda

Design & Art direction

Yanda / Preston Tham

Website Design

Yanda / Damien Chong

Illustration

Preston Tham

Collaterals Photography

Anton Tang

Printing

Allegro Print

A project by Do Not Design

Archifest is an annual festival open to the public to celebrate architecture and the built environment in Singapore.

The Singapore Institute of Architects is a professional organisation established in 1963 with the objective to promote the architectural profession and the built environment in Singapore.

Do Not Design was commissioned to design and strategy the campaign and marketing collaterals for Archifest 2017. This year’s theme ‘Building Agency’ emphasises the facilitating and building up of agency and citizen participation through architecture, questioning the relationship between people and the built environment.

In order to celebrate the festive spirit and going with the theme, we customise the logo by adding a black figuring to the supposingly empty (and cold) building. This further ties back and link to the particular year when the festival’s partners are using the customised logo.

Initiated by the Singapore Institute of Architects in 2007, Archifest is an annual festival for the city to celebrate architecture and the built environment. Celebrating its 10th edition this year, Archifest 2017 is curated by Eunice Seng and Koon to offer a platform for all walks of life to discuss, debate and deliberate architectural issues.

Held from 4 to 15 October with over 50 events in a span of 2 weeks, events involved includes curated exhibitions, talks, discussion panels, workshops to open houses, architectural trails and even a cake making session.

An expressive and familiar illustration style was developed based around the theme which serves as the campaign visual for this year’s identity. The campaign visual takes on a human-centric approach by examining buildings as everyday objects. Instead of a top-down approach where citizens rely on architects to construct a building, it should be a shared responsibility among both.

Collaboration with the festival partners was shown by encouraging and inviting them to create graphics based on the set direction which inlines with the festival's theme.

To encourage festival goers to attend all the events at Archifest, 30 different stamp designs were conceived to differentiate each individual event.

FESTIVAL SUPPLEMENT

Alongside the identity, promotional newsprint is introduced. Engaging interviews and essays are set as the primary focus whereas essential information on various events can be found alongside those content.

Inspired by colours from David Hockney’s impressionism, it has been derived as expressive, distinctive and complimentary, yet still in the family of the corporate colour — orange.

Photography by Anton Tang

Do Not Design

Work with us — write to we@donotdesign.com