The Rock Muffin Co. Logo + Identity Design - 2021 (designer/founder)
Sometime during the second lockdown here in Malaysia, I returned to an old hobby of mine to unwind and pass the time — baking. It got to a point where I was baking far too much for my own family to eat, so we started giving treats away to friends and neighbours, as a way to keep spirits high during a rather dreary time. After receiving multiple requests to start selling the muffins, cinnamon rolls and granola I was making, one thing led to another — and I decided to start a baking business!
The Idea
The idea for The Rock Muffin Co. was born out of my love for both rock music and baking. The unlikely pairing of the two was fascinating and hugely inspiring to me, and it wasn’t long before I had fleshed out a full menu of premium jumbo muffins; named them all after rock songs (e.g. “Choc to the System” and “Sweet Chai of Mine”); and developed a recipe for a whole new product which I called a rock muffin, a hybrid of a scone, soft cookie and a muffin.
The Logo
As I was developing the recipes, I was also crafting the look and feel of the brand, starting with the logo. I was very much drawn to the idea of creating something with red lips, perhaps inspired by The Rolling Stones’ logo.
The red lip concept went through various iterations — here are just a few of them:
It was several weeks before I finally created something which felt right, but it was worth the wait — I’m really happy with how it turned out in the end!
The Branding
Once the logo was confirmed, it was time to expand its distinctive look and feel into the rest of the branding. Below are some of the posts I designed for social media.
An introduction to the menu on social media.
An example of a post introducing a muffin flavour. This one is a butter muffin with kaya filling, topped with butter crumble. The name “Eat the Rich” was a play on the word kaya, which is both the name of the sweet coconut-egg spread used in the filling, and also the Malay word for “rich”.
Cross sections of some of our muffins. The one in the centre is our signature Dark Chocolate Chip Rock Muffin!
For Christmas 2021 we released a limited edition Christmas box, with flavours that were only available in and around the festive season. These flavours were Fruit Mince + Dark Chocolate Rock Muffin; Cranberry White Chocolate Premium Muffin; Cinnamon Spice Rolls; and Christmas Morning Granola.
We would occasionally share quotes from inspiring figures in the rock music scene on our social media, too. This one was a quote by Bono, frontman of U2, about Michael Hutchence, the late lead singer of Australian rock band INXS.
The Rock Muffin Co.’s official launch menu.
Our launch video, used to promote the brand all across social media. (Not many people know this, but it was filmed entirely on a phone, in our own home!)
Launching and working on The Rock Muffin Co. — in the roles of founder, designer, baker, marketer and more — has been the most incredible experience, and I’m so proud of everything we created for and around it. A huge, huge thank you to everyone who helped make it what it is, and who supported it by liking, sharing, ordering and spreading the word! 🤘🏼
Hujan Album Cover Art - 2021 (illustrator/designer)
Last year I had the opportunity to work with my dear friend Rachel Morais once again, this time on the cover art for her latest single, "hujan"! I always have such a great time working with Rachel and this project was no exception — nothing compares to the experience of working with someone who's on the same wavelength as you.
The Idea Stage
The creative process behind this piece was such a smooth and intuitive one. To start with, Rachel sent me a demo of the piece and told me about what had inspired it — being in Australia during the 2020 bushfires; not being able to come home to be with her family during the pandemic; longing, nostalgia, melancholy; and a strong desire for a fresh start and sense of rejuvenation. She also sent me some gorgeous album art references from artists like Mammal Hands and Olafur Arnalds, so I had an idea of what she wanted for the visuals.
The Sketching Stage
I then listened to the track itself several times, taking notes and doodling as I went. After showing and explaining my ideas to Rachel, her favourite turned out to be the same as mine — the idea of creating a pattern based on ripples made by multiple raindrops in a puddle of water.
I made a few ink sketches and sent them to Rachel for feedback before we settled on the mandala/mosaic inspired pattern that would eventually become the final visual.
One of the initial ink sketches.
The final sketch!
Final Touches
I scanned in the ink drawing and neatened it up in Photoshop, then finalised the layout of the cover in Adobe Illustrator. we chose the background colour for the sense of nostalgia it evokes, and the typeface to match her first album, Order in Chaos.
And that's how the cover art for "hujan" was born! It still gives me a thrill to see it pop up on Spotify and Instagram, as Rachel's music continues to reach audiences all over the world. I'm super proud of what she's achieved, and grateful to be her friend and collaborator. Thanks for having me, Rachel!
Friends for Life (alternate spelling: Friends4Life) is an organisation that connects people who need help with people willing and able to give it. Founded in 2021, they have stood by their pledge to “[connect] people who want to extend a hand of friendship, assistance or solace to someone in need” ever since. I was fortunate to be asked to design their logo, and to craft a visual representation of their mission.
