kakireka

Tell the world: Why do you value design?

2010-04-13T18:22:00.000+08:00

wREGA will be celebrating World Graphics Day 2010 with KBU International College for the 2nd year

World Graphics Day has been celebrated annually on 27 April since 1995 as an occasion for designers to reflect and hope that Icograda's global network can contribute to greater understanding between people and help build bridges where divides and inequities exist. This is an opportunity to recognise communication design and its role in the world, besides celebrating Icograda's birthday.

This year, tell the world: Why do you value design?

Based on this working theme, once again, wREGA will be working together with the School of Design at KBU International College, in commemorating this auspicious day. There will be a forum and a student project being planned out, where professional designers, design educators and design students will have an exchange on design's value. All these will take place from 19 April leading to 27 April, 2010. More details available soon.

Notice of wREGA Twelfth Annual General Meeting

2010-04-06T21:50:00.002+08:00

Notice is hereby given that the Twelfth Annual General Meeting of Pertubuhan Wakaf Reka Grafik Malaysia (Graphic Design Association of Malaysia) will be held on Saturday, 24 April 2010 at 9.00am till 1.00pm at KBU International College, 1 Persiaran Bukit Utama, Bandar Utama, 47800 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan for the following purpose:

To receive and adopt the Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2009
To receive and, if approved, adopt the Statement of Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2009
To elect officers for the year 2010 - 2011
To re-appoint two internal auditors for the year 2010 - 2011
To consider any other business for which due notice has been given in writing to the Honorary Secretary

By order of the Executive Committee

Koh Lee Meng
President

For enquiry, kindly contact us or visit wrega.org/2010election

RM200 Million Creative Industry Fund Takes Off

2009-12-31T19:20:00.006+08:00

A RM200 million fund to help stimulate the creative industry took off the ground on Thursday.
- 31Dec2009 - BERNAMA -

Information Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said the credit facility of between RM50,000 and RM5 million, which was meant for commercial creative activities, offered competitive interests and flexible conditions.

"As the credit facility is meant for commercialisation, it has to be governed by conditions imposed by the authorities and this is contrary to assumptions that the fund is free.

"There is no such thing as a free fund for business. But with interest rates of between two and four per cent, the rate is not only very low and flexible but also fair," he told reporters after launching the Creative Industry Fund here on Thursday.

The fund, which will is meant for filmmaking, musical production, animation, and related activities, was announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in the 2010 Budget in October.

Rais said the credit facility, which would be disbursed through Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN), would also be extended for asset purchases to facilitate commercial activities.

"Only sole owners, joint partners and private limited companies, and business entities with 51 per cent Malaysian ownership are eligible for the loan.

"Those, who are getting grants from the government agencies for projects or products are not entitled to the loan," he added.

He said 22 creative activities in four sectors, namely audio visual and new media (animation, interactive, film and television production), design (fashion, accessories), arts and craft (arts performances, handicraft, galleries), and print media (publishing, writing) can apply for the fund.

On the interest rates, he said it would be two per cent a year, calculated on a monthly basis for short-term projects and four per cent per year for projects lasting five years.

He said applicants could seek financing up to 90 per cent of their cost from a special committee set up by the ministry.

"The contract documents can be pledged as collaterals, which could be handed to the banks subject to conditions imposed, by producing eligible guarantors or by determining the adequacy of company assets," he added.

On the repayment, he said BSN would fix the instalments throughout project period, loan period or fast track repayment for those posting "blockbuster" revenue.

Rais said the credit facility could be taken in stages or one lump sum based on the conditions set by the bank.

other related news:

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MyIPO-WIPO Survey Reveal Creative Industries Are A Major Driver Of Economic Growth In Malaysia
- 31Dec2009 - BERNAMA -

- excerpts -
...To raise awareness on the important role played by the creative industries, the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), in 2003, conducted a series of surveys focused on defining and mapping out the creative industries, and their economic contribution in over 30 countries worldwide.

