And you shall receive...

Hey guys, been awhile... Obviously to some point why I try to update this blog is because of portfolio matters and also to log my journey and research the creative process of what affects my work. But before I go on I would like to thank God for His awesome blessing this year end. In my heart I've always wanted to own a macbook and finally with just a little perseverance, patience and faith, TA DA!...

This season Santa was early and I'm just so amazed, this was definitely a surprise to me. Finally I have a complete family for both Work and Home. Have been busy playing with it non stop. Weeks after weeks of shopping for accessories and now it's complete, with an external Samsung 2233SW monitor. Now I can watch movies in my room in Full HD. This takes the cake for the year.

So anyway back to where I was before, like I was saying, the only reason I try to keep this blog alive is so that I can reflect back on the process of things that make me a so-called designer, it's my assurance that there is a God and He is creative therefore I'm just a tool that captures those moments and try to translate it the best way I can think of. 

So yeah anyway, back to what I've been up to, been definitely busy this year end, moments where I want to cry, laugh and just blah blah blah but never found the time to. And in time to come God willing, I hope I can recall what has happened since the last post. Cuz' right now everything is just a blur (That's how fast my weeks passes). So in time there'll be some back-to-the-past posts coming in, for archive purposes. It's like getting ready for audit every year end.

So before I see you again on the next post...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

And may He shower you with blessings till your cup overflows and His Joy and Strength be with you no matter what situations and circumstances u encounter this new year. God Bless!

P.s. Thank you faithful silent readers who rarely leave comments. It's been a pleasure and pressure at the same time knowing that strangers read my blog. So the next time you're around the netbourhood (pronounced with a silent 't'), pay me a visit and drop maybe a line or two, much appreciated.

inspiration brewin' in mah cup...

Hey guys, previous weeks have been pretty awesome I must say. After attending Kyoorius Designyatra Conference here in KL for two days, some speakers definitely left some crumbs on the table for me to savour. Unlike the Semi-Permanent Conferences that I use to attend this one was pretty impressive in terms of the line up of speakers that attended. Will definitely grab the opportunity to attend it religiously in the coming years. We tend to forget or sometimes fear when it comes to expressing our ideas, dreams and fantasies. Thru this conference all things that were considered awkward or taboo was welcomed and opened for discussion and argument in design principles, philosophies and theories. It's good to be among family again.

Other than that I'm missing my next Great Escape trip to Japan this month, so sad but God's been great cuz' I got to travel ,so much more that I imagined this year and Japan is but only a little boy's candy that got stolen so i'm giving it back. Well there's always next year, and I hear L.A. calling. *hint *hint hahaha

Anyway here's some stuff I've been working on: 

 

African Nite '08

Pulse Nov/Dec

an unexpected new addition to my MAC family...

 iTouch 

Not on my Christmas wishlist for this year but it came anyways. Thanks to my baby for the surprise. I'm gonna be locking myself in the room this next few days. It's such an awesome gadget! 

Sittin' and reminiscin'...

The week's have been pretty slow lately, but nevertheless packed with little surprises throughout the days. Hope that everyone is doing fine and dandy. It's time I pay tribute to the many tools that have made my working days a joy to come into even if the moon shall fall from the sky. A blessing I call it, for the sake of my ministry muahahaha.

A blessing named Mac Pro...

This baby has dual 20 inch screens with a CanoScan LIDE 90 scanner and an EPSON Stylus Photo 1390 as it's sidekicks.

An ol' mini mac as my backup computer with a Syncmaster 2232 BW monitor and also my download station. Muahahaha...

Following a Power Mac G4 with Dual 22 inch Samsung Screens for video editing and playback. Muhahaha...

Future developments and tech toys coming up in 2009:

a). Another Mac Pro for video Editing

b). Canon Powershot G10

MUAHAHAHA...

OK time to calm down now, I'm going MAC crazy. Anyway I purchased a lightbox from the art store the other day and thought I should give it a shot on a new project. Reason for purchase was that I missed the days where I had time to sketch and do something really original and custom. Nowadays you have all sorts of ready made vectors and short timelines that you can never afford such time to sit down and go thru this therapeutic process. The only time I ever felt familiar, liberated and confident is when I had a piece of paper, pencil and an eraser. The feeling of creating and recreating over and over again. The process of development in concepts, ideas and thoughts. The simplistic value of the pencil that does not encompasses being, form, shape and size. Understanding that value allowed me to do whatever i want and whenever i want in a world that supports asymmetrical values and balance. So I had to come up with an invitation card to a luncheon for first time guest that are visiting our church and I thought to myself 'lightbox'! So I started drawing and cross referencing on other aesthetically beautiful forms.

And the forms just took a shape on its own...

Finally after filling in the nooks and crannies with black ink, I scanned it in and vectorized it.

And here you see the end product, which was entirely satisfying over the hours of sweat and blood put in.

front back

Last month's Pulse issue, feeling all japaneezy.

outside inside

First draft of Cell Christmas Party
Rejected

Approved...

front
back
Bunting

And lastly something i've been working on for a speech and drama school, a logo design for kids still in high school. Certainly took some time customizing this one, from scratch.

resolve: harmony thru cacophony experiences...

