“The secret of success for Asian societies is their resilience and their will to succeed. They may bend, but they do not break. They bounce back.” – former Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew
Back in January, I got a phone call from my homeboy who needed help on a design. He is hosting an Asian night market event with a group of food enthusiasts, so he needs to create a logo and flyers for the event. So I started to put something together fast, since the event is taking place at the beginning of April. I came out with a couple different designs using different neon lights like typography to make a resemblance of the nightlife. This idea was actually taking the reference from the previous design of one of their night market events.
I end up NOT liking this logo too much. Asian World Night Market is just too long of words to type and the logo design itself is just too many things going on. My friend did give me an idea about how all the letters in the initial AWNM are aligned with each other vertically, and that’s why he picked the name. It gave me an idea to create a design that looks like a spring coil with neon light effect, and I created the new logo design with the following concept.
Design Visual Concept for AWNM
Just as a spring coil can withstand pressure and bounce back into shape, Asian cultures have a long history of enduring challenges and adapting to changing circumstances, and persevering through adversity. Many Asian countries have experienced political turmoil, economic instability, and natural disasters, yet they have managed to recover and rebuild over time.
Neon lights are known for their brightness, vibrancy, and ability to catch people’s attention. Similarly, Asian cultures are known for their rich traditions, vibrant arts and culture, and their ability to captivate people with their unique customs and practices. Neon lights can also be seen as symbols of progress and innovation. They represent the advancement of technology and the modernization of society. And of course, neon lights symbolized the nightlife in an urban city.
Incorporating the characteristics of spring coils and neon lights into the logo design for Asian World Night Market could be an effective way to convey the resilience, adaptability, creativity, and individuality of Asian cultures. It can capture the essence of a brand and communicate its values and mission to customers and followers.
Because I was working on the other projects and also busy with volunteering at kids’ school, I paid a reasonable rate and asked my designers back in Taiwan to help me out on this project. He did come out with a couple different designs. They are nice and clean, but it just doesn’t capture the ideas I am trying to interpret. Here are some my designer Rotsoul created!
So, I ended up having to spend more time than I expected to do it myself. To make the spring coil idea come to life perfectly, I go on Sketchup and create a 3D model of spring coil and shape them into the AWNM letters. The following is the process.
I think it’s way too much information on one poster or flier, but I think all clients are like that. They want to get as much message out as they can to make it worth a while, but they fail to understand, getting people’s attention is the key, not the massive content.
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Rant about this project
For all the design projects I’ve done, there is always something I can rant about. Don’t get me wrong, I love doing what I do, and I care about every single design project I take on even if it’s pro bono. I will always put my 110%, even when my clients are difficult to deal with from time to times.
So, for this particular project, I am not only doing the logo for my friend. I also design a flier, set up a web server with email accounts, and a web design template for them, so they can get things started back in January. However, they ended up paying someone to do the web for them. One because my hourly rate is more expensive I guess and another thing is I am busy with my kids and other projects, I might not have time to get their contents on time. So I do understand they are looking for others to fulfill their needs. For that, I didn’t actually do their web content, only providing the hosting, gave them the space and design template for FREE. But for someone else who actually got paid to just enter the content to claim that he did the “DESIGN” for the website, it is ridiculous!!! I guess I should charge them for the design, web server, WordPress template and for the set up fee, so I can be credited!?
But, again I am all about LOVE for my brother and Much Much Love to my Asian communities. AND I managed to get my homeboy to agree to donate 10% of the sales to charity in order for me to do the design for them in return. Although they ended up only stating that “10% of proceeds from the ticket sales will be donated to Partnerships for Children”. Not what I had in mind and not what we’ve agreed initially, but I guess it’s always a good start for some people or anyone to start to spread a little love to the people in need. Not everyone is foolish like I am, wanting to help even when I am still struggling with managing time and money. But again, I like to remind myself with one of the headers on our very own Much Love Crew website: Every Little Things Matters! “In this life we cannot always do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” — Mother Theresa