So my visual identity design didn't get picked. Bummer. It's okay. I only cried a little bit, but when we were told to design more merchandise, I was like, okay. Let's go.
This time, we didn't have to design anything related to our old concept. I already had merchandise concepts attached to my initial design, so this was a good time to expand. I took a similar approach, where I didn't want to take the chosen visual system and just slap it onto notebooks and t-shirts, because that's boring. Also, that would leave nothing of my design in the final product, and I'm a little bit vain that way.
Spice Shakers inspired by portable shops.
To design merchandise, I had to think about what I would want to buy from the museum store. I would want something that reminds me of the exhibit I came to see. If anyone wants to see a modern-day hawker, they could just... go to a hawker centre. I was fascinated, though, with the history behind hawkers, because a lot of these are obsolete in Singapore, but are still very much alive in Indonesia (and probably other Southeast Asian countries). I wanted to honour their legacy.
If I shelled out the money to buy museum merchandise, I would be much more willing if the item looked good and was useful. I designed these items to be functional as well as cute.
Toothpick/Stationery Holder inspired by Carrier Baskets.
Desk Organiser inspired by Pushcarts.
Bookends inspired by Diners.
Aside from the hawkers themselves, I added one design to honour the diners. There would be no hawker centres without their patrons. Not much has changed since then, and people still go there for maybe a nourishing breakfast to start the day, or a beer to wash away their sorrows. Maybe they're having a meal to celebrate an occasion, or having their morning coffee before going to work.
So...
Bad news: The merchandise idea got cancelled.
Good news: My design was still going to be exhibited!
I had such a blast at the exhibition, to be honest. It was pretty amazing, to be able to say that one of my designs was displayed at the National Museum of Singapore!
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