Published in 8px Magazine·PinnedThe Value of Typography DesignWhy font-stretching is a crime (+ typography tips) — I was first introduced to the design industry through typography/ lettering talks by Jessica Hische in 2015. And you can imagine my fascination with type design via the details of her logo works. We’re all attracted to colours, imagery and the fancy stuffs in design and we forget that understanding…Typography5 min readTypography5 min read
Aug 15, 2020Free Online Learning ResourcesLynda.com (via NLB) Update: Lynda.com has become LinkedIn Learning and will no longer be available with NLB account from 29 December 2021 onwards. A lot of Singaporeans probably don’t know this, but NLB has set up an organisation/ government account for Singaporeans (and probably PRs, but don’t quote me on that) for free…Free Resources3 min readFree Resources3 min read
Published in 8px Magazine·Jul 31, 2020How to Be Productive When You’re “Not Feeling Like It”That dreadful feeling of “I need to do this, but I don’t feel like it”. — This was a pile of random notes I collated for myself so I could pick out a method to use when I feel unproductive (which has been a lot lately) and…it became an article. These might sound obvious but there might be some tidbits in there for you, who knows…Productivity5 min readProductivity5 min read
Published in 8px Magazine·Jun 30, 20206 Basic Design TipsCommon sense, but not really. — “In everything you do, refine your skills and knowledge about fundamental concepts and simple cases. Once is never enough. As you revisit fundamentals, you will find new insights. It may appear that returning to basics is a step backward and requires additional time and effort; however, by building on firm…8 Px Process4 min read8 Px Process4 min read
Published in 8px Magazine·May 25, 2020Dealing with Negative EmotionsThe journey to happiness. Hint: It includes unhappiness. — Sharing positive vs negative information online. I find topics on negative experiences or feelings a thing that people shun talking about because a) most people feel like it’ll seem as if they’re seeking attention, and b) people don’t have the patience to hear about your negative feelings because it doesn’t add value to their life. …Emotions5 min readEmotions5 min read
May 11, 2020The Art of RantingA lame guide with some underlying insights because we take everything for granted. — I have this thing with a friend where we use a template for ranting. And I feel like people could adopt this, funny and ridiculous as it sounds. PSA: I want to state that ranting (to someone) shouldn’t be a fall-back habit. …Rant4 min readRant4 min read
Published in 8px Magazine·Apr 27, 2020Choosing your first workplaceAs a fresh graduate, you might think that as long as there’s a company willing to hire you (especially after tons of rejections) you’re good to go. That’s what I thought too. — Consider what you want to learn or gain. As a self-taught designer I had no idea what specific design career path I wanted to go on, especially at the start, so I took the first offer from a boss that trusted me enough to hire me. Eventually I got comfortable and I went to work every day doing…First Job3 min readFirst Job3 min read
Published in 8px Magazine·Mar 1, 2020How mindfulness creates peace, freedom and happinessOne of my 2020 goals is to read a book a month and this month’s book was The Power of Now. (Or I should say is, since I’m only 80% done.) Book review aside, here’s some thoughts I had while reading. 1. Everything starts from Mindfulness. Mindfulness (aka awareness) Years ago I came across Flow magazine…Happiness3 min readHappiness3 min read
Published in 8px Magazine·Jan 29, 2020The Practicality of a Brand Guide on Graphic Design and BrandingThis article discusses the functionality of a brand guide on practical branding purposes– the use of brand guides for creating marketing collaterals and graphics for a business. Everyone is talking about design systems for web/ app/ UI/ UX design but no one really discusses the graphic design aspect. I would…Branding6 min readBranding6 min read
Published in 8px Magazine·Dec 14, 2019Practical Guide to Font Pairing* The terms “font” and “type”/ “typeface” are used interchangeably and loosely here. Otherwise, the vague explanation of typeface is the design/ family of fonts (Arial, Times New Roman, etc.) and font is the variables of the design (regular, bold, italic, etc.) Pairing typeface is like writing a couplet —…Typography5 min readTypography5 min read
