Category: Design

Dear Friend

Dear Friend,

It has been two weeks since I returned to tropical Singapore. The sweltering heat outside makes me yearn for the cooler weather during my recent trip to Tallinn, Copenhagen and Helsinki. More than comfort, I find that living with the seasons makes one more sensitive to the environment. The daily need to respond to the weather — be it making plans or dressing accordingly — reminds us of how we relate to nature. But weather along the equator is significantly less drastic. In fact, I used to think we had no seasons until I attended a discussion on produce in Singapore last week. One of the chefs reminded us that different species of fish thrive in the seas around our island depending on the time of the year. But as few of us cook and shop in supermarkets selling only imported produce, we have lost such knowledge of how nature works…

➜ Download a PDF of the letter and read other issues here

#ADesignLibrary: Values of Design (2017)

How can we think about “design”? This catalogue for the “Values of Design” (2017) exhibition at Shenzhen’s Design Society offers an insightful introduction using the collection of the Victoria and Albert (V&A) museum. Seven aspects—Performance, Cost, Problem Solving, Materials, Identity, Communication and Wonder—are elaborated upon by a line-up of design thinkers who each tackle one using the eclectic design objects. From Chinese Manchu “Horse Hoof” shoes to the Apple iMac, its a brave attempt by lead curator and editor Brendan Cormier to encompass designs from East to West for this V&A initiative to establish an outpost in China.

#ADesignLibrary spotlights lesser known design books, and invites public access to my personal collection of titles that focuses on Singapore architecture and design, Asian design, everyday design, critical and speculative design as well as design theory and philosophy. I welcome inquiries and physical loans.

Thinking Beyond the Box

A cardboard box, a poly bag or a padded envelope – these generic pieces of packaging define the ubiquity of e-commerce today. Regardless which online retailer one patronises, it is probably impossible to tell the difference when the package arrives. While e-commerce boasts of designing all sorts of interactions, including predicting customers’ preferences and nudging more purchases, its delivery of an online purchase in real life remains unsophisticated and in need of better design.

➜ Read the full column in CUBES #96 (Jul/Aug/Sep 2019)