Creating a Highly Recognisable Feature

As part of TILT’s retainer for creative works for NTUC Club, U Sports, our works revolve mainly around their U Games collaterals. From designing the master creative to their below-the-line collaterals, we constantly seek to value-add to our client. In the very first month of our work with them, we had proposed to them that since the U Games has been around for a period of time, there is a need to create a highly recognisable feature which can be here to stay.

With that, we proposed to them to create a series of sports pictograms, each to depict the individual competition that falls under the umbrella of U Games. Each sport pictograms have a distinctive, contemporary graphic style that is intended to make them a highly recognisable feature from this year on.

The series of pictograms.

The pictograms were definitely well-received and have since been turned into iconic give-aways (eg. A4 clear folders) such that awareness is raised.

Below is the design of the folder.

Dig in and Research

TILT has been involved in the pharmaceutical industry for a while now. We recall the days where we had went to Mount Elizabeth to conduct photoshoots. The days where we came up with the collaterals for Parkway College seemed just like yesterday as well. Healthway Medical and her subsideries followed suit subsequently. This paved the way for us to design a series of branding advertisements for Rottapharm | Madaus this year.

Below is a testimonial from our client as well as the artwork which has been created.

“Great job! I really like it that TILT digs into research & open up points as part of your design process.”

Tracy Ho
Marketing Executive
ROTTAPHARM | MADAUS

We Did It!

We did it!

As much as this is the tagline used for NTUC Club U Sports Awards Night 2010 collaterals, this tagline also goes to show how much we take pride in our work. In the space of 12 days, we managed to complete the following:

1) Proposing of master creative

2) Sourcing for Talents

3) Conducting of 3 full days of photoshoot

4) Designing of the following
a) Logo
b) Master Creative
c) Series of 5 Giant Pole Banners
d) Entrance Arc
e) Series of 4 Curved Wall Banners
f) Series of 12 Pillar-Wrap Banners
g) Backdrop
h) Invitation Card

It is without a doubt that as we have our in-house copywriter, designers, photographer and account servicing personnel, are we then able to complete the work. Of course, having an understanding and good client like NTUC U Sports is a must as well. They had worked with us through the weekends, rushing the designs for approval and coming back to us with precise changes. This resulted in a win-win situation for both parties.

The idea behind the collaterals was to create a formally casual impression. This sets the tone to a closure for U Games 2009 as well as the new beginning which U Games 2010 will experience. A celebratory pose against the beautiful landscape of Singapore to let everyone know that with the correct attributes, they will be able to achieve. Everyone’s achievements are measured differently.

You are successful, not necessarily due to the fact that you came in first, but it could be that you dared to try in the first place. You have excelled, not necessarily due to the fact that you are a star player, but it could be that you had put the team as top priority in the first place. They have all done it because they had all believed, in the first place, that they can do it.

“Wow! Pretty damn impressive! The folks at NTUC Club are all very impressed with the design concept of the U Sports Awards Night Collaterals!”
Terence Koh
Executive
NTUC Club, U Sports Department

Below are the series of collaterals which were created.
Master Creative

Series of 5 Giant Pole Banners

Series of 4 Curved Wall Banners

Series of 12 Pillar-wrap Banners

Safety Starts With Me!

TILT was awarded a project in March with our long term client, Workplace Safety and Health Council (WSH Council), to design a book which contains the stories which secondary school students wrote on how safety starts from within.

After months of working on the the project, the illustrative book was finally printed and the comments from the client certainly warmed our hearts.

“The Safety Starts With Me book is beautifully printed. Good work! Well done for all the hardwork and effort put into this book. Once again, Well Done!”

Mark Eugene Han
Communications Executive,
Industry Sensing & Engagement, Publications
Workplace Safety & Health Council

Below is one of the spreads from the book.

A big THANK YOU

TILT was tasked to come up with 2 creative buy advertisements, leading up to a half page advertisement in SPH’s Lifestyle Fashion Season Supplement. With a crazy timeline, Singapore Workforce Development Agency came to TILT as they had full confidence in our ability to deliver.