Hey guys it’s been awhile since my last post, been really busy in church as there have been many exciting things happening. God has been awesome and abundantly generous with the blessings and revelation of what’s to come. Would love to elaborate more on the stuff I've been working on but the clock never seems to stop and the 'IN tray' is constantly refilling. So here's some stuff that I've worked on just to keep up with the times:





They came and gone, this was one of the easier projects I got to be involve in as the reputation of the brand already existed and it had a very straight forward purpose and content. Goes to show that with a proper structure it already posses, the product/service, makes the designing part more enjoyable.





Pulse JUNE Issue



Pulse JULY Issue



Pulse AUGUST Issue



Pulse SEPTEMBER Issue

Pulse is our revamped version of the previous GT POST newsletter. A new face was needed to awaken the enthusiasm and encourage old and new readers to be involve and be in knowledge of what's happening in the church. As the team continues to venture into a more strict editorial timeline we continue to learn more every step of the way. This year's concept for Pulse is focused on 'Wallpapers', so for every month there's a new pattern. I thought maybe we can bring together the old and new in the 'fashion term' of how retro stuff are again coming back and being applied to a modern aspect. Art nouveau in the making...





Honeycombs were the inspiration for this year's Cell Conference concept. As I look to the bees for inspiration, I begin to realise the connection it has with the cell structure system. And networking came to mind when eventually it lead to world wide gospel domination.





Moses and the burning bush was one of the idea behind this. An encounter that will lead to the birth of something new and awesome. Also, there's 'fire' when this man of God preaches.





10 Days Fasting and Prayer for our 'Neighbours'. The accordion fold technique was used for this simple day-to-day prayer card.





The vintage concept was applied to enhance the theme for this year's Worship Night concert. A classic black and white theme on a 257 gsm card with a UV finishing and finally, silver hot stamping method applied only on the words 'Worship Night 08' and 'HIS'.



Mafia Night has never been this hugely publicised as my previous cell members were addicts to this ice breaker that has obviously blown out of proportions from the actual game rules. It's 'Expert Level Mafia'.





A long overdue project that was in queue since the creation was this 'AV Ministry identity'. It certainly took a very long time to brainstorm despite its simplicity. Tried many times to stay away from the cliche elements that encompasses the audio visual industry. Again I can be speaking to a whole new different target audience if an unidentifiable logotype was done. But then again people need to relate to the visual therefore I decided to simplify even more the existing icons and apply it in pictogram where we can easily digest and process within a second.





And lastly, a re-branding project of the current Shopping n' Sales blog site belonging to one of my friends. Different ready made vectors were used to accomplish this.

BROKEN: An Easter Drama

Hey guys, this coming easter there's gonna be a drama happening in my church. I am excited as this year I get to be a little more involved in events compared to last year. As for my health, things are pretty much the same as last year where I go through a lot of blood tests and consumption of medications which puts me up another level next to the pot-smokers and glue-sniffers :) Aside from that work is pretty much kicking up this season as i brace for another roller coaster ride. However, there are a lot of exciting projects coming up and I'm really grateful to be working on some designs finally.

First up this coming easter on the 21st & 22nd of March, we have a drama happening. What I like about this project is that I got a chance to go back to my roots as a hardcore advertising major, who loves everything bout' branding and advertising, the power to control minds and also make people buy certain things they don't even know why they wanted it in the first place muahahahahaha (I can rule the world!!!). On a lighter side of branding and advertising I for one do not contribute to those who are in that scandal, I always believed in doing the right things with the appropriate tools given. If I can improve the quality of life for people thru my designs, then I can consider it my life's worth. "And the award for Best Humanitarian Designer Award goes to..." *drum rolls...* ME!!!

I love creating visual concepts through photography though I may not be the most genius in my class but I certainly love the whole brainstorming thing. Sometimes I wish I can record things in my head and project it on a wall when I'm working. It'll probably be like some sci-fi movie thing going on where stuff flies around and accumulates into a fusion of ideas, concepts and rubbish, then finally explodes. Like biting onto a fish's eyeball and finally pops with all the juices of creativity oozing out. Awesome... Anyway back to the topic, (just so if you're wondering, I'm still on my medication). Check this out:

Here's the synopsis:When Eddie's perfect world starts to shatter around him, he desperately agrees to a risky business deal. In an intense cross-fire, lives are jeopardized and he is now left with one final decision that will decide his eternity…

When all is broken, is there hope?

The picture i got after the project was briefed to me was seeing glass shatter. Something beautiful and perfect at first and finally shattering. So i thought of coming up with a nice set of font and cut it into pieces, this was what I ended up with. Chanticleer Roman is an awesome font to use next to Trajan Pro as it can project many sorts of emotions, as you can see on almost every DVD cover design for movies. Chanticleer to me not only reflected perfection but also mysteriousness and a piece of porcelain that you're just tempted to throw and watch it shatter on the floor. Trajan Pro is but a jealous brother to Chanticleer Roman.