The Sketches
We kickstarted the creative process by chatting about what Friends for Life stands for — what I took away from that initial conversation was a sense of joy, hope, community and humanity. I made a few sketches inspired by that feeling and sent them over for feedback.
The client liked the last idea best, so I proceeded to refine it further in Adobe Illustrator.
The Logo
The logo consists of four figures (to represent the “for/4″) standing hand in hand, framed by the letters F and L. Beneath the graphic, the name “Friends for Life” is spelled out in full.
Once we’d finalised the logo design, we went through various different colour options for the logo itself, and to round out the design.
After discussing the pros and cons of each colour combination, the client decided to go with this one for their final logo:
One of the most interesting logo design projects I’ve ever worked on was the logo design for Audra Labs, a spin-off company from Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star). Audra Labs specialises in creating plant-based meat textures with all the flavour and mouthfeel of real meat. With more and more people turning to a plant-based diet for ethical and/or environmental reasons, the introduction of this technology, which allows for higher volumes of production at a far lower cost than other plant-based meat companies, couldn’t be more timely. I was honoured to design the logo for this innovative new start-up, and learned so much in the process!
The Sketches
To kickstart the creative process, I asked Dr Andrew Wan, the founder and non-executive director of the company, to explain the technology behind their plant-based meats to me. He very generously explained the process in a way that I, as someone who isn’t from a scientific background, could understand. From that discussion, I came up with several sketches based on my understanding of what he’d explained to me, and sent them over for feedback.
The first proposed idea was a stylised version of the name "Audra”, which means “noble strength”. I wanted the letters to fit nicely into each other, to bring a sense of structure and of individual parts coming together to form a greater whole. In the second variation, the emphasis on the upward triangles may also represent reaching for greater heights and a push towards innovation.
The second sketch was based on a pattern in sacred geometry called "The Seed of Life." The Seed of Life symbolises creation — each of the seven circles that form the pattern are said to represent the seven days of creation. The circular pattern and the meaning itself tie in with Audra Labs' vision to create a more sustainable alternative to the plant-based meat products that are currently on the market, allowing life to continue to blossom and thrive and the circle of life to continue in harmony. Since all life begins with and grows from a seed, this also represents the scalability of Audra Labs' process of creating plant-based meat. In this variation, I've shaded in three of the petals in the central flower to subtly represent the letter "A" as a reference to the name "Audra."
The third sketch is another stylised play on the word "Audra". If you look closely, each component of this design represents a different letter in the word. The individual letters come together to form a bigger picture, which resembles both the lowercase letter "a" as well as a simplified plate and cutlery. This stands for Audra Labs' focus on creating alternative, more sustainable food sources.
This last sketch is an even more stylised version of the name "Audra", using circles instead of triangles. The client had pointed out during an earlier conversation that the circular shape of one of the logos I sent as a reference could represent a circular economy, and they're also a great way to represent sustainability and a more holistic, ecological approach in Audra Labs’ work, since circles and cycles are an intrinsic part of nature. In this design, five circles are arranged in two rows and modified according to each letter in the word "Audra." The layering of the circles also represents strength when individual parts come together, which ties into the meaning of the name as well as subtly referencing the cellular structure of the plant-based meat.
Developing the Idea
It was the last idea that the client found most interesting, and so we proceeded to refine the logo design based on that. We refined the shape, thickness and proximity of the lines; tried out several colour options; and played with the positioning of the supporting text.
After weighing the designs against each other and discussing the pros and cons of each one, the client decided on this variation for the final design:
This was definitely one of the most fascinating design journeys I’ve ever been on. I’m very grateful to Dr Andrew Wan and the team at Audra Labs for having me on board for this project, and teaching me so much!
Read more about Audra Labs and what they do here and here.
Josh Thomas is a super talented blues rock musician from Malaysia, whom I got to meet and watch live a couple of years ago. I've been a huge fan of his music since then, so of course I said yes when he asked me to design the album art for his new single, "Still Falling"!
The Brief
Josh sent me the studio recording of the song so I could get a feel for it, and we caught up on Zoom to bounce some ideas back and forth and look at some references. He had two requests for the album art: one, that it should be clean, simple and minimalistic (preferably in black and white); and two, that it should incorporate his logo. With this in mind, I set to work on some idea sketches (with the track playing on repeat in the background the whole time, naturally).
The Sketches
I had two main ideas for the artwork. The first idea was to have a line illustration of a rose with a single petal falling from it.
The second was to create a psychedelic mandala-type pattern out of circles (I tried out quite a few of those).