"The idea was to gain a more accurate picture of the creative industry's contribution to the economy, promote creativity and Intellectual Property (IP) rights, and raise awareness and understanding of the importance of copyright as a contributor to the economy," WIPO's Acting Director for Creative Industries Division, Dr Dimiter Gantchev told Bernama.

Intellectual property refers to creations of the mind like inventions, literary and artistic works; and symbols, names, images and designs used in commerce.

It is the bedrock of the creative industries, yet many companies fail to appreciate its value, and so underestimate the need to protect their IP rights.

The surveys' results provided indisputable evidence that the creative industries are indeed economically significant and are comparable to other high profile sectors in terms of their contribution to income, employment and trade...

...These statistics are the 'smoking gun' that conclusively proved creative industries are a major driver of economic growth in Malaysia.

"The figures demonstrate that creative industries are the drivers of the economy, are more dynamic than many of the other sectors in Malaysia, and have managed to cushion the effect of the 2005 global recession," said Dr Vijatakumari Kanapathy, the independent consultant who carried out the survey...
> read more

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The Malaysian Film Industry
- 31Dec2009 - BERNAMA -

- excerpts -
...Nevertheless, Manjafilm's Managing Director, Anwardi Jamil noted that while the European and American viewers can easily differentiate films from other Asian countries that are screened at these festivals, our films are not easily identifiable as a Malaysian production because they lack that 'Malaysian' ambience.

"Look inwards for your source and inspiration, do not just borrow and adapt ideas from foreign productions," Anwardi urged.

However, the parameters of what constitutes a Malaysian film are not clearly defined.

"As long the producer is a Malaysian citizen, it is considered a Malaysian film," FINAS Director of Planning and Research, Balaraman Narayanasamy told this writer.

On the other hand, Film Directors' Association of Malaysia (FDAM) President, Ahmad Ibrahim stressed that in line with the 'Filem Kita, Wajah Kita' (Our Film, Our Image) mantra, a Malaysian film should be in the Malay language, with a Malay-majority cast.

While cultural diversity and ethnic plurality is aggressively being promoted in tourism billboards and brochures, why is there this assumption among some groups, that 'Our Image' is cohesive and homogenous?

When posed with this question, film producer Abdul Rahman Sallehudin concurred that there must be multi-ethnic characters in contemporary Malaysian cinema.

"It should reflect our culture and tradition, but only within the context of a multi-racial setting, and should not be dominated by any particular race," he added...
> read more

Thinklab Design Conference

2009-11-24T17:04:00.002+08:00

THE LOCAL DESIGN CULTURE
This event is endorsed by wREGA

The theme ‘THE LOCAL DESIGN CULTURE’ is targeted towards future young creative individuals, acting as agents of change and also working professionals that are open to new ideas and insights to respective design industries. This title set the context as a beginning for a new local thinking design culture that is currently making a huge impact across the globe.

With 6 of brilliant design industry talents, such as William Harald-Wong of WHW & Associates and Suzy Sulaiman of Re-cap, this title will open the local design context to international design scene.

Details of the events are as below:

Date: Saturday, 12th of Dec 2009
Time: 9.00 am to 1.00 pm
Venue: Conference Room, National Art Gallery
Fee: RM30 for students; RM250 for professionals

Thinklab is offering our professional & associate members RM150 for group discount rate.
Please register and make your payment through Pooi at secretariat@wrega.org.

2009-10-27T22:12:00.003+08:00

Yellow Pencils!

The awards is here once more.

The D&AD Awards 2010 are open for entry. To be in with a chance to see your best work in the Annual next year, enter now.

Save 10%, enter by

Wednesday 18 November 2009

An exerpt from the website:

"Yellow Pencils are recognised the world over as a symbol of true creative achievement.

D&AD has celebrated and nurtured outstanding work in design and advertising since 1962. Year on year the D&AD Annual showcases the very best work and continues to provide an unrivalled source of creative inspiration.

D&AD is about brilliant commercial creativity, wherever and however it's produced. Whether you work in Design, Advertising or Digital there is an awards category for your entry."

Visit the website.

