de-funk

New beginnings

2008-11-04T20:26:00.001-08:00

de-funk has decided to be on hiatus, as we are shifting our aims.

We will be shifting to designcircus.tumblr.com, do check us out.

Design circus are a medley of design enthusiasts consisting of academics, practitioners and students with a shared passion and curiosity concerning design.

Seeking to discover the world of design in different Asian cities, this traveling troupe will explore design museums, libraries, educational institutions,
commercial centers, and design studios within each country, with a series of workshops and small talks.

Primarily through exposure to the design culture of other countries, Design circus aims to connect designers from various backgrounds and encourage discussion and experience sharing.

In turn this would inspire participants to build a positive design culture by enabling learning and experimentation beyond the limitations of professional practice by way of collaboration.

From the said journey of discovery, the outcome will be documented in various forms of communication such as case studies, critique sessions or exhibitions.

The exchange could support a deeper understanding of the contributions of graphic design to contemporary and historic cultural development as well as the role of the graphic designers in their own society in the context of Asia.

Hillman Curtis: Artist Video Series

2008-09-02T00:57:00.001-07:00

I was at AIGA's website browsing around when I came across a series of short interesting artist videos created by Hillman Curtis. Curtis basically went and interviewed some of the most influential and profound graphic designers to date from Milton Glaser (guilty of "I Love New York") and various other designers.

Theres also a short interview from Aiga with Curtis regarding about the project he intiated to interview and document with these short videos here.

Singapore down below.

2008-08-26T03:18:00.000-07:00

When we dropped down to Singapore a few months ago, we visited two amazing companies. The first we visited was Asylum at An Siang Hill, beautiful street with old preserved or renovated colonial architecture with pubs, old movie houses, bookshops, designer goods and of course Asylum. Asylum has been at the forefront of small leading design companies in Singapore with award winnings from all over the world, since opening its doors from 1999.

The interesting thing about the Asylum is the office is in the basement, with a very big reception area above which usually transforms itself into various different venues from restaurants, ice carving exhibitions to a design shop selling various local and international goods. Asylum has a refreshing array of work that is somewhat whimsical but also well conceptualize. Going beyond just the means of graphic and multimedia, they work themselves into designing spaces.

We'll be having more info on this place with the very overdue Singapore trip update.

We also had the pleasure of visiting another one of Singapore's leading design firms, the hybrid company Kinetic. Part of the mothership Adplanet, Kinetic appears to be an experimental lab from the advertising area. Having span a variety of work from musicians, furniture companies to real estate and Nike, Kinetic is an adaptable, innovative and has a somewhat playful approach to their work. Kinetic also has won various awards, and has some pet projects that is conscious of trying to aware the public of children abuse by creating books that potrays images and short stories that talk about this issue.

Andrew and the creative economy

2008-08-22T03:54:00.000-07:00

If you missed British Council's shindig, last week where Andew Senior drop down to give a talk fear not! Do check out this week's dosage of the Fairly Current Show, as they invite Andew Senior, Head of the Creative Programming at British Council. He indulges us on the subject of creative economies in UK and other regions and further elaborated on how the industries can play a pivotal role in the economy.

Do check out http://creativeconomy.org.uk

more updates soon!

Pecha Kucha Night

2008-07-02T21:23:00.000-07:00

Back by popular demand, Pecha Kucha Night, the global design networking/social event that draws creative talents together is back for its fourth instalment!

Featuring:
Edwin Raj – A&R manager at Homegrown Records and guitarist from They Will Kill Us All
Gavin Yap – Actor/director/writer/producer extraordinaire
Kioue AND Tha-b – Graffiti artist from Super Sunday Enterprise
Maswari Asmawar – A designer you want to know more about
Shahril Nizam – Super talented illustrator and poet.
Robyn Eckhardt – Food reviewer and travel writer
And more…

We’re also officially announcing the Malaysian finalist for our International Young Design Entrepreneur (IYDE) 2008 award! Join us in congratulating and wishing him luck before it’s off to the finals in London this September.

DJ Cliq will be spinning cool tunes so if you’re up for a fun, laid-back night listening to creative people talk about inspirational things, come along and experience the eclectic range of topics and images for yourself.

What Pecha Kucha Night Vol. 4
Date Saturday, 12th July
Time 7.30p.m – 10.00p.m
Venue The Annexe Gallery @ Central Market Annexe
Jalan Hang Kasturi
Kuala Lumpur

Note This is a free public event!

More about it:

Pecha Kucha (pronounced peh-chak-cha) was started in Tokyo, Japan in 2003 by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham of Klein Dytham Architecture. Presenters give a slideshow of 20 images, each shown for only 20 seconds — giving a total presentation time of 6 minutes 40 seconds.

The brief the presenters are given is no brief! They can talk about any subject of choice, as long as they keep to the time and format. With presenters made up mostly from the creative and design fields, Pecha Kucha Nights are great for networking, only more fun.

Don’t worry about registering; just grab your friends for a night of lots of talk.

To find out more visit www.britishcouncil.org.my

Local Shindigs!

2008-06-25T03:15:00.000-07:00

Urbanscapes is organised by KLue and is the first and only all-day “user-generated” creative arts festival. Urbanscapes aims to bring together communities and participants from the fields of music, arts, lifestyle, film under a single banner to showcase the best of the local scene. Previous Urbanscapes events took place in 2002 (Grappa Soho) and 2004 (KL Sentral). Urbanscapes 2008 will feature involvement from KLue's sister publications Junk and Tongue In Chic. Junk will be hosting the music stages, while Tongue In Chic will be bringing some colour and fashion flair to the marketplace.

The Fairly Current Show, a weekly Internet TV programme focusing on current and quirky affairs in Malaysia. Their very first guest is landscape architect Ng Sek San, who speaks about resident actions to stop the chopping down of 40 year-old angsana trees in Bangsar. Upcoming guests include Adrian Yap, Shanon Shah, Jacqueline Ann Surin, Pete Teo and Yasmin Ahmad.

Enjoy and pass around to your friends.

The Weekend, an exciting new site that features independent Malaysian musicians has just come online. Come see our songsters in action through interview and exclusive performance sessions. You can catch that talented troubadour, Azmyl Yunor, in the first session out 27 July at www.the-wknd.com (and soon on PopTeeVee too!). The site will later evolve to accommodate merchandising (songs, t-shirts, stuff like that ya know) and other cool bits and bobs.

Look for them at urbanscapes also!

Giggles with Stavros and Mr Potato

2008-06-10T21:49:00.000-07:00

I present to you, Stavros, the creator of position art. Stavros is the brainchild of Nokia's new N90 phones using GPRS systems to make 'art'. Overall a well design website (if only it wasn't in full flash), good solid idea and Stavros with his position art might just leave you giggling like a high school girl.

Came across this ad sometime ago on kennysia's blog, have a watch here. A gentle reminder that our spicy tomyam neighbours at the north are still pretty ingenius at making ads.

Young Blood Movement

2008-05-21T22:25:00.000-07:00

Having stumbled across Munkao on various times at different art events, I've felt ashamed I've not paid tribute to the cheeky artist. Munkao is a local visual artist with rather a wicked sense of humour, having painted and illustrated ultramen making love to monsters to naked goats (and women), he is currently working on his zines and hopefully attracting young ladies that are sensitive strong and witty. Hopefully he finds what hes looking for, to check out what he rambles on about check his blog.

Faizal Reza aka squirtgun, has an intriguing array of work. He's guilty for creating the award winning Capital Communication's Website and working with Maxis, Levis, Sole What?, Toyota and other big names. Faizal Reza's portfolio shows diversity as he can spin from Corporate clients to less corporate ones, whilst having a strong art direction and understanding for the needs of the target audience.

Kuanth is a malaysian designer cum illustrator based in Singapore. Having left his advertising gig in 2002, Kuanth set out to become a full-time illustrator. Within the last few years, hes worked with Nokia, Pepsi, Motorola and was invited to the Tiger Translate tour 2007 representing Malaysia. Kuanth has also created a blog which he dabbles in experiments of 'Mistakes', which he proclaims are beautiful as perfection is boring. Check out his beautiful cutout installations.