After receiving the brief on 15 April, the design and concept for the the 2 strategic creative buys were made by 16 April afternoon. With the full corporation of the client, we managed to complete the final artwork by the evening. What was up next was even more challenging. Over the weekend, photoshoot was arranged with 3 personnel on 19 April. During the photoshoot (which we were given only 1 hour to do make-up and to conduct the photoshoot), we had to complete the interview with them as well. Once the photoshoot was done, the designers in office were on standby mode to work on the editting of the photographs and preparation of artwork. Working hand-in-hand with our copywriter, the design draft was ready by 3pm.

All sign-offs were coordinated, logos were obtained and changes were made by 20 April. With the ad submitted on time (after WDA had requested for a slight extension), we received this note of encouragement from our client today.

Would like to say a big THANK YOU to you and your team for staying with us on the recent retail advertorial.
The advertorial won’t have been possible without you guys. It was a mad mad rush and we went through it all to see it come to fruition. The advertorial was on print on yesterday’s ST Life pg C13.
Thanks for everything sincerely!

Cindy Lee (Ms)
Senior Manager
Singapore Workforce Development Agency
Corporate & Marketing Communications Division

This certainly is a good way to let us enjoy our weekend!

To view the photographs taken for the advertisement, click here.

Where U Truly Matter

It seems just like yesterday when we started working with Education Services Union (ESU) on their re-branding exercise. In the early days of 2008, we were recommended by one of ESU’s contacts and ESU decided then to hear us out and listen to what we have to say about their rebranding exercise.

The tagline which we subsequently proposed “Where U Truly Matter”, successfully encapsulated what all union members can experience when they join ESU. What followed then was a series of re-branding work which includes the following

Design of Corporate Stationary

Design of Corporate Brochure & Folder

Production of Corporate Identity Guide

Building of Stock Photography Library

Design of Launch Video (in Flash)

This relationship continues till this day and with the recent conclusion of the production of their corporate video, we look back and we are truly happy that both parties have truly benefitted from this relationship.

55 and beyond!

TILT was awarded a stock photography project by Central Provident Fund Board (CPF) in September 2009 as they wanted to revamp their website and to update their stock photograph library. One of the themes which was to be captured was to show active aging.

As part of our value-add service to CPF, we actually approached our past client, Bottle Tree Park, to check if they can allow CPF to conduct the shoot in their vicinity at no cost. Not only did Bottle Tree Park Management agree, they also assisted to liaise with their other vendors in this venue of choice such that we can showcase the talents playing paintball, playing remote control car and much more!

On the day of the shoot, boy were we surprised! The talents (all actually above age 55 years old) were full of energy! These talents are actual real employees in CPF and they throughly enjoyed the sessions of paintball, playing remote control car, doing wet market shopping and walking through the park with passion and joy! One particular pair of talents (they are actually brothers and sisters) enjoyed the walk through the park so much that they were smiling from cheek to cheek all the time. Who said people beyond 55 years old do not know how to have fun?

Naturally, the shoot went well and we were pleasantly surprised when after the project ended, we received a note of thanks from the client, CPF Board. Thank you, CPF Board!

The team from TILT is very creative and efficient. The photos were very well taken. Great job! Thanks for making our photography project a success.
- Annabelle Goh, Senior Executive, Member Education, CPF Board

To view some of the photographs taken, you may visit our Facebook page.

We are Five! Our history and more…

In a twinkle of the eye, 5 years flew past us. From the early days in 2004 where we initially worked from home in a bid to keep overheads low, we have certainly come a long way. During this 5 years, a lot of things have certainly changed.

From a home office to a shop house office at cozy Keong Saik road is a story by itself. We tried initially to work from home but unfortunately, it just wasn’t conducive enough and definitely not the correct business direction. In 2005, when we finally managed to secure enough projects and profits to rent an office, our old office at Keong Saik road was not even our first choice! We actually wanted to rent another shop house opposite Singapore General Hospital (SGH). There was a nice cozy roof garden where we can actually invite our clients there for a jug of beer after work. Parking was convenient and ample. Location was perfect as it was just outside CBD area. In fact, we were so keen on that location that we placed the security deposit. History has it that someone else offered a higher price and the landlord chose to offer it to another company instead. In our search, our dismay turned to joy when we found the office at 30A, Keong Siak road and we soon settled into that office.

Graphic design (print matters) was what TILT first begun with in our early days. In this course of 5 years, we had included photography, web design, web applications, copywriting / copy-editting and events management to our scope of work. The increase in our scope of work coincided with our increase in headcount as well. As much as we like 30A, Keong Siak road, the cozy shophouse was simply too small to squeeze all of us. In fact, everyone in our office loved that office! They love the convenience of having a 7-11 just at our doorstep. The coffee and tea from the coffeeship downstairs is as aromatic as it goes. The food is simply heavenly! The list can just continue but changes in life is what makes life exciting!

In 2009 alone, TILT managed to have not 1 but 2 sessions of team-building. The birthday celebrations which we have had for all of us have come in all shapes and sizes. From the karaoke sessions, we understand that English MTVs have a high percentage of becoming a National Geographic video where you are introduced to a country by some bikini girl. From the BBQ which we had, we found out who knows how to marinate and who knows how to start a fire. From the partying times, we realised who can hold their liquor and how some react when they lose it all. In the midst of all these fun which we had, there is also an increasing list of clients who are recurrent and our projects are of a larger scale as well as higher visibility. All these could not have happened without everyone at TILT. These are the people who knew how to work hard and play hard.

For the years ahead, we are sure that changes will continue to surface. No matter how things may change in the future, there is one thing which we are sure. That is our promise to our clients that DESIGN MATTERS!

Be the Change!

‘The only constant in the world is change.’

As much as the abovestatement is true, the below statement is equally true.

‘People are resistent to change.’

So why is the vast majority of people resistent to change? There can be a variety of reasons. It can be due to the individual being in his / her comfort zone and see no need to change. Afterall, why disrupt and change something that is working perfectly well for you?

In recent times, companies tend to embrace change better. Especially with the increase in design knowledge, it can be seen that there is an increase in the number of companies who embrace change. One good example is how there is an increasing number of companies going through re-branding exercise.

With this positive towards change, in one of our recent projects with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Public Service Division (PSD), TILT is assisting PSD, through the conducting of photoshoot that produces photographs of high visual impact and designing of the posters, to promote PS21 officers who had embraced change and ambassadors of change. They lead by example and create the difference to their colleagues, their organisation and in some instances, to Singapore.

They have all played their part. Will you? Be the Change!

Design Matters: Digital Imaging

DI or digital imaging is something which is a familiar term that is used in graphic design or photography, both of which belongs to the scope of work which TILT handles.

Digital imaging is very much about editting of a photograph. The complexity can be as simple as colour correction, to the more complex retouching or restoration skills needed for photo manipulation.

Very often, the software which is used is Adobe Photoshop. With the later versions of the creative suite, it actually makes digital imaging very much easier. For wedding photographers, they tend to remove all the blemishes on the bride’s face, making her face very smooth and devoid of eye bags. Sometimes, they also post-processed it such that the sparkle in the eye appears. These can be made via sharpening tool amongst some other options. These kind of digital imaging is seldom used in TILT’s course of work. The reason is simple, we only do corporate work.

In our work, we have also done our fair share of digital imaging. All our photographs always undergo simple colour correction. This process is a very simplified manner of digital imaging. Of course, with the easy, there are the more challenging moments.

Recently, during one of our advertorial photoshoot, the client requested for a pillar to be removed from the photograph. This is definitely one of the more challenging kind of digital imaging. The challenge is to let the photograph still look like a real photograph with the background filled in and the pillar removed.

The end result….

You decide…..

Have a look….

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