KUASA Conference 2009

2009-07-08T19:19:00.004+08:00

What a great year for design events in Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia. Seeds of a creative economy?

So soon after the landmark event - KL DesignWeek 2009, now here's the next design conference rolling into town on 08-09 Aug 2009, brought to you by wREGA (THE graphic design association of Malaysia).

Event: Design Conference
Theme:
KUASA -- Design Power Asia
Date: 08-09 AUG 2009 (SAT - SUN)
Venue: University Malaya city campus, Jalan Tun Ismail, Kuala Lumpur.
Costs: RM280 (professionals), RM230 (wREGA professional member), RM200 (students), RM180 (wREGA student member). USD100 (Foreign delegates). Workshops (minimal admin fee). Design Showcase/Party (FREE).

Top design minds from Asian region will present their topics for the conference on SATURDAY while SUNDAY is for post-conference student workshops... or any designer who's into "life-long-learning" (who isn't?). Some notable names: Ahn Sang-soo, Freeman Lau, Sudhir Sharma (of Elephant Design fame?), Hermawan Tanzil, Little Ong, Tarek Atrissi (he's Asian??). Details on speakers here.

Heard that the workshops have very limited seats (becos of venue limitations & the fact that all the workshops run concurrently - so you must choose one)... hope there isn't a mad rush for those... no news yet on who the speakers/facilitators/topic for the workshops yet. (heard some good stuff TBC - watch this space).

Also heard that the organisers wREGA pulled all stops in favors big & small from all their associates & suppliers to make the conference very affordable and great value for money. Since wREGA is a "not-for-profit" organisation, rest assured that every ringgit will be plowed back into organising bigger and better design activities/events for the benefit of the local design industry.

Heard some grumblings about the lack of local representation at a few previous local design conferences and this conference is no different as there's no Malaysian speaker on the speakers list. Sigh... maybe the Malaysian designers (there are really quite a few) are still shy to tap into the conference circuit celebrity thing.

But at least there will be a hands-on design workshop conducted by local designers (rumored to be about comics graphic novel production) and also a local Designers Showcase/Art Installation + Party on SUNDAY which will be curated by JayLim & Vivian of Moooving Art / Tsubaki Studios / Miss Hua fame. More on the showcase /party later.

All in all, sounds like a-lot of fun while learning & exploring design matters.
See you all there!

Everyone is a designer. Yes?

2009-06-01T03:30:00.006+08:00

by: Thierry van Kerm

Besides the common question about what is design, another is what is a designer or rather, who is a designer? If we are convinced that design is all around us, and that we live in a designed world, then is everyone a designer? And, in that sense, how can a designer make a living or make a difference?

When lecturing I am often asked by designers or companies, who is a designer and who is not. I simply ask the audience, who has a camera? Usually all hands go up because everyone has a camera. Then I ask, who takes pictures? All hands go up again. Why would you have a camera if not to take pictures? Then I ask, who has had images published? A few hands down but most people keep pointing their fingers to the ceiling. We all have published an image in a book, in a newsletter or on a blog, haven’t we? Then I ask, who is a photographer? Only a couple of hands are still up. So, most of us are taking pictures and most of us are publishing pictures. In this situation, how is the professional photographer supposed to earn a living? What does a professional photographer have to do to convince you to pay for his or her services?

Designers face exactly the same problem, how to convince clients who have managed for years without a designer to pay for their services? The answer is very simple. By demonstrating sound strong expertise, skills, knowledge and competences on the one hand and on the other demonstrating that paying for the services of a designer will in the end be a benefit to the client not a cost. Working with a professional designer has to make the difference in terms of return on the client’s investment. It’s not a question of being money-driven or not, its just a question of understanding the client’s concerns.

It sounds easy but it doesn’t always work out that way would be the usual answer from designers. It is not easy not because what I said was wrong but because they may have not been taught in terms of expertise, skills, competence and knowledge. Designers may have gained some of these capabilities through their education or careers but it may never been given its due priority. Therefore, they may not be able to demonstrate to clients or potential employers a designer’s added value.