Creative United Movement is a creative network brought to you by lucideas and strat-a-G designs. Having organize the first installments called What the Duck?, consisting of 3 artists painting freestyle to the beats of a DJ, we hope they continue, as we need another excuse to just get down and have fun.

British Council brings May's dosage of design.

2008-05-13T11:45:00.000-07:00

Seems this year, British Council has been in support for more art/design programmes this year, bringing us onedotzero : reimaging the cities and other delightful events. This month they bring us the International Young Design Entreprenuer which is an intiative to give a local design entreprenuer 7500 pounds to recognise that a finalist may be active as a designer, however his/her work as an artist should be secondary to their focus as an entrepreneur in the promotion of the design industry in their country. Artistic talent will not be factored into the judging procedure – finalists will be judged solely on the merit of their entrepreneurial abilities in the industry.

To find out more details about this and get involve click on the image above, or this link

British Council is also bringing Pecha Kucha night and it will be happening at the beautiful Annexe Gallery at Central Market Annexe on the 24th of May (7.30pm - 10.00pm). The event is a free public event and we will be entertained by dazzling guests Ridwan Kamil and the Creative United Movement (C.U.M)

Bright Lights At Midnight

2008-04-24T16:35:00.000-07:00

Bright Lights At Midnight is an independent design studio established to provide design and visual communications solutions to clients from a wide range of industries - from business and corporate entities, to social networking communities, to entertainment and arts groups.

Yes, this delightful place also happens to be where I'm currently making magic daily. Aside from all designing, we're also working on some personal projects that we'll be announcing soon! Exciting times.

In the works are plans of a project of having design trips around Southeast Asia (Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia by this year) with collaboration with Kakireka. We'll be happily teasing you now till May when you come back to read about it.

Beautiful Losers and design conferences

2008-04-24T16:30:00.000-07:00

After the overwhelming response from last month of Helvetica the Movie , I've been trying to get my hands on this documentary. Click on the image and watch the trailer.

Synopsis

Beautiful Losers celebrates the spirit behind one of the most influential cultural movements of a generation. In the early 1990's a loose-knit group of likeminded outsiders found common ground at a little NYC storefront gallery. Rooted in the DIY (do-it-yourself) subcultures of skateboarding, surf, punk, hip hop & graffiti, they made art that reflected the lifestyles they led. Developing their craft with almost no influence from the "establishment" art world, this group, and the subcultures they sprang from, have now become a movement that has been transforming pop culture. Starring a selection of artists who are considered leaders within this culture, Beautiful Losers focuses on the telling of personal stories...speaking to themes of what happens when the outside becomes "in" as it explores the creative ethos connecting these artists and today's youth.

An interesting article on the alarming increase of design events and conferences, but the lack of depth of so many. Isn't it time we went beyond show and tell? written by RICK POYONR from Creative Review.

1 word. READ!

Updated Programme on Reimagining The City

2008-04-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

RE-IMAGINING THE CITY focuses on our shared urban future through the eyes of designers, architects, film makers and creatives. Curated by the British Council and onedotzero, Re-Imagining the City is part of CREATIVE CITIES, a cultural and artistic project promoting global citizenship across East Asia.

Through two days of films, visual art and sound, discussion and reflection on the city we inhabit, featuring UK and Malaysian creatives, we will explore the role artists play in how cities are planned and experienced and how they help us understand our surroundings as we view the city through their eyes.

PROGRAMME (ALL EVENTS ARE FREE)

D-FUSE: SURFACE
(Performance)
When: Saturday, 5th April
Doors open at 8.30pm
(Free entry before 10.00pm)
Venue: Zouk, 113 Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur

Listen to our DJs spinning music and see them holding graphics in the spectacular lead up to Surface. D-Fuse and co will have filmed and recorded aspects of the city, edited them together with local artists, and will then perform the results live at this exclusive event.

GRAPHIC CITIES
(Film)
When: Sat 5 April, 3pm – 5pm
Sun 6 April, 11am – 1pm
Venue: The Annexe Gallery, Central Market Annexe,
Jalan Hang Kasturi, Kuala Lumpur

onedotzero_graphic cities is a screening of innovative, moving image work exploring artists’ interpretations of the urban environment, specially curated by the UK’s onedotzero.

HOW ARTISTS SHAPE THE CITY
(Panel Discussion)
When: Sunday, 6th April
2.00pm – 4.00pm
Venue: The Annexe Gallery, Central Market Annexe,
Jalan Hang Kasturi, Kuala Lumpur

Have your say in How Artists Shape Our Cities. Speakers from the UK and East Asia region will debate why we should be involving artists – rather than politicians and urban planners – in the shaping of our cities.

HD FILMING & EDITING
(Workshop)
When: Sunday, 6th April
5.00pm – 8.00pm
Venue: The Annexe Gallery, Central Market Annexe,
Jalan Hang Kasturi, Kuala Lumpur

Come and learn from a master. Pre-registration to arts@britishcouncil.org.my is required for this workshop with Barney Steel of D-Fuse as spaces are limited.

Helvetica the Screening

2008-03-31T20:49:00.000-07:00

Who would have guessed there would be so much interest among local designers in a film about typography and specifically that oldie but goodie, Helvetica. This is very encouraging, no? More than 60 people turned up during our last kakireka smalltalk film screening on 21 Mar. The room above OleCafe never looked "cosier". And afterwards, more than half you agreed you're interested in similar typography themed events in future. interesting... hmmm. What shall we do next to top that?

Previously, I've observed young designers nowadays would just use whatever font that comes pre-installed in their Mac/PC and not blink twice. Or the other end of the spectrum for others I have seen would force fit as many font as they can like there's no tomorrow in a single job. That inevitable rojak font circus parade gives that creative edge, no? To each their own, you say? Down with conformity and readability? The rule is that there are no rules? I wonder how many of you who watched the film discovered a new found appreciation for Helvetica or typography in general.

A big thank you to all those who stayed back for that little typo exercise with the kakireka ident. We hold events so designers can meet up & collaborate so we thot of that game to help break the ice. Hope many of you made few new friends that night. But we do appreciate your creative contributions and will showcase all of the new kakireka logos at the top of this blogsite in due time.

We do this to also show you that kakireka is created for all of you and each new designer that comes in contact with kakireka will slowly but surely, help evolve the kakireka brand. So our logo ident will be never be the same, ever-changing, quirky yet trendy.

Many thanks also to our sponsors, OleCafe (venue), BasheerBooks (refreshments). And thankyou to all those who slogged & helped to make that smalltalk a success, incl. Irina's friends who helped with guest registrations. See y'all again on the 7th of April. Details coming soon.

*Pictures and article pinjam-ed from Kakireka

Kakireka: Helvetica the Movie

2008-03-11T21:59:00.001-07:00

Kakireka will be screening Helvetica the Documentary Film on the 21st March (Friday, 8pm) this month, for FREE.
(click on the e-flyer)

21 March SmallTalk: In your (type)face.

Millions of people use and read this typeface every day, on public transport, newspapers, shop fronts and computers. Through interviews with designers and type enthusiasts, the film tells the story of how a typeface drawn by a little-known Swiss designer in 1957 became one of the most popular ways to communicate. Though it has gone in and out of fashion it has never gone away - is this a symptom of globalisation or simply a reflection that it is the ultimate typeface?

Come to the 21 March 7:21 SmallTalk and get close and personal with the world's most popular typeface which celebrated its 50th birthday last year.

Please email us at kakireka@gmail.com or defunk.info@gmail.com, early to get seats as they are only limited to 50.

Re - Imagining the City

2008-03-04T12:00:00.000-08:00

Bookmark your diary again as we've got exciting news, onedotzero will be making an appearance in early April to astound us with his creative project Re-Imagining the City.

Re-Imagining the City focuses on our shared urban future through the eyes of designers, architects, film makers and creatives. Curated by the British Council and onedotzero, Re-Imagining the City is part of CREATIVE CITIES, a cultural and artistic project promoting global citizenship across East Asia.

Through two days of films, visual art and sound, discussion and reflection on the city we inhabit, featuring UK and Malaysian creatives, we will explore the role artists play in how cities are planned and experienced and how they help us understand our surroundings as we view the city through their eyes.

