Not award-winning, but life-winning.
There are broadly two types of design: the first are those that are crafted to stand out brilliantly to catch your attention, invoke self-reflection, touch your emotions, or generate some reaction, by grabbing you instantly on the spot and creating strong recall. Generally award-winning pedigree because they take you out of your current paradigm to […]
The street fighter guide to starting a business.
I was recently asked to share some startup tips at a job fair (ST Jobs Express 2016), and after having initial reservations (just who on earth would want to hear me talk about startups? My last name’s not Zuckerberg or Trump!), I decided to accept the opportunity, and share whatever I’ve learnt from my own humble journey in starting and running […]
The smokescreen called nostalgia
“Nostalgia – it’s delicate, but potent. Teddy told me that in Greek, nostalgia literally means the pain from an old wound. It’s a twinge in your heart far more powerful than memory alone.” ~ Don Draper, “The Wheel”, Mad Men. Recently, I got lost navigating within my own moral compass because of what Don sentimentally […]
Why I think “constructive criticism” is a term invented by some smart-ass management out there.
Ok, a post laced with skepticism (and not directly related to the field of design/creativity, but to work and life in general). Haven’t we often heard of the term “constructive criticism”? Ever wondered where it came from? Well, I have a conspiracy theory for that! There are often times, as fallible and imperfect human beings […]
Who is more creative: van Gogh or the agency art director?
Ok, this post will probably ruffle some artistic feathers, but hey, it’s a view I’ve held for some time. So in the spirit of freedom of expression, here goes… (And for those who disagree, feel free to counter it! I’d love to hear your views). Being in the business of creative consultancy, I’ve come across […]
The “&” Series #1: Referees & Technology
Recently I was watching football and because that particular game was really boring, my mind started entertaining itself and began conjuring up various analogies and metaphors that football brings to life. One of the them made me chuckle and I realised that in the creative/advertising/design world, what we do applies so intimately to quite frankly, […]
Plea to telemarketers: please talk to us like a human being.
Here’s a declaration before I start: I HATE RECEIVING CALLS FROM TELEMARKETERS. And I’ve been trying to understand why… Firstly, 90% of the calls I get were made by telemarketers from third-party partners and not even directly from the company offering the product/service. They’ll always introduce themselves as “…on behalf of ABC company.”. How can […]
3 core values to hold in life and in the creative industry
I’ve been thinking hard. So hard that my mind’s been twisted in all directions that any human being can ever imagine. And I think I’ve finally managed to narrow it all down to 3 core values. And this is in answer to ONE simple (but super tough) question often heard from clients, friends and myself: […]
Email me? Nah, I prefer snail mail.
Recently we posted a recruitment ad for a copywriter position. And we decided on a couple of “tactical” moves. Sort of like an experiment, if you’d like. Firstly, we avoided the print/newspaper classifieds completely and invested the entire recruitment search online via a job portal. Makes perfect sense, considering the massive adoption of online media […]
No kidding! It’s happier to tell it like it is.
These past few months my entire professional adult world was given a humbling lesson into the art of communication – by a bunch of kids aged 7 – 15. It was triggered by a wonderful wet Sunday spent entirely with these little beings. Kids that taught me, through their tears and laughter, the importance of […]