I sent them to Josh for feedback, and he much preferred the psychedelic circles, especially this one:
The Layout
All that was left to do was to include the title of the track (Josh decided to let his logo stand for his name), and, ladies and gentlemen, we have an album cover!
Thanks again for having me design the artwork for your music, Josh! I had a great time working on it and, even after listening to it a million times while designing, am still a huge fan of this song. Everyone go listen to it if you haven't already!
Cookie Monsters Logo + Sticker Design - 2021 (designer)
Just before Chinese New Year 2021, I was given the opportunity to design a logo for a local cookie business called Cookie Monsters. This was one of the most fun logo design projects I've worked on so far!
The client gave me total freedom to interpret the name of the brand into a logo, and I decided to take the chance to create something a little cuter and cheekier than my usual. Thankfully the client loved it, too!
I also got to design the stickers they would use as labels on their cookie jars:
Thanks for the opportunity (and the cookies), Cookie Monsters!
Fabrica Logo + Identity Design — 2021 (illustrator/designer)
I was approached by a super-creative friend of mine to design the logo and branding for his new business, Fabrica, an online shop selling handmade bags + clothing made from and inspired by batik. Being a lover of all things batik and handcrafted myself, this project was right up my alley!
The Brief
His request was that the branding should be elegant, classy and timeless, and reflect the tradition, love and care that goes into each of his handcrafted pieces. To achieve this, I decided to go with a serif font for the logo, and pair it with a palette of jewel tones and classic gold to give it that timeless feel.
The Logo
The serif font I chose was Ibarra Real Nova, which had the perfect blend of elegant curves and sharp serifs I was looking for.
We decided to keep the logo simple and text based rather than create any elaborate visuals for it, but I still wanted to give the logo itself a twist unique to Fabrica. I chose to replace the "i" with three dots, a nod to the intricate dot details found in many batik designs.
The Illustration
Once we'd nailed our favourite logo, it was time to experiment with the colours and visuals that would support it. I decided to create a hand-drawn batik-inspired illustration to be used in Fabrica's branding, and as a background for the logo.
The Sketches
The first step was to draft some motifs to be used in the illustration.
After the client approved these motifs, I proceeded to put them together in a sketch:
...and he then gave me the go-ahead to develop this sketch into the final illustration!
The Final Illustration
After refining the line work and going through a few different colour options, we had a winner!
A lowered-opacity version to serve as a backdrop for the logo:
Now all that was left to be done was to put them together:
Thanks again to the founder of Fabrica for the opportunity!
I designed this poster based on a powerful Roy T. Bennett quote for the second issue of Brazen Magazine, which was based on the theme of change. In order for true change to happen, both within and around us, we must not just passively absorb, but actively contribute. What action can you take today to make yourself a better person, and in turn, the world a better place?
Read the Change issue of Brazen Magazine in full here. 🔥
Exploring the role of limits within the context of a limited life.
This was my first article for the first issue of Brazen Magazine, exploring the ways limits can both help and hinder us in living a fulfilling life. If the link above doesn’t work, click here to read the full article!
“You gave me a forever within the numbered days, and I’m grateful.” - The Fault in Our Stars, John Green | Rotoscope Animation for Brazen Magazine - 2020 (animator/illustrator)
This rotoscope animation was created for the Limits issue of Brazen Magazine. Each frame was hand drawn individually in Photoshop.
“Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them.” | Albert Einstein Illustration for Brazen Magazine - 2020 (artist/illustrator)
This illustration was created with 2B mechanical pencil on a half-sheet of regular printer paper. This issue of the magazine was based on the theme of limits, so I limited myself to creating a portrait of Einstein using only equals signs. If you look closely, you can see that even his coat is made up of of lots of little equals signs!
This took a couple of weeks to finish between all the other aspects of the magazine I was working on at the same time, but the end result made it all worth it. ✨
A bi-monthly online magazine dedicated to inspiring people inspiring people.
I started a magazine! 🔥
Brazen Magazine is an online publication born out of a desire to inspire and be inspired. In each issue, we explore a theme from various unique perspectives, with the intention of understanding ourselves, our fellow beings, and the world we live in better. Through the questions, experiments, interviews, essays and recommendations we share, our hope for you, the reader, is that you will be left feeling braver, more excited, more inspired and more passionate about the life you’ve been given.
Order in Chaos EP Cover Art - 2020 (illustrator/designer)
Rachel Morais is an incredibly talented musician and good friend of mine. So when she approached me to create the artwork for her upcoming EP, Order in Chaos, I was more than happy to do so!
Rachel is super intelligent and a deep thinker, and her music really reflects this aspect of her personality. The songs on this EP are inspired by her own life experiences, and the growth she’s had as a result. It was important to both of us that the artwork accompanying the music would reflect this growth.