Dates: 5 to 6 April 2008

Watch this space for more updates!

SCREENING: GRAPHIC CITIES
Curated by onedotzero, a compilation of film and moving image exploring the contemporary city experience and evocative interpretations of the urban environment.

PANEL DISCUSSION: CREATIVES ON THE CITY
D-Fuse and local creatives, artists and, dare we hope, city officials, will gather to discuss the role artists play in shaping the cities in which we live.

LIVE A/V PERFORMANCE: SURFACE
By D-Fuse in collaboration with local video artists, a visual examination of Kuala Lumpur, mixed and performed alive.

Kecik Kecik 2

2008-02-25T01:00:00.000-08:00

It seems there is an apparent trend of an increase in design exhibitions and events popping all over kl almost weekly like mushrooms. Within the last six months designer flea markets, exhibitions and all have been popping up all over kl gaining a momentum and a strong following at each event.

Having been to quite a few of these events from Youth 08's designer's bazaar, to kecik kecik 2 (yesterday night), I can't help feeling excited (but not to the extent of a giggling cheerleader) to see designer's works every time, regardless whether on print or on a t-shirt and I would like to believe there is a certain element of surprise that an audience expects.

I attended the opening of kecik kecik 2 yesterday at Central Market Annexe, joining me were two of my friends who I ask tag along to have a look at the 'local' scene of design work and exhibition. Kecik kecik 2 was on the second floor of the Annexe, in a small intimate gallery. When we arrived, there were people already bustling inside browsing through the array of design works strung up on a wall like a big family portrait.

The small gallery contained around 50 pieces of works from a diversity of designers locally, stretching from wall to wall. Artworks shown spanned from personal photograph shots telling away ghost stories of lost cities to crazy monkeys (that look pretty awesome mind you), to pix elated disfigured messages.There were a few interesting design pieces, that were well framed and conceived, but the majority seemed to lack a certain quality in their work that was worth buying(even though I know this is subjective, but I got a few responses about the work and prices shown), as the prices of a few works were exceedingly high. I have to say it was somewhat disappointing with the overall standard of the works sold, as we felt a majority of the works weren't worth the value it was sold for and it should be the curator's responsibility to balance this, as well as sort out other technical aspects such as lighting,etc. Here are just a few pictures from the event.

* all pictures taken by a kawan

Video: Ken Robinson - Do schools kill our creativity?

2008-02-20T12:03:00.000-08:00

Ken Robinson makes an entertaining (and profoundly moving) case for creating an education system that nurtures creativity, rather than undermining it. With ample anecdotes and witty asides, Robinson points out the many ways our schools fail to recognize -- much less cultivate -- the talents of many brilliant people. "We are educating people out of their creativity," Robinson says. The universality of his message is evidenced by its rampant popularity online. A typical review: "If you have not yet seen Sir Ken Robinson's TED talk, please stop whatever you're doing and watch it now."

Book launches and artsy fartsy this weekend!

2008-02-19T20:00:00.000-08:00

Seems the town is buzzing with electricity. I went for a book launch on saturday for Amir Muhamad's new book called New Malaysian Essays 1 (a compilation of different essays written by Malaysian writers), met alot of familiar faces and more unfamiliar faces. Jerome Kugan (whose cover art is beautiful and illustrated by Sharil "very hot in the scene" Nizam) and Mia Palencia also launched their album that night, and delighted us with a few songs which they performed for an audience of 200. Too bad I was twit and forgot my camera.

*All pictures are credited to Pipit

A design art exhibition will be taking place this Saturday at Annexe@Central Market. The event happens monthly and holds an eclectic mix of designers showcasing and selling their artworks. I missed the last one, so I'll definitely be going for the this one(see if it lives up to the hype). Bookmark your diaries as the opening starts at 6pm - 11pm this Saturday. If you've not been to the beautiful space Annexe, click on this.(the lrt station close by is called Pasar Seni, and Annexe is behind central Market.)

Local street apparel brand Tropicana, have organized a tee competition , asking designers to express themselves in their passion for street culture and style. Winners stand a chance to win RM3,000 and other amazing prizes. Deadline is by 30th April 2008. For more information click on the link or the picture.

After some thinking I've decided to alter the blog content a little shifting towards other local content as I believe just design related material can be very one dimensional in the long run. The content will cover things such as local events, film screenings, places of interest, interviews and videos (though this might not be local). Designers shouldn't just indulge in design only but in all forms of culture. We hope our readers will continue reading the material *grins.

Kakireka

2008-02-12T21:02:00.000-08:00

I've been attending a monthly event called Kakireka recently and its rather interesting as its a monthly platform that has been set up by a group of designers who want to engage, support and organize design events by designers for designers. They are a non-profit group of designers dedicated towards building bridges between designers by providing help, support, action and a voice for the entire design community in MALAYSIA. Anyone interested in design whether you’re a student, graduate, design professionals or enthusiast are most welcome to join in their activities.

They've had some interesting speakers ranging from Jo Kukathas from Instant Cafe (that created eye opening experience of acting workshops on role play and influencing the state of the mind) to Michael Quay from M&C Saatchi, a strategic planner (who gave a small presentation on consumer insight through his experience working with various types of clients)

They are currently taking a break in February, but I heard they will be resuming their sessions in March (every 7th and 21st of every month).

Sensual and serene Serendah

2008-02-06T12:00:00.000-08:00

Sekeping Serendah is a private retreat attempting to tread lightly on the land. The very transparent and open sheds celebrate the beauty of the natural environment surrounding them. The sheds are intentionally kept basic and free from lavishness. They are seen more as ‘glorified tents’ to provide basic shelter for its inhabitants as they commune with the land. This beautiful private retreat is created and conceptualized by local landscape architect designer Seksan, and might be what you need for a peaceful weekend getaway from our bustling cities.

Get Moooving Movable Art 2008

2008-02-02T20:23:00.000-08:00

Bookmark your diaries as there will be a design/art event at Palate Pallete Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, 2nd March. The event starts from 5pm onwards and promises live performances, a poster showcase, art installations, a lucky draw and hopefully alot of KL's young designers. To see more details on the event just click the picture.

Local Delicacies

2008-01-19T18:30:00.000-08:00

A penang based branding company,brandbud does Malaysians proud. With a beautifully animated and textured website, the website is beautifully constructed in a manner with fine-tuned detail of innovation. The website is built to look like a city called budcity, with different segmented areas.

The playground is another penang based team, a marketing agency that specializes in youth orientated cultural events, such as music, sports, street teams and campus projects. The website has a sense of childlike imaginative visual landscape appeal and the visual approach probably speaks and conveys to its selected target audience: youth.

Undoboy, original from Malaysia, is an interactive and graphic designer in Portland, Oregon. He is now working for Wieden + Kennedy, Portland as an interactive art director after roughly a year as an art director at JWT, NY. Do check out his dreamland wall installation video.

Faizal reza has some rather impressive works spanning from his art direction to murals and print design to web work (such as ayeshaharben and capital corporate communications to name a few). Design and making waves must obviously run in the family's blood as his younger brother Fahmi Reza has made a local film(which Fahmi design for as well) called '10 Tahun Sebelum Merdeka'. Do check out his blog and local independent movie, which won Most Outstanding Human Rights film at Freedom Film Festival 2007.

Sagmeister is landing soon..

2007-07-27T23:04:00.000-07:00

If your reading this, your already too late.

All tickets have been sold out

Stefan Sagmeister will be landing and giving out a talk in Malaysia.
Stefan Sagmeister is an Austrian born designers and is one of the most important graphic designers in history.
His collective of works from his disturbingly innovative AIGA posters to album covers for the Rolling Stones, Stefan Sagmeister has always had a high quality calibre of work. If you don't know who is Stefan Sagmeister, you better find out now!

The date is set at August 13, 2007
Time: 2.30pm
Venue: Securities Commission, Bukit Kiara

Tommy Ng is a web designer residing in Malaysia currently. Having done websites for the likes of Seksan Design and ADverse, Tommy weaves simplistically soft websites that always enhances the user interface and content first. Most of his websites that hes conceived are built in html and are built in a very minimalist aesthetic to enhance the client's service or products. Overall a fresh of breath air from the normal bombarded flash websites.

Samuel Erics is a talented young designer who currently resides in Australia. Came across Samuel sometime back in deviantart and his work has definitely matured over the years Samuel's work effortlessly oozes a sense of eclectic youth producing some rather interesting and refreshing web layouts for myspace and websites as well as some beautiful commercial photography. Do check him out, this is one talented young designer we should keep an eye on overseas.

KL SING SONG 2007 and more updates

2007-07-14T10:53:00.000-07:00

We've been pretty busy.

Considering that we've just graduated a month ago and had the feeling of uncertainty looming over us regarding our future of whether we should start up our own studio or enlist ourselves into the companies out there already. And here we are, a month later both working(one flew back to his roots kuching, while the other remains in KL).

I've just recently completed a co missioned work 'KL SING SONG 2007' for a local music concert. I've created their promo items for the concert and did an e-flyer (image - below), that could be turned into a CD album later on. Do check out the show as it showcases talented local singer songwriters from the likes of Pete Teo to Shanon Shah to Mei Chern at KLPAC. For more details click here.

In other news, iDN will be holding a competition for their 15th Anniversary, the theme will be 15 and designers can feel free to express themselves visually by any means (graphics, photography, illustrations, animations, typography, etc). Winning entries will be showcased in the magazine later on, for more info do go to iDNproshop. Deadline is 31st August, we do hope you all participate and send in some extraordinary original design pieces, we will definitely and when we finish we'll post it up here.

In other news, we found a local advertising local agency called grass-studios with a cheeky little website. The website sprouts out little mischievous garden gnomes, but on a serious note the company is ranked the 6th best advertising agency in Malaysia in 2004, with an impressive array of clients from universal records, to salem recharge. We feel the gnome needs deserve your attention so go see here already.

And last but not least we leave you a wonderful site conceived from the courtesy of nike malaysia. A friend sent us the link for this website, and we have to say its one of the most beautiful pieces that has even come out of nike in a very long time. The website's overall conceptually aesthetic outlook is quite breathtaking, and overall I believe it really encaptures the essence of our local culture of malaysia and how malaysian people play football here locally. Very engaging and beautiful illustrations as well. Enjoy dan jangan togel!

A thousand apologies..and two events!

2007-07-07T09:53:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

We apologise for going away for so long without leaving a note, we just really needed to take a few steps back as our attention was diverted to college, graduation (finally) and work for quite sometime. We really couldnt commit ourselves fully to the blog as it took alot out of us and we needed some quiet time recollect our thoughts as well as re-energise ourselves. After a long mental rest, we've decided to dive back in and keep doing what we did earlier last year. So before you send us to the corner we'll leave you with these:

Galleriiizu's Opening at Central Market

We arrived 730 for an event called 777 by Galleriiizu @ Central Market last night. 777 is basically the launching day of Galleriiizu’s new Digital Art Gallery at Central Market Annexe.This is the first 100% dedicated Digital Art Gallery in Asia. When we got there, there were a wide array of people about oogling at the speakers (and girls of course) and others busy scuttling around the tables registering for Galleriiizu's mailing list. Needless to say, its a good thing to see many designers gather together in one area to support something. Central Market is a beautiful place to actually have a design gallery for many reasons, as the location and demographics of the area (its in the central city of kl where alot of foreigners and locals pass by using different transport systems) and alot of our local cultural heritage surrounds that place such as dataran merdeka, chinatown, masjid jamek and so forth. We even had the pleasures of musicians performing one floor the opening and after the opening speeches and a small motion graphics trailer they opened their doors to the public. People swarmed into the small galleriez busy gazing at the posters designed by local and foreign designers while we had some local DJ's spin the night away.

Notthatbalai Festival 2007

Notthatbalai is an art event that is organized by a group of individuals from diverse art disciplines and social backgrounds who are passionate about art, embodying the spirit of sharing and giving. Check out here for more info.

The festival will start from 20th July to August 7th. The arts festival will have everything from film screenings, to music performances to even exhibitions from visual artist and designers. Bookmark your diaries and make sure you go for the events. Further details of time, programme, listing and whatnot are in the link given above.

Pseudo Designers

2007-02-11T09:29:00.000-08:00

There are a lot of good designers. But the bad ones are out there and you need to be able to spot them. There isn't a lot you can do about them. They are like mines buried in the field of design. Try not to step on any.

1. The Hack

The first warning sign that you're in the presence of a Hack is that he'll somehow bring up his One Good Design from Way Back. He won't call it that. In fact, he'll show it to you and say something like, "This is the kind of work that i do." That's when you notice the work is on brittle, yellowing paper from an old magazine.

All Hacks have one of these work. They made their name on it. They've been riding its tired old back for decades and look about as silly doing it as Adam West now looks in his old Batman suit.

It can be a great work. Doesn't matter. Ask yourself, what else have they done? Talented people with a gift for design keeps doing great work, time and again, for a variety of clients.

2. Prima Donna

The Prima Donna is a designer who thinks he's God's gift to the creative industry. He had that one dead giveaway, something all PDs share - the Swagger. That walk people get when they think their DNA is better than everybody else's. There he goes now down the hallway. And in his hand, a paper bearing his latest brilliant design.

It's like this: When I look out of tall building, I think all people look like ants. He thinks that when he's on the street.

3. The Whiner

It has been said that whining is simply anger coming through a very small hole. If so, then the Whiner is a very angry little man. What he whines about most is his job. And he whines all the time. All of his clients sucks. All other designers suck. The sad part is if he could just convert half the energy he spends whining, he'd be doing better work.

Whiners can be poison to other people. It's hard enough to keep your spirits high in this business, and it doesn't help to have a Whiner near you rating other designers. ("Loser, Hack, Mule, Mule, Hack, Loser..")

It's toxic. Pestilential. There's no hope in it. After a while, you wonder why Whiners don't just leave the business altogether.

4. Wack Jobs

I'm talking about people who are total Wack Jobs. Crazy six toed cats on cracks in a whorehouse.

What makes Wack Jobs such interesting specimens is that they look crazy even in the loosey goosey atmosphere of a design house. Wack Jobs usually have very screwed up personal lives that they vaguely allude to. WJs move from giving you no information about themselves to giving too much.

One of the early warning signs of possible wackage is a profileration of props in his office - giant six foot pencil, mannequin, anything really. A Wack Job think their office props say "I'm creative! Who knows what I'll say or do next?" What they say or do next, however, is drive you insane.

5. Slash Weasel

First thing you need to understand is the word slash. In creative parlance, it means "shared credit." And credit is what the Slash Weasel craves. He'll creep around the creative department trying to get "slashed" into credit lines of other people's work.

To ride your coattails, a Weasel thinks all he has to do is make a suggestion about your design. Upon seeing your work, he'll rattle a couple of "Did you try.." statements and walk away. Later, he'll insist he "helped" with your work and will include your design in his portfolio.

Remember the saying "There is no 'I' in team?", well there's a "we" in Weasel.

What's sad about them is that Slash Weasels sometimes actually have talent. The problem is they're in the business for the wrong reason - they don't care about promoting the client as they do their own.

Blue Karipap

2007-01-10T02:03:00.000-08:00

Blue Karipap is the webtoon brainchild of Sydney Tan creator of Malaysian Superheroes comic which ran in Klue with MFX Pictures the latest dapartment from the dynamic and experienced post-production and broadcast design studio, MFX and Wasp Music an offshoot of independent music publisher, Wasp Studio.

BKP is a young Asian animated series that follows a bunch of youths, Dexy, Massive and Ah-Tat, who hang out at a small urban café called the Blue Karipap run by the eccentric Mr. Bo and monstrous Mrs. Bo.

All of them are a little lost in pursuit of their personal dreams, but come together as a kind of makeshift family in a city filled with angry roti-men, fengtau-dangdut, public phones that never work, fat cops, senile ministers and annoying parking-ticket machines that talk to you!

Inspired by today's young Asian aspirations as well as life in the city, BKP is about not giving up on our dreams, whether young or old, and picking ourselves up when life is down. After all…"Life's not Blue…It's Up to You!"

The Blue Karipap can be viewed at www.bluekaripap.com

Merry Christmas & Happy New year with 2 design events kicking it off!

2006-12-26T09:29:00.001-08:00

We, at defunk would love to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We are sure some of you will be working overtime (all those last minute clients..), but hope you will enjoy the beginning of 2007! Don't forget to make and not break your new year resolutions :)

It seems we are in for a double treat in early Jan 2007 with two design events.

Massive Territory Design Conference will be held in both Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur 13th January) and Indonesia (Jarkata, 20th January) boasting an international lineup of designers from flash guru joshua davis (who brought us praystation), Kusta Saksi, Niko Stumpo a.k.a aeiko, refreshing Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo lab, 123klan, Kinetic Singapore and Chris Lee from the Asylum. There will obviously be workshops and activities for those who choose to go for the event and the venue of this event will be held at Saloma, very near Zouk KL.
Please visit the website here to gather more information on the price of tickets and agenda by speakers on that day.

Another smaller event held at galleriiizu called 'Digital Expression' An Art Exhibition will be taking places on the 13 - 30th December, make sure you come and check this out. There will be selected participating artist ranging from designers to neographers to photographers to sculptors.

Hopefully we these events will live up to their expectations and we can start the new year with a blast!

We've also secretly heard next year there are plans of massive rennovation at Central Market, as millions have been spent on it to turn it into the new local arts hub as well as a new shopping mall opening near asian heritage row boasting of a new design hub specially for designers! We frothing at our mouths waiting for the new year already, so mark your new diaries and we'll see you next year :)

Hue Visualab Showreel 2006

2006-12-09T20:55:00.000-08:00

"A picture paints a thousand words, a moving picture paints a thousand more"

With statements like that how can you not love one of Malaysia's favorite motion graphic company? Hue Visualab. On the reels you can see snippets of their works from cool video clips like Love Me Butch Video Hollywood Holiday, Ahli Fiqr's Angguk- Angguk Geleng-Geleng to commercials for Microsoft, and Ritz Carlton.

The Designers Directory

2006-12-09T00:05:00.000-08:00

We've finally launched theDesignersDirectory! Here are the first few places that we've discovered for you readers. Please do take a look and as mentioned much earlier we will provide the following:

The purpose of starting 'the designer's directory' is to benefit and aware all designers (and the public). The designer's directory will contain the following:

*A Photograph of the outlet
*Address
*Content of the outlet (list of products?, list of services?, etc)
*Contact number & contact person
*Transportation to get there

De-funk Day Out!: Galleriiizu

2006-12-07T07:30:00.000-08:00

It's drizzling outside. Seated around a rectangular wood finished table and surrounded by arts, designs, and crafts were the owner of galleriiizue, Izuldin, Suzanne, Halim and ourselves. The mood was very relaxed, with warm coffee served with quirky anectdotes.

Accessibly located on the ground floor of Menara UOA, Jalan Pinang adjacent to Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, the gallery has been at the forefront of showcasing local as well as foreign design talents in the city as seen at the Art4Soul's Man + God exhibition and talk, SA'L'E - Sunday Art Lelong event, and EX201 Experimental Exhibition.

The space, all 4000sq ft of it, features a centre foyour where they exhibit 3d objects like sculptures, light and furnitures from contemporary designers, the artists pillars which on the day displaying work by established local artists, a mini galleri just for students, young artists and experimental works and that gift shop that where they sell sell stuff like dolls, t-shirts, and postcards made by fimiliar local names like Art4Soul, Lucideas, and Territory.

Over Coffee

Izuldin himself speaks passionately and enthusiastically from his heart about what he had seen of design, from his travel, experience and as a person directly involved in providing the space for design in Malaysia.

"We have plenty of designers but there is lack of support from the corporate sectors, and at the end of the day because of this the designs will remain as personal consumption"

Citing Italy as a country where established names would patron smaller designers. He points out to the gallery gift shop and got off the chair and took a functional looking orange plastic casing made by a local designer to show it off proudly to us.

"You need to go to the next city, like Singapore or London if you could afford it, to see the massive potential that Malaysia has in design" he adds.

(from right) Izuldin, Suanne and Halim surrounded by arts, designs and crafts

Visit Malaysia 2007

As 2007 will be Visit Malaysia Year, it is precise that we should discuss on how it will affect, hopefully in a positive way the Malaysian design scene. Izuldin highlight that tourists would want to take home with them one-of-a-kind Malaysian memorabilia and designers should take advantage of what is projected to be RM 40 billion coming into the country.

Even our regional neighbours are ready to take advantage of this by selling souveniers of our country that are made across borders.

"Same, same, slightly different" quirks Izuldin which had all of us around the table in stitches.

Get Noticed

2006-11-24T04:23:00.000-08:00

In real life your design goes through thousands of other design asking the audience to stop what they were doing and take notice. This is called the clutter. On top of that clutter audience exposed to these interuptions has formed something in their mind which would take no notice of your design. And this is known as the wall.

Yes, you might have something good to reward your audience should they take time to look at your work but before that take place you have to first get their attention. You have to get past the clutter and climb over the wall.

Find out what to say and how you say it

The first step to solve this is to make what your client is selling interesting. How do you do this? You can be funny, clever and provocative. But all this are mere accents. The language stems from your client's merchandise. If you manage to do this, then it is the first step you can do to break through the clutter and the wall.

Simplicity

Next thing to do is to be simple. Author Robert Louis Stevenson quotes "the only art is to omit". Simple is everything. Simple arguments, simple logic, simple visuals, simple words. If you can't reduce your what you're doing to a few crisp words and phrases, there's something wrong with your design. Simple is believable, easier to remember and breaks through the clutter.

Decide on a clear hiearchy of your design piece. One should dominate the other. What chance has your design has with the clutter if the visuals and words of your design are competing with themselves

Avoiding Fads

Styles and fad might make interesting design but not it is definitely not persuasive. A design that looks like a design means flip page or stash in the bin. Before you play with the type's ascenders and descenders, ask: Is the typo contributing to the brand image? Is it integral to the message? Does it solve a problem? Does it make clearer what you are trying to say?

Design is a communication discipline where every thought, idea, lines, words makes the client's message more vivid, believable and persuasive.

About Ideas

2006-11-11T19:20:00.000-08:00

We are in the business of ideas. Idea is what lifts a print or website above the ordinary. As it is no amount of production technique can hide the underlying absence of ideas.

Big ideas are always simple and they are easy to understand. It is comforting to know that creativity doesn't create something out of nothing. It uncovers, selects, reshuffles, combines, breaks apart already existing facts, skills, and ideas.

Generating ideas

Hoping for inspiration is not always a good idea. It is better to start with gathering raw materials - reading and listening. Get out of the office and talk or observe people. Write down ideas even crazy or incomplete. At times you need to sleep on it.

The right environment is also important to generate ideas. Make it clear to the people you work with and yourself about being prepared to encourage and defend ideas.

Taking risk

There's also the need of tolerance for errors. Risk. Outstanding creative work is original in concept and execution. Original means untried, therefore entrails risk. Risk is at the heart of creativity.

Don't start by evaluating the idea or expecting it to be perfect. It's unfair to yourself. Seperate the evaluation of ideas from their generation.

Rigourous creativity pays, so generate as many - conventional or otherwise - ideas to refine and account after you've finish generating ideas.

Perhaps the hardest part of the work is still to come. No matter how brilliant, ideas don't sell themselves. They have to be sold - relentlessly, continually, creatively. An idea is not an idea until it is sold.

Capital Corporate Communications, Jonathan Yuen and free fonts

2006-10-19T22:00:00.000-07:00

We apologise for not updating the past couple of weeks, as we have been extremely swamped with work and assignments. We do hope you accept our thousand and one apologies and do have a look at our two new local delicacies and 3 notable free font links! We wish all of you a Deeparaya and will update more during next week.

'Ideas with a conscience' is the philosophy of Capital Corporate Communications. Their origami approach on their website shows their unique flexibility in turning their ideas and imagination into just about anything. Believing that ideas should still communicate and have an impactful result, this design communication agency also expands from media relations to conference and event management to even editorial and design services.

Offering a breath of fresh air and leaving us completely speechless, Jonathan Yuen an extraordinary local web designer who resides and works in Singapore has a beautiful website. With strong conceptual originality present and visually fascinating aesthetics, we can clearly see this designer weave magic in his work. His portfolio has a clear diversity of works from web to print and a passion for typography. Making headlines globally with his portfolio website,this young designer has put Malaysia on the design globe. There is still hope after all for the local web design industry.

We at defunk constantly have a disturbing craving for good typography, we especially love it more when its free and we know you do too! So here are a just a few links we discovered of free fonts which we feel deserve your special attention and some creditability:

cape-arcona.com, www.eutypoce.com, www.philsfonts.com/freefont.html

Local leading design brand consultants.

2006-09-26T12:30:00.000-07:00

Chimera is the largest leading independant brand design consultants in Malaysia, with a multi disciplinary approach to branding. This evidently shown through their portfolio with an impressive clientele list. Their works are thought provoking and layered with simplisitc but meaningful design touches that reveals a soul in their work that I've not seen in many other companies.

Kawakong is a simple but delightful studio-based graphic and identity design consultant. Located in Sunwaymas commercial centre this dynamic duo have an interesting diversity of work that reveals strong concepts with depth and value.

What Goes Into a Creative Brief?

2006-09-23T23:02:00.000-07:00

At its worst, a creative brief baffles the designer with vague statement and catch phrases; at its best, it guides with a tightly defined strategy and relates with a large goal; and the designer should say "I get it". Creative brief is the soul of the design process and is crucial to its success. They differ in form and terminology, but most cover these 7 major points:

1. What is the Objective? Usually at the top of the creative brief. What action do we want the consumers to take? The most frequent answer is "We want the consumer to buy a product." The objective should be simple and easily communicated.

2. Who are the Target Audience? If you try to talk with everyone, you're not talking directly to anyone. The broader your target, the blander, your message. You need a potrait of the target audience's attitude and usage patterns- beyond mere demographics.

3. What is the Key Consumer Benefit or Core Idea? The one single idea we want the target audience to take out of the design. The essence of this is sacrifice. You have to give up some points to make the important ones stand out. All the great success stories are simple, not complicated. They say one thing - brilliantly.

4. What is the Positioning? There's a need to set your design and message apart from competitors. Positioning is different from consumer benefit as it deals mainly with setting yourself apart from competitors who are claiming the same key consumer benefit.

5. What is the Tone of Voice or Manner? What is the personality of the brand. Watch out for dissonance between design and the company overall message.

6. What is the Media? Understanding the media is always important in a design process. The medium itself invites a designer to think out of the box such as shapes, texture, time to get the message to leap out of the poster, website or tv to the consumer.

7. When is the Deadline? It is a part of the creative brief that leaves no room for personal interpretation. Use it to plan the process you will take to execute the work and make sure you deliver it on time.

Research Improves the Odds

2006-09-14T22:08:00.000-07:00

If you're the type that can put your work out there without research and instantly people will jaw drop at your uncanny ability to send the message across, set trends and along the way you'd even win a few international awards along the way. Need not read further. Otherwise, good research improves your odds immensely. Here are 7 good practice when doing research:

1. Set the objective. What do you want to find out from your research? It is not about compiling a bunch of nothings or even showing off your knowledge on things that are not result specific. Reseach like design is problem solving.

2. Test the right sample. Test the design on the intended target audience. How they react to your design simulates how it will turn out in the market. The bigger the number the higher the probability.

3. Location, location, location. Test your design in the media where it runs whether its tv, in store or even in-flight on an airplane.

4. Use te appropriate technique. Different technique yield different results. Focus group and one on one in depth interviews are great for qualitative validation. Go beyond numbers.

5. Remember that people buy your client's product or message, not your design. When doing research focus on the message more than your design. Test "Is the message getting across?" and not "Is the design nice?".

6. Test alternatives. It's better to find your sure winner losses to another approach in testing than in the market. Make sure there's alternatives.

7. Track the results of your design. Research shouldn't stop when the creative process begins ends. Tracking lets you measure and find out whether what you're doing is working or otherwise.

More local delicacies!

2006-08-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

Flatfish Communications is local design boutique that clearly strongly believe in building relationships with clients and making waves. Other than dabbling with design, they are also affiliated with the Asian Youth Ambassadors (AYA), a non profit organization responsible for raising a generation of socially responsible youth and young adults. Flatfish Communications is also the team behind THINK!. Clearly passion is shown here, a minimal site with some interesting content!

Rena Phuah is a young designer, who has an interesting diversity of work that fuses collages and illustrations together. Having showcased her work locally and overseas, this young enchanting designer is making waves wherever she goes. Do have a look at her pictures and her works at her flickr profile.

The Kancil Awards

2006-08-29T09:30:00.000-07:00

The Kancil Awards is acknowledged as Malaysia’s largest, most prestigious advertising awards competition. Its importance is attested to by the active participation of the industry’s creative leadership represented by creative heads who are award winners in their own right, here in Malaysia and at international creative shootouts.

This year’s Kancil Awards is set to be the biggest ever. With a ‘best yet’ jury being assembled, new awards format, big new category and a classic awards ceremony in planning, Kancil 2006 is going to be historic.

There are 3 parts to the Kancil Awards this year. The Kancil Awards, Kancil Air Awards and Kancil Student Awards.

The first includes the regular categories, with one exciting new addition called the Rebel Idea.

Please bookmark the website for constant updates for those who are interested.

DesignDesigners and Dustbean

2006-08-21T19:00:00.000-07:00

DesignDesigners consist of two local designers experimenting and expressing themselves through a visual form of graphic, photography, typography, collage and so forth. A simple and interesting little project, one should have a look into.

DustBean is a talented and imaginative interactive studio, founded in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia in 2002 by Chienni Chang, Maylyn Ong and Teckyew Ng. Specializing in interactive and print design, the good people at dustbean are also known to dabble in fashion, games, toys, entertainment, etc.

*We will be updating soon with 2 articles and our first line-up of printshops, galleries and art shops for the designers directory.

+theclickproject & lucideas

2006-08-02T17:05:00.000-07:00

+clickproject is a young local based multi-disciplinary creative collective, known to have dabbled in different forms from design from print to interior to even video/tv and photography. +clickproject is known to be involved in 3 different areas: graphicdesignbureau, lomographic embassy malaysia and +wondermilk shop/gallery. +clickproject demonstrates something many young creative collectives lack: diversity, quality, consistency and staying power.

Lucideas small humble local advertising agency that has been making headlines by winning awards and showing their presence in re-defining the role of advertising in Malaysia. An interesting website that shows their passionate addiction for advertising.

Giving birth to the 'Designer's Directory'

2006-07-20T22:00:00.000-07:00

We at de-funk are devoted to always bring new ideas that can improve and give something back to the design community in Malaysia, therefore within the next three months we will be compiling and creating a sub-blog : A directory of printshops, art shops, design galleries and design bookstores in the city of Kuala Lumpur.

The purpose of starting a 'designer's directory' is to benefit and aware all designers (and the public). The designer's directory will contain the following:

*Photograph of the outlet
*Address
*Content of the outlet (list of products?, list of services?, etc)
*Contact number & contact person
*Transportation to get there

If anyone wishes to contribute or participate in helping us make this happen please do contact us and we would be very happy.

P.S* we are very happy that some people have found the contract sample useful :)

Local Flavours

2006-07-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

Local company (if) interactive have an engaging and interesting website. Their personal philosophy is the belief of fusing technology and creativity together, known to experiment with interactive media and new media, do check out their experimental works that focuses to redefine the meaning of new media and give viewers an engaging experience.

Hazim Abdul Hamid is the brainchild of his creation Blink, specialising in illustration and interactive design with a colourful palette of colours and unique characters & designs. Showing flexiblity with a large diverse direction of portfolio of quality, Hazim and if(interactive) prove that Malaysia does indeed have designers who have talent and in large supply.

how&why bookstore provides a large diversity of products to everyone here in Malaysia, from the latest books and magazines to local merchandises created by local designers to even presenting the very latest of events happening in Malaysia. If you do fancy a read or good books, do drop by as they have a large selection of local and international material and continue to provide an outlet for designers and the public to get tasty treats!

Clients and the 6 keys

2006-07-10T13:00:00.000-07:00

Clients are always in need of something different each, from being obsessed with the value of money to constantly needing reassurance whilst even being suspicious of designers and the constant preaching of ‘the value of design’.

Clients can vary from ‘difficult’ to ‘easy’ clients, but similar rules always apply. We must realize an important fact: clients are not our enemy, even if they disagree with you strongly. At a lot of times clients do not understand what ‘design’ or ‘designers’ can do. They do not understand our creative process and work pattern, therefore communication is key to break these barriers. Always remember clients have clients of their own and need reassurance that they made the right choice of selecting you.

Here are 6 key elements when dealing with any Client:

Request for a design brief early in a project
When a client has selected you for a particular project always remember to ask for a very clear and specific brief that is understood and agreed by both parties. This is to avoid future miscommunication in the project. This is also to help you to understand what are the requirements and specifications that are highlighted on the project, which you can always refer back to.

Contract
A contract is an important element before actually starting on a project. Price, quotation agreement, terms and conditions must be rectified and agreed upon early. This is a practice considered to show professionalism and also helps protect designers from companies and vice versa and most importantly show TRUST. If a client in the beginning of the project is already unable to make the deposit of 25% or does not wish to use a contract for the project than you can clearly predict problems ahead.

Commitment
Always be committed, responsible and plan the time management of the project early so that you are able to always finish on time. Clients do not like procrastinators and like to constantly be updated about your development in the project. If you are unable to commit delivering a ‘quality’ piece of work on time due to too many projects on board then do not be selfish and take the project. Clients have clients of their own.

Communication
Always make it clear early when meeting clients for the first time inform them about your work patterns, terms and conditions in how you execute the projects. Different clients operate in different manners and might not always agree with your working methods and you should be targeting on a specific ‘niche’ market of your own. All designers should know communication is the most important key in dealing with clients as well with their work.

Professionalism
Other than managing your time and delivering on time, sometimes when put in any difficult or problematic situation when dealing a client, whether a client wishes to pay late or not agreeing to you sign your contract. Never be un-professional with dealings with clients. Even if the relationship of the client-designer has turned sour due to very strong disagreements do not act on emotion and worsen the situation by doing anything rash or saying anything you will regret. Word of mouth travels faster and better than anything and you could be known to be a ‘troublemaker’ to many companies. Also it is always best to remain calm and polite to clients to show that you are a professional.

Be honest with thy Clients
Be honest at all times when dealing with clients and companies. Clients too have feelings and a mind and they can generally understand, and could respect your integrity for it because they know you are 100% behind them in the project and it is always good to believe in the project and the Client.

3nity

2006-07-03T13:16:00.001-07:00

3nity communications is a local design company that specializes in the design and management of corporate identities. They pride themselves in design solutions which consider local sensitivities while drawing from Asian culture for inspi-ration, made distinctive with their trade-mark finesse and attention to detail.

trinity\tr“-ni-tee\ 1: a group of three closely related persons or things 2:
three talented designers collectively pursuing a common vision and goals
3: information, environment, identity
for visual communications and
interactive media.

They are also responsible for bringing us ART4SOUL and MAN + GOD (that recently exhibitited at galleriiizu) and has been on the road for 3 years.

Contract Sample

2006-07-03T12:56:00.000-07:00

We are unable to tell you how much you charge but we are able to provide you a simplistic sample of how a written contract should be for designers.
Everything from labour fees/quotation costs to deposits from clients and even terms and conditions to protect yourself.

Please arm yourselves with contracts and if anyone is interested in the contract sample and would like to print it out (M.Word) file you can email us at defunk.info@gmail.com for a copy of it. We hope designers put it to good use.

Cheers,

Local Label and Free textures

2006-06-19T10:06:00.000-07:00

Criola-Concepts is a new local label bringing chic, funky and refreshing fashion to Malaysia. Make sure you give them some love!

Eccentric texture freaks will be happy to know we found Mayang's Free Texture Library they provides over 3000+ of different textures from glass to bricks to even living spaces.

Football is in the Air

2006-06-18T23:28:00.000-07:00

Its june. Four years on. 32 teams gather this time in germany to celebrate the most celebrated sport in the world: ~~watching~~ football. Anyway, us footballcentric designers at de-funk won't be found designining or sleeping at night till July 9th because we won't wanna miss a minute of it.

As much as we'd like to believe that we can muster football tactics as much as we do design we will stick to what we are more fimiliar with. As this is the David Beckham of sporting events watched by gazillion of fans around the world, it is only right that design would play a part in it.

FIFA world cup germany 2006 comes with a slogan 'lets make friends. And as slogans are pretty much logo when visuals are not available the world cup logo pretty much has sticked to the same theme. Smiles from ear to ear. Very welcoming.

Adidas does ever so well with their overall ad campaign. their "Jose+10" that plays along "impossible is nothing" is in another league. Can't help but heaps praises to the people behind it for actually realising the bold claim. kids team picking Zidane, Beckham, Kaka.. Beckenbauer? We bow at them.

Mastercard, clever "football fever: priceless" and Samsung's "it's not so hard to imagine" ad with the cheeky guy selling his world cup tickets to his boss for samsung's 'stunning' plasma ads are just some of the cool campaigns that is tied to the event. We like cool.

Background research told us that the likes of Coca Cola, Yahoo!, Adidas and Nike spent USD$300 million in marketing and advertising during the four weeks of the tournament.

The teams kits has a very retro look about them this year. We think that the Netherland's nike orange, high collar with no trimming together with relevant typography for players name and number is the coolest looking of the bunch. Another outstanding kit is Spain's Adidas red with yellow pinstripes which remind us of of 1980s kits. For the teams to get inspiration from their past perhaps?

hasbullah awang: sekian saja ulasan piala dunia fifa 2006. majulah sukan untuk negara.

A.A

Madonna + Coroflot

2006-06-18T23:21:00.000-07:00

Have a look at Madonna's new video , that has been making headlines whether good or bad, but overall we have to say fantastic graphics!

Coroflot , a place for all type of designers to showcase their portfolio to an international companies and audience as well and vice versa.

MAN + GOD exhibition

2006-06-15T20:26:00.001-07:00

MAN+GOD
DESIGNERS' ART EXHIBITION
7th - 30th June 2006, 11am - 7pm

Man + God is a ‘Designers’ Poster Art’ series of non-religious design collaborations with artists/ designers from Africa, Austria, Brazil, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, The Netherlands, Turkey, United Kingdom and United States.

This exhibition is dedicated to explores the relationship between man and god from a different perspective- through the eyes and ideas of designers around the world. Successfully launched at the National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, back in April 2003, Man + God has so far traveled to Penang, Singapore, New York, Stuttgart Germany and now back to Kuala Lumpur. This up-dated sequel will be exhibited till 30th June, 2006; a series of talks conducted by international and local guest speakers, installations and other art paraphernalia promotions. These activities aspire to reach a wide audience in Malaysia, particularly the students and designers of the new generation. Participating in this art event will gives our young talents an opportunity and privileged to see the works from top notch worldwide designers as well as to learn from them.

Tickets & Registration
RM15 (students), RM25 (professionals) per session
Registration deadline: 7 June 2006

At-the-door registration: RM40 per session (applicable only if there are still seats available)

Register now. Call how&why on 7877 4800

Please visit www.galleriizu.com for more information

*We are back and will be making updates very soon!

'Away'

2006-06-01T07:20:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers,

We are currently 'Away' and are very busy for the last few weeks as we are both having our final projects and are swamped with work.

Do come back soon!

Logos + updates*

2006-05-17T21:01:00.000-07:00

More logo updates again.

We hope to get the logo finalise by the end of this week.

Please do comment on our logos and give us constructive feedback as de-funk is built for the design fraternity. We also will have a banner added soon as well.

thinking designers

2006-05-16T22:22:00.000-07:00

"you can teach designers photoshop but you cant teach designers to think"

i find thinking as a less elitist trait. you can train people to think. teach them how to do mind maps. teach them about analogies. ask them to do research on the subject that theyre designing. thinking designers are not born. they are bred.

designing does not pull a rabbit out of a hat. thats magic. what it does do is use bits and pieces of information we already have in our mind to answer a question. it is a requirement listen to the thoughts of others. whether it is your family, friend or strangers. books, galleries, songs, movies, the net or just things around you.

whether it is to sell a product as in advertising, layouts in magazines or as signs at public places, designs usually has a purpose. a designer need to be more prepared than being able to do something aesthetically beautiful with photoshop. they have to understand the target audience, the competition and what theyre selling. the clients and audience are intelligent.

i hope to see designers to be more willing to share. having talks, exhibitions or just be approachable while having nasi lemak and teh tarik. its just nice to do so.

my aunt once gave me this advise: its not what you know. its how you use it.

p/s

color or black/white

did the logo above as suggestion for this blog's logo.

a.a

30,000 marching soldiers

2006-05-09T12:00:00.001-07:00

Six months ago, there was an article in The Star that got my interest on the front page with the headlines of the rise of unemployed graduates in Malaysia (from 80,000 to 120,000). Statistics stated a quarter of these unemployed graduates (30,000) are design and IT graduates. This is a shocking large number of graduates who are unemployed and it caused me to probe and question why this was happening?

Is the local market too saturated with designers?
Are there not enough jobs to offer to young design graduates?
Are our local educational institutions systems ineffective?
Are our design graduates mentally and professionally prepared to work when they graduate?

Jobs are posted daily in newspapers and online forums and the need for design has never been so distinct. Even though Malaysia's design industry is still in its infant stage there is allot of room for growth and development. I would strongly believe the problem lies not in the lack of jobs but with the lack of quality of design graduates. We'll come back later to how came to this conclusion, but since I study at a local design university, I realized there was a very distinct and similar pattern to design student’s behavior and characteristics in institutions in Malaysia and also ones that have graduated.

The term ‘professionalism’ is not in the scope of a lot of graduate’s vocabulary. This can be seen in presentation in classes/client/companies, as well as dressing in proper attire to interviews and to workplaces.
Taking responsibility and dealing with time management with projects. Students seem to continually break easily under pressure and ask for extensions, and the results of the quality of work, which is quite disappointing.
Lack of design knowledge and context in general.
Exposure and self-initiative to learn more about the market or about working before one graduates. In simple terms – generating contacts and knowledge in professional design practices.
Self educate + self learn (being independent, showing real initiative and street-wise). A lot of students believe when they are thrown into universities they should be spoon-fed all the way until they graduate. This is a very strong misconception that students have.
Asking questions and generally finding out more about a certain design issue, this also shows lack of persistency and a student lacks passion in learning social, cultural and business issues surrounding the 'D' word.
Taking critique when presenting ones work or showing it. (This is a sensitive issue in Malaysia, many designers are unable to take criticism or critiques well, and they see it as a personal attack instead of something, which can come out to be positive and constructive). As a result there isn't much discussion and real critique.
Students have a very conformist and defeatist attitude. If there are problems in clubs and certain things in colleges, students overall feel that it is not their responsibility to make things better and choose not to be involve.

I attended a ceremony recently back 6 months ago of my seniors and a few other design colleges where they were holding exhibitions of their works and but to be frank about 90% of them are unable to design. Any people who claim to know how to use a few Photoshop filters can claim themselves straight away a designer. Their work was not 'professional' enough and the quality of the designs generally was quite poor. The term designer here isn't taken professionally and seriously. Overseas a person who is a doctor or a lawyer has to uphold that sense of professionalism as well as the maturity and the mentality for that particular occupation, whilst for designers everywhere not just in Malaysia we have this constant dilemma.

With so many unemployed graduates our local educational institutions should be worried and very concerned. As a design student and a-designer-to-be I personally feel that in Malaysia we lack workshops and conventions for students to go. Students and graduates here lack real exposure, but at the same time I feel students lack real competitive edge in colleges. No wonder then we can see from the clear disinterest in design colleges, we have a lack of interest in discussion surrounding the 'D' word and the lack of quality design graduates.

Nevertheless, there is still much hope and opportunities for our young designers, with recent conventions like the Midi Convention and alot more events happening around KL e.g. Gallerizu, there is more awareness and interest generated. People are slowly realizing the importance of design and designers here in Malaysia. All we have to do is step up and step forward, I don’t think that’s too much to ask, but I guess we’ll see.

design love

2006-04-26T21:42:00.000-07:00

i romanticise about designing (and writing). after all we're doing something that we love and we earn our nasi lemak and teh tarik with it. why else would we forgive working 2o hours everyday (even weekends!) and having deadlines that's as good as yesterday other than love?

when i did my internship one of the first question my art director asked me was. 'do you have a girlfriend wa?' when i said 'no' he replied by saying 'if i dont get one before work chances are i wont have time for one'. i think he speaks of his own personal experience.

looking at him i think the reasons he wakes up every morning is so he could design and drives his beemer which we later found out has 15 unpaid tickets.

as i continue to wonder, looking at this giant of a man approaching 30, i asked him as i imagine its much less hectic outside the advertising industry, 'why dont you find something else to do?'. his answer was 'i cant wa, even if i tried, i'll be looking for it'.

anything is beautiful when infused with love.

my math teacher who looks like pete sampras once said 'wa, the more you know. the more you know you dont know'. i think he loved math from the way he taught us. making rounds at tables one by one making sure we really understand.

love inspires commitment, empathy and passion.

read fictions and cry, look at the green hue of trees, smell the coffee, talk with strangers. forgive me if im not making much sense. im in love.

a.a

What defines a designer and the distraught victims of malaysia?

2006-04-26T10:00:00.000-07:00

In this new and modern age I'm completely as clueless as every other individual out there, but more so on this particular question, as I’ve heard more definitions upon it then I’ve tasted different chocolate ins a box. But over the last few months I've slowly glued pieces of information from everywhere together and sort of got something substantial or interesting…well at least to me anyway.

A designer is not defined by his academics in school or by his degree/diploma that he has possesses but of what they are able to do and by proving it with their portfolio among other things. Being able to design is one segment of it, but to be a ‘real’ designer one needs to be a skilled communicator (juggling acts of dealing with clients and being able to communicate well with them and through their own work), culturally aware (will discuss this later), able to be continually persistent, strongly passionate and able to produce top-notch work every single time with the knowledge in hand of business ethics, morals and values. I also do believe we don’t just ‘design’; we have a social responsibility of what we do in our profession of sculpting the country.

As a freelancer in the design business, I’ve always been intrigued by other designers and their ‘methodology’ in practice. I’ve talked to many helpful but somewhat jaded designers and friends upon this particular issue. Many a times they seem to be interested in giving a lot of comments about ‘awful’ clients who dictate and feel the need to control the whole creative process, low pay or late pay or no pay.. haha, and that is how the ‘real’ world works.

Actually about a year ago I got a good scolding from a profound web designer that my particular views were naïve and ignorant and he continued to lecture me on how the ‘real’ world in the design market works, after all I’m just a mere college student that freelances from time to time.. A person does have to eat, pay rent, buy underwear, mortgage and bills and all kinds of other responsibilities, but the thing that I’ve found is a lot of designers in Malaysia specifically choose to play ‘distraught victims’ that have been conned and abused. I have this strong belief that one is only exploited in design business because they choose to be. No one forces you to take a particular client or not protect yourself with a contract, or to even educate clients upon what is good and bad design. I’ve heard such negativity that its made me feel quite disgusted with a lot of these designers who have made themselves so immobile and lifeless because of constant bad experiences with clients. Educate the clients I say, educate yourself. The market and clients are not going to *poof* and change for us designers, one has a role and responsibility in everything. I believe designers have to stop playing the distraught victims they choose to play in society, and breath new life into themselves and their love for their profession. I’m an idealist and realist and all I can say is that I see great potential in Malaysia and even in what designers are able to do here in Malaysia, but not with this mentality and pessimistic attitude to everything.