As we see, the key is education, whether in school, college, university or lifelong learning. Educators have a major role to play helping designers acquire appropriate skills, competences and knowledge. They can make a difference by proposing projects in terms of conscious skills, competence and knowledge development, by assessing skills, competences and knowledge development as well the aesthetics of the projects. And, they can help students evaluate their projects against a clear predefined brief and test the outcomes against real world values.

Of course, the next question is, what are the relevant skills, competences and knowledge that are required, and how can students and graduates gain these capabilities? Good questions for a future debate.

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article source: EDTI (European Design Training Incubator)

illustration by Jonathan Puckey, a graphic designer based in amsterdam who creates work that borders on art and employs technology in new ways.

Panel Discussion: Examining the Aesthetic Choices of our Urban Environment

2009-05-04T17:26:00.007+08:00

Galeri Petronas,
Suria KLCC.

09 May 2009 - SAT,
4:00pm

Bringing a range of perspectives from architecture to design, the session will explore a range of issues concerning the development of our urban environment, from the selection of public sculptures to urban planning and architecture as well as the relationship between urban communities and the space that they inhabit.

Panelists: William Harald-Wong, Kevin Mark Low and Azhar Ahmad
Moderator: Sharaad Kuttan

FREE. Open to all. Find out more here.
Interests: architecture, art/sculpture, design, local/urban culture

This forum is held in-conjunction with the art exhibition "Cadangan-cadangan untuk Negara Ku" (Suggestions for my Nation) by Liew Kung Yu.
Inspired by the monuments and public sculptures found in Malaysia, artist Liew Kung Yu has created eight new works that offers the viewers of what Malaysia could look like in the future. The sculptural works comprise a Photoshop montage of various public sculptures found in the country such as the giant Pitcher Plant at Dataran Merdeka and the concrete tigers at Zoo Negara. Kung Yu's works are playful, theatrical, extremely kitsch and strangely beautiful.

Living abroad? Study shows you’re likely to be creative

2009-05-02T12:47:00.004+08:00

SINGAPORE, April 24 — Living abroad helps people expand their experiences and also their minds, according to an international study into the link between moving to another country and creativity.

The research, published by the American Psychological Association, consisted of five studies involving students at Paris’ Sorbonne University, at INSEAD, a business school with campuses in France and Singapore and at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in the United States.

Researchers said that although the studies show a strong relationship between living abroad and creativity, they do not prove that living abroad and adapting to a new culture actually cause people to be more creative. “This research may have something to say about the increasing impact of globalisation on the world, a fact that has been hammered home by the recent financial crisis,” said the study’s lead author, William Maddux, assistant professor of organisational behaviour at INSEAD.

“Knowing that experiences abroad are critical for creative output makes study abroad programmes and job assignments in other countries that much more important, especially for people and companies that put a premium on creativity and innovation.”

In one study, MBA students at the Kellogg School were asked to solve the Duncker candle problem, a classic test of creative insight in which individuals are presented with three objects on a table placed next to a cardboard wall: a candle, a pack of matches and a box of tacks. The task is to attach the candle to the wall so that the candle burns properly and does not drip wax on the table or the floor and the correct solution involves using the empty box of tacks as a candleholder, and then tack it to the wall.

The solution is considered a measure of creative insight because it involves the ability to see objects as performing different functions from what is typical and the results showed that the longer students had spent living abroad, the more likely they were to come up with the solution.

The findings appear in the May issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association.

— Reuters

Defining the design arena: Join the ‘design umbrella’

2009-04-30T00:43:00.004+08:00

article source: EDTI (European Design Training Incubator)
Recently, at design innovation, we were looking for new trainers to talk about the different design domains. My first question to the candidates was, who is a designer? Only half raised their hands. To my surprise, apart from artists or art historians, the others who kept their hands down were graphic designers, fashion designers or interior architects, people we assume to be designers.