The Fibonacci sequence of numbers
In mathematics, Fibonacci numbers form a sequence, known as the Fibonacci sequence, in which each number is the sum of the two that come before it. So it goes 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, etc.
The Fibonacci spiral, also known as the Golden Spiral or Golden Ratio, is derived from this sequence of numbers. This aesthetically pleasing spiral has been used extensively in the art world for composition purposes (Leonardo da Vinci was a big fan). The mathematics behind this spiral is the underlying code that describes patterns of growth throughout the natural world -- from seashells to hurricanes to flower petals to the growth of hair on our heads. This provides more evidence to support the theory that there is a grand plan at play, and that everything has its place in the pattern, even if it’s too vast for us to comprehend within our limited perspectives.
I thought this would be perfect to describe Rachel’s personal growth. Like the Fibonacci sequence of numbers, everything that she is now is the sum of what she has been and gone through before. It also represents how much more growth she is capable of, as the pattern continues into her future and she experiences more of what life has to offer. It also perfectly illustrates the concept of “order in chaos.” No matter how chaotic and confusing life can get, we must remember that it is all part of a greater pattern or plan, and that everything is falling into place exactly the way it should. This is the way of nature, and as we are part of nature, the same holds true for us.
The Artwork
I started by making a bunch of different spiral-based sketches in pencil and ink, and had Rachel choose which one she liked best. This is the one she went for.
I then made two refined line drawings based on this idea sketch. They were done by hand, in ink, on sketchbook paper to give the lines that subtle grainy quality.
I then scanned these illustrations in and vectorised them in Adobe Illustrator, and went to town experimenting with different layouts for the album cover.
We decided to go with a dark blue/indigo background with silver-grey lines and lettering, inspired by starry skies. The idea behind this was that we can only see and appreciate the light of the stars when the rest of the sky is dark. Likewise, we are better able to see and appreciate our light when we are put in dark or difficult situations -- it is when things get tough that we have an opportunity to truly shine.
I presented these layout options to Rachel, and let her choose what would become the cover of her EP. She chose this one!
Thank you again, Rachel, for letting me be a part of this beautiful project. Congratulations once more, I can’t wait for everyone to hear what you’ve made!
Heart and Mind Centre Logo Design – 2020 (designer)
Heart and Mind Centre is a holistic wellness centre in Sunway Geo. I was asked to design a logo that represented the name and vision of the centre, which was unique yet visually similar to the logo of the centre’s parent company, Ovita Nutriceuticals.
The Toroidal Energy Field
The toroidal energy field is an electromagnetic field that exists around everything – people, trees, animals, the earth, the sun, the entire universe. In humans, the heart generates the strongest electromagnetic field produced by the entire body. This field has been scientifically measured to extend as far as 5 miles out from your heart – 5 miles! And when we come into close proximity with or touch other people, and exchange of electromagnetic energy occurs. This is what we’re referring to when we say someone has a nice aura or vibe – our toroidal energy fields are picking up on someone else’s on a much subtler level than we are conscious of.
This energy field is not fixed – it is in constant movement, flowing in upward and downward spirals through the energy centres of the body. It connects all our chakras in a constant flow of energy, including the chakras that control the heart and the mind. This flow and field also connects us to everyone and everything around us. And all tori are connected to the Source. The torus is the first scientific model that shows we are distinct individuals, yet also interconnected.
The Logo
I chose to create a logo based on the torus yantra, a piece of sacred geometry which represents the toroidal energy field in two-dimensional form. It’s a beautiful pattern and provided the perfect base for a meaningful, visually striking logo.
The colours used are exactly the same as the Ovita logo colours, for continuity. I made each ring of shapes smaller as they got further out from the centre to give the visual a subtle dynamism.
This logo now has pride of place at the entrance to Heart and Mind Centre. As time goes on, this logo will be used more for branding collateral as well. Thank you again for the opportunity!
Week-in-the-life video #3: in which I visit a beautiful temple and a beautiful river; make a list of 24 things to do before my 24th birthday (spoiler alert: I didn’t do them all); eat a lot of good food; celebrate a friend’s birthday; dance with my mum; visit one of my favourite bookshops; make an embarrassing attempt at talking to the camera and more. Enjoy!
Week-in-the-life video #2: in which I hang out with a lot of cool friends, eat a lot of good food, visit a cute lil thrift store and cut my own hair. Enjoy!
Throwing it back to a video I made in July 2019, when I decided to try my hand at a different medium of journalling than I was used to. Presenting the first video in my “week-in-the-life” series: the one in which I work on The Peranakan Connection, create the line art for my Joss Stone illustration, attend a reading for the TV show my friends are writing, dance my butt off at a Beatles tribute concert and more. Enjoy!