Next thing: We had to set up a photo shoot after I had my concept down on paper, it was fast and quick. I guess it's always good to have creative people around you whom you can work with rather than some who are too proud to contribute ideas, so yeah it was productive and fruitful, thanks to Daniel Liew and his home studio. Good Working Relationships Tip#1: Always have people whom you are working with see the same vision that you have, makes things a little easier.


After the long waited excitement, I got to do some photoshoping work, this took some hours. But it was fun making the visual more dramatic. Everything in the pic is real except the red curtains which were cut and pasted from somewhere. I love the tone that it speaks between light and dark, where sometimes we feel as if darkness surrounds us waiting like a lion ready to pounce and the only glimmer of hope is thru a little window of light. A place we find ourselves many times in, sitting on the fence ready to decide, light or darkness?

The synopsis certainly reminded me of those old black & white espionage french movies which i think in this case played a big part on the whole idea of the theme and a little red contrast to signify blood, sacrifice, longing for warmth and in the heat of it all.

The last thing I remembered was that the flier was done. Weird... I think I AM drugged, cuz' when moments seem so slow I somehow fast tracked to the ending. Took hours to photoshop this but it was worth it. Although this project took me a good 48 hours to finish it also took an even longer time to bring out the ideas and concept that was behind it (bout' a week or two).

This next project is another one coming up in March, a building pledge card for our Vision Centre. I was only able to whip this up in a short time considering it's a rush project (It always is... *sigh*). But this was fun too as i got to test out some great new sites that provided free vector motifs for design applications. Certainly takes a whole lot of time out trying to draw your own motifs but with this it only took a little tweaking here and there.

Adieu!

aestheticism: when east meets west...

Hey guys i know it's been quite awhile and for those who thought that I've breathed my last, seen the beautiful light that calls out to me and have gone to a better place, sorry to disappoint you. It's been pretty hectic over the past few months that i just didn't have time to post anything, and in future when I'm encountering such a time as this again i realized that i just have to make time for certain things in my life no matter how busy I am. Besides work I've been like literally a lab rat for a curios doctor's experiment. Lately or rather since i got back from Melbourne, I've been swamped with legions of ulcers in my mouth and throat rendering me to suffer pain and agony in silence. Sometimes we wonder why our problems never cease and I just gave up that thought and decided to battle it head on instead of going in circles of just a never endless thought. Besides that I've also encountered some rashes all over my body along with pimples on my head. This whole year I feel as if I've done my part for the world in donating blood(3 times this year) to my curious doctors for experimentation and research. The doctors in GHKL find me an interesting subject of a rare chronic condition known as aphthosis ulcers(google it). Kinda like a disease i'm born with, suddenly i feel different, as if God made me different from others. Feel like a superhero, ULCER MAN!!! Currently on medication that leaves me most the time woozy and high during work. A lot of irregular emotions and also hallucination of weird fantasies. And mommy i'm taking steroids! Which also gives me a large appetite to have four full meals a day. Yeap Ulcerman is getting fat. However a suggestion from the doctor was to watch my diet and also change it, so now ulcerman is a vegetarian and also a weekly dose of gym. Hitting the gym next week, found a decent place to work out in privacy without meeting anyone who's from work and in the same group of friends. Cuz' i'm like HULK belting out during my gym sessions.

Been really drained out from the christmas production this year as it is our biggest ever. About 15k has been allocated for publicity and promotion and not to mention set design which is only an insignificant price compared to the total production 90k. Somehow all the sleepless nights and long hours of working and planning thru out the night was worth it as a rough total of 3k plus of people turned up for this indescribable event, on top of that we have 20 plus people who accepted Christ on this event. Indescribable: A Christmas Production has recruited over 100 plus of people to join in on this indescribable event. As i was in charge of the publication and promotion side of it, i also had to look into creating the perfect aesthetic look for the whole auditorium. First was the installation of a black backdrop to the 3o feet x 100 plus feet wall of the auditorium then came the idea of creating a starscape, me and my team had an abstract idea of putting up a fair amount of light bulbs including some home-made straw urchin to fit the occassion. Surprisingly everything turn out well to fit the production and its cast. I love it when an idea works especially when it starts from a rough sketch on paper to the physical reality of an object. Amazingly stressful like molding a clay as your thought processes into a beautiful vase. A foreign idea of christmas + a touch of chinese funeral lights was a great idea of a creative fusion and not to mention... cheap and cost saving. Check out the creative process of our work:


Posters, flyers, banners, buntings, video, web promos was all out this season


This is the end product of the lights that been installed with the black backdrop


a close up of the abstract stars made up of straws


The grand master of props at a high altitudes installing the panels for the black backdrop


A hard day's work that paid off, testing of light and darkness before the laser lights and moving heads were installed


a close up of our initial test


A sweatshop in India and China teamed up probably couldn't even match up to the amount of work produced here


Cables of different lengths for the light bulbs


Our first prototype of the lighting system to be installed on the ceiling

For more pictures of the production, please visit this site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/danieliew/sets/72157603525738906/