It means that designers themselves do not know they are part of the design business. I’ve heard many times designers complaining about clients who don’t know what design is. How do we expect a client to know what design is if designers themselves don’t know? How therefore can we expect someone to buy design services or expertise? This confused situation has direct economic impacts in terms of clients not using designers.

Defining design domains does not mean restricting creativity. It just helps outsiders to apprehend what design is, who to call and for what services. It helps design businesses and client satisfaction. Health-care (designers love comparing themselves to doctors) is a huge area of expertise: doctors, surgeons, paediatricians, dentists, anaesthetists, general practitioners, orthodontists and many others. We, as clients, know which door to knock at if we have a cold or a broken leg. We are aware there are different doors but we know they are all doctors. Why can it not be the same with design? All designers should know they are ‘designers’, and they should know how to position themselves on the design map. This should be communicated to clients to understand the scope of design.

While developing the EDTI surveys, we faced the question of listing design domains. It sounded easy and obvious but it ended up in lengthy debates. The question was not that easy. Nevertheless, we finally came up with a list of 7 main design domains, some 40 sub-domains and close to 200 sub-sub-domains. Is this the final list of design domains? Most likely not but it might become a standard or a foundation for a future standard. Comments on the list are invited.

All designers, design schools, design associations and design organisations could gather under a common ‘design’ umbrella and use a common language and organisational structure for design disciplines, design domains or design categories. This would be a huge step towards the development of the design and creative industries. At an individual level, it would be a huge step forward in each designer’s career development.

Thierry Van Kerm
EDTI co-ordinator

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Be proactive -- join wREGA (wakaf Reka Grafik) Malaysia, speak up and make a difference on things that matter to you as a designer.

Wonderful Market + 1st Pipiteer Gathering

2009-04-29T13:56:00.007+08:00

1st Designer Hand-made Creative Market

03 May 2009 - SUN
11am - 8pm

Level 7, Berjaya Times Square, KL (near Theme Park entrance)

> click here to see some of the latest cool artsy designer products that will be available at the market.

Enquiries: Mike (Pipit)

Scandinavian DesignLab talk

2009-04-27T23:15:00.009+08:00

29 April 2009 -- WED
10:00am – 12:00pm
Jesper von Wieding, strategic Creative Director and Founding partner of Scandinavian DesignLab from Denmark will be giving a lecture at Dasein Academy of Art.

FREE - all welcome.

Venue: Dasein Academy Of Art
3A-12-G, Jln Wangsa Delima 10, Desa Wangsa, Setapak, KL
For more information: email Shanli or call Mdm. Lim +603-4142 2990

Call for Entries - Work your guts out

2009-04-27T22:45:00.009+08:00

Hong Kong Asia Design Awards 2009
Take part in this multi-disciplinary design competition for the Asia Pacific region.

Organised by the Hong Kong Designers Association (HKDA), the HKDA Awards has been a who’s who of design excellence in Hong Kong and Asia in the last 34 years. It is a comprehensive, multi- disciplinary award for professional designs in the fields of graphic, product, spatial and new media.

(click on pix to view Call for Entries Poster in full size)
The last HKDA Awards 07 received more than 1,700 entries, collected from 36 destinations in the region including Mainland China, Japan, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taipei and Hong Kong.

Submission deadline
30 MAY 2009

Submission details

Art and the marketplace

2009-04-18T11:39:00.002+08:00

by: Victor Chin
For 20 years or more, if you were a Malaysian artist, not in the popular line-up, yet one of those lucky ones with your artwork in the National Art Gallery’s (NAG) collection, you’ll probably have a quibble with NAG because you can’t find any of your works on display in the premier art institution. Why?

There could be many reasons for this distressing situation. One was that there was simply no deliberate policy, in the past, to display a sample of ever artist, past and present, old and young, of the 3,800 artworks in their collection, for the public to get an overview and judge for themselves what sort of artistic talents we have in the country.

But thanks to the current Director General of NAG, Mohamad Najib Ahmad Dewa, many things have changed. Read all about this in Victor Chin's article in TheMalaysianInsider.com.

Victor Chin is a Kuala Lumpur-based artist and photographer.

Mad about Bamboo

2009-04-17T20:07:00.018+08:00

Recently, Heath Nash, that brilliant designer who turns recycled plastics into lighted works of art, marveled & raved about the range, diversity & complexity of local Malaysian handicraft during his design workshop during the KL Design Week.

I had thot, oh great, another gwei-lo getting inspired by the most mundane trinkets found in our craft markets, reminding us of our rich heritage in craft & design. What does it mean - that these crafty achievements has gone unnoticed by Malaysian designers fed on a diet of foreign design superiority. So, from now on, I will also blog on Malaysian handicraft news into kakireka's radar in the hope that it will bring about more awareness & subsequent creative collaborations between designers & handicraft producers.

As a start, there is bamboo, a woody grass(!) found growing all over Malaysia. I was told that in Java, indonesia, bamboo is treasured as a resource and used so efficiently that a normal family can sustain itself economically making bamboo-derived products with just 4 clumps of bamboo growing in their backyard. From building houses & furniture to household utensils, handicraft & toys for sale. Whereas in Malaysia, bamboo is just treated like grass or at best, merely decoration in a pot or landscaping. FYI, Malaysia used to be in the forefront of bamboo "technology" & research. China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh are way ahead of us in this field where bamboo is seen as a viable, eco-friendlier alternative construction material compared to timber/wood by using latest engineering tech for reinforcement & durability. In the US alone, there are 4000+ registered patents on inventions using bamboo. (info updated from Bamboo Forum speakers).

What can you do with BAMBOO?
Find out at this event. For Architects, Product Designers, Interior Designers, Artists, Handicraft producers, etc.

MACRI Creativity & Innovation Week - Exploring New Possibilities
15 - 21 April 2009 // Pusat Sains Negara, Bukit Kiara, KL.

MACRI (Malaysian Association of Creativity & Innovation) has planned a week of programs, workshops, seminars, activities, all designed to bring out the creative and innovative spirit in us. While the overall theme of this year’s Creativity & Innovation Week is bamboo, there are many parallel events that cater to everyone. Here are some items that may interest Designers:

15 - 21April 9am - 5pm daily
Bamboo Expo – unique showcase of all kinds of products and crafts made from bamboo. Highly recommended for secondary and college students, and entrepreneurs.

18th April SAT 9am ~ 4pm
Bamboo FORUM – Material of the New Millenium // The anchor event of the entire week. Come and hear experts and speakers talk about bamboo and its vast potential. Targeted at entrepreneurs, innovators, members of government agencies, the corporate sector, and the academia. Participation fee is RM25 per person for members of the public, and RM10 per person for students (including lunch and tea breaks). Free for participants from MACRI, FRIM, PSN, MOSTI, YIM, MARA, OUM, MENSA. full programme - below.

19th April SUN 9am ~ 5pm
Bamboo Design Workshop // Led by staff and students from ALFA International College, this is a one-of-its-kind workshop that imparts creative skills through the use of bamboo. Targeted at youth from colleges and universities, and also at young entrepreneurs. Limited seats.

21st April TUE 10am ~ 12pm
Seminar: Forging a Thinking & Innovative Organization // Targeted at the representatives of any corporate organization, the seminar examines the crucial role Creativity and Innovative can play to help meet today’s many challenges. Middle and Senior Management staff will find this seminar very useful. Facilitator is none other than Dato’ Ghazi Sheikh Ramli, Malaysia’s foremost Innovation Evangelist.

Bamboo FORUM – Material of the New Millenium
09.45am -- BAMBOO – HOW MUCH DO WE KNOW by: En Abdul Razak Othman, Senior Research Officer, FRIM
10.15am -- Tea Break
10.45am -- BAMBOO FOR HEALTH, by Dr Marzalina Mansor, Director, Biotech Division, FRIM
11.15am -- ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN WITH BAMBOO by: Assoc. Prof Puan Sri Nila Inangda, Dept of Architecture, Universiti Malaya
11.45am -- BAMBOO FOR SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS by: Prof Dr Jimmy Lim, Alfa College
12.15pm -- A SHOWCASE OF THE LATEST BAMBOO PRODUCTS by: Dr Wan Tarmeze Wan Ariffin, Senior Research Officer, FRIM
12.45pm -- COMMERCIALIZATION OF BAMBOO PRODUCTS by: Assoc. Prof Dr Razak Wahab, School of Tropical Forestry, Universiti Malaysia Sabah
01.15pm -- Lunch
02.00pm -- SPECIAL BAMBOO MUSICAL RENDITION
02.30pm -- PANEL DISCUSSION – BAMBOO, MATERIAL OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM moderated by: Dato’ Ghazi Sheikh Ramli, Founder/President, MACRI
04.00pm -- End of Forum

>> More info at MACRI, or call Ramesh at 017-8828 302

Some designs using bamboo found online...

Computer Vision lecture

2009-04-15T02:09:00.004+08:00

Study Adelaide will host a lecture on "Computer Graphics, Computer Vision and Image Processing" by: Prof. David Suter (University of Adelaide - Computer Science) who is doing cutting-edge research on computer vision. List of Publications.

18 April 2009, 3pm
Mandarin Oriental Hotel, KL.

The lecture will highlight how current trends in research and technology could change our lives.
FREE admission. Email booking or call Brian 012-2975613 to register.

Tintoy's hip-hop ghostbusting cartoon Wins 1st Prize!

2009-04-12T22:46:00.003+08:00

12 Apr 2009 - Tintoy Chuo & Actiontintoy Studio's quirky creative east-meets-west cartoon entry "Ghoul Smashing Quarter or GSQ" took the top prize (animation category) at the MSC Malaysia IP Creators Challenge 2008 final judging event at Palace of the Golden Horses, Sri Kembangan, K. L. today carried Live on AstroRia.

The event was the culmination of an intense 8 months of creative development work while also being made subjects of a new realityTV programme by Astro. The creative pitch involved 5 different finalist teams hoping to create the next big hit animated series. Personally, I can't wait to watch the RealityTV show.

Congrats to all the winners and good luck with the follow-up negotiations for a bite of that RM850k bank of grant money! To infinity & beyond!

Next, the stakes are raised for the MSC Malaysia IP Creators Challenge 2009 which offers grants totalling RM1m.
Closing date: 02 July 2009.

So - can you do animation? write/illustrate a digital interactive comics? have ideas for a computer casual game? or mobile phone game apps? Get cracking then!
More info: MDEC website

About the competition
This is open to amateurs and professionals from the creative multimedia industry. Supplemented with a 'step-by-step' and 'how-to' workshops for the benefit of the participants. All four competitions run concurrently. RealityTV show filming only for Animation category, so far. Judges are selected from among the best in the industry. At the end of the competition, winners will receive a sum of money, a development lair at Cyberjaya, unlimited access to Creative Applications and Development Centre facilities and consultancy from experts in the field. MDeC reserves the right to showcase the product for promotion purposes while the intellectual property remains with the creator. Am told that Astro has exclusive 1st refusal rights to commercialise the final product.

BarCamp KL 2009

2009-04-04T02:07:00.018+08:00

KL Design Week is almost over but this is no time to rest. If you're a design entrepreneur and fancy free this weekend, go check out BarCampKL at IntiCollege, Subang Jaya. It's jam-packed with workshops & talks with up to SIX parallel sessions going on simultaneously in different rooms so you must manage your own time.
SAT 04Apr - 8:00am-8:00pm (free T-shirts for earlybirds)
SUN 05Apr - 8:00am-5:00pm

Below is a sampling of some 30+ speakers and topics spread over the 2 days... Best of all, it's all FREE if you register online.

- Devigners in Action: "Ma, look! No codes" _Daqing & Kok Chiann.
- 3 Really Cool Wordpress Tricks _James Yeang.
- Travel 2.0 - Sharing travel tricks - Using blog and social networks to get free food/stay/friendship/lots of love and have fun. _Preetam Rai.
- