INDEPDENDENCE: The history of graphic design in Singapore since the 1960s will be officially launched on April 7 at The Design Society Conference 2012. I’m glad to finally share the stories and work of a community I’ve been very fortunate to hear about and uncover over the last two years. Thank you to The Design Society and all whom have supported this project!

Though I dare not say it is complete, there has never been such a comprehensive documentation of Singapore’s graphic design history and I hope this will be the first of many books to come out from the community. At the conference itself, pioneer designers as well as today’s leading studios will share how they established their independence as well as that of the profession in Singapore.

And before we get to the book launch, do check out the latest issue of The Design Society Journal No. 04: Design in a Visual World now out in Singapore’s bookstores.

We explore how an increasingly visual world is affecting design. There are interviews with product designers studio juju, fashion designer kwodrent, comic artist Troy Chin and photojournalist Sam Kang Li about how their practices are being affected. We reflect on the role of design events in mediating a deeper understanding of image-making, and investigate how design visualises death and traditional cultures, as well as bring Japanese anime characters alive.