A Very Heineken Christmas: Spotify 3D Audio Spot

In December 2017, Spotify managed to convince Heineken to test out its 3D Audio service. Fuse, an audio company based in KL (with a branch in Singapore), approached me to try writing a 30s Christmas radio script for the beer brand via its Spotify client. With a short duration, it was challenging to create one that could do justice to the immersive benefits of 3D audio technology. So this was what I did: I assumed the role of a party-goer walking through an apartment passageway towards the door to an on-going house-party. It certainly helped, although I admit that the alternative script would've been better.

You can listen to the short spot here.

Source: VinePair

Immersion Heineken Christmas Ad Ver. #2 | “All I Want for Christmas” Campaign

Setting:  Man comes out of lift of apartment, walks past a few apartment units, and arrives at the unit where the house party’s at so what you hear is a progression of sounds one would hear in such a situation

. (Sfx: “Ding” sound of the elevator goes off as doors crank open. We instantly hear echo-ey footsteps walking out)

MVO: Is Christmas just round…

(Sfx: As ‘person’ walks past a few homes/apartment units, we hear faint car meowing in the corridor and the bell on his collar jingling as he scampers off; dinner party sounds of cutlery clinking and dinner chatter; someone playing a few bars of a Christmas song…)

MVO:… the corner? Well, Heineken’s got…

(Sfx: We hear growing sounds of electronic music melting into the Christmas song from the piano which slowly fades away as we approach the door where the party is being held; we hear the doorbell being rung followed by the door opening; a blast of a full-on party hits our senses - (1) thumping EDM music (2) people chattering loudly (3) clinking of bottles followed by a thunderous “Wooooo-hooo!” or “Here’s to 2018!” (4) outburst of laughter accompanied by clapping (5) few balloons accidentally popping

MVO: … the welcome party sorted. 

MVO: For the best kind of gift this festive season, visit heineken.com. Open your world.

Doodles for Charity

Sometime last year, I decided to go back to doodling. It's not something I have much time for as I write as a profession and when I'm not doing that, I'm busy raising two monkeys.

It began as a form of expression and relaxation. A therapeutic balm to long days of being on my feet and multi-tasking. But over time, I was invited to an online doodling network where I found opportunities through an artistic, self-styled philanthropist, to donate my doodles as healing art for terminally ill children around the world.

Here are some of the doodles, ranging from personal expressions to the ones for the kids.

For Joshua who suffered a relapse in Lymphoma

For Spencer with Congenital Muscular Dystrophy

For the orphans at Rumah Harapan (House of Hope)

For Keisha in the USA who has Muscular Dystrophy

For Victor, with Leukemia and Bone Cancer

For little 5 year old Jack-Jack with the Genetic Syndromes -
Kat6A and FG syndromes - plus Dyskeratosis Congenita

For little Neo who has Leukemia

For the kids at the Ewin Sarcoma Ward in Dallas

 Here are some personal doodles under my collection of 'Animals with Something to Say'.

The consumerist snake

The naive zebra

The perceptive camel

The sentimental snail

The self-assured praying mantis

The sagely cat

The blue-collar vulture

"Some days are a little...off, but we gotta keep playing."

"We're all a little strange, but true friends stick together."

"When we look deep into the eyes of our enemies,
we may find...ourselves."

"When we stop hiding and, instead, face our
challenges, we may find that we're not alone."

"Honesty is nutrition for the soul."

Global Insurance Gets Web Update: Chubb

Chubb is one of those international brands with a fixed tone and manner and a guide to copy length for writers. I went into this project knowing I had to write about serious (and seriously dry) stuff. And it was going to be a lot of it because this brand has endless personal and business products. But I took it on as a challenge because I have always mostly done consumer perishables, if not automobiles.

The project was a good learning experience coming off on some consumer banking work with UOB, Standard Chartered, and Citibank with the previous agencies I have been at. I definitely know a lot more about the difference between energy and environmental protection insurances now, and why they're necessary for businesses. Lawsuits are not funny. :)

Lone Pine Hotel Penang: Refreshed Website for a Newly Renovated Boutique Hotel

I was asked to help inject freshness into this charming little boutique hotel's website after they completed renovations back in 2012. And that's what I did.  In addition to fresh paint and the refurbishment of their rooms which had become a little tired from wear and tear, they'd also added a Japanese restaurant to their F&B options. The clients ended up tweaking some of my copy but I don't mind. At the end of the day, it's a collaboration. I'm glad they're still doing good business and looking amazing while doing so, too. The link to their website can be found here.

The delightful Lone Pine Hotel, Penang

SingPost: Revitalised for Growth (In-house Brochure)

The brief was to create a 10-page internal flip-book that would be used in a company-wide revamping exercise. SingPost was embarking on a host of changes to increase productivity and cut down wastage. The book would be used to take employees through its objectives, strategies and goals.

For this small project, I worked with one of company's staff who happened to enjoy graphic design. The theme of 'football' was chosen as the world's 'most beautiful game' aptly encapsulated the spirit of teamwork, perseverance and the embracing of change with a positive attitude. We  procured royalty-free images and also utilised photos from the SingPost's archives to create a visually dynamic yet affordable flip-book that would resonate with staff, company-wide.

The cover

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

Page 4

Page 5

Page 6

Page 7

Instant Noodles With a Taste for Adventure: KOKA Website

In 2014, Sparkle Design called me up to see if I would help create website copy for a new and revamped KOKA. The instant noodle brand, born and bred in Singapore, was about to update their packaging and introduce new variants, including a purple wheat noodle (as a healthier alternative) and several travel-inspired flavours like Chili and Lime (Thailand comes to mind) as well as Aglio Olio (Viva Italia!). This was a move clearly inspired by research findings that have revealed a sizeable segment of 18-30-year-old instant-noodle-loving youths.

I wasn't involved in the design process and I must say I wish that they'd done a better job with it. It's a very simple grid-based design and the only 'movement' or break in rigidity to its appearance is the slanted panel on which the menu sits. Everything else seems dated.

There's an attempt to looking 'youthful' and 'modern', of course, via the 'Did You Know?' segment under 'Inspiration', which features a Warholian technicolour touch. But because it seems like such an after-thought, it makes the brand seem a tad schizophrenic. Perhaps, the client is new to the idea of branding and design language. Perhaps, the agency struggled to convince them of its value. Hopefully, over time, they'll have another opportunity at giving this kooky noodle brand the visual personality it deserves.

New Cyber Home: Fuse

Here is copy done for Fuse's revamped website.

Again, the idea is to inject youth and playfulness into the words while continuing the brand's stance of being a family.

This time also, I've kept the copy minimal according to brief. Just enough to get a feel of the personality.

After all, the reel speaks louder than any words.

Art/illustration done by the ever-talented Walter Teoh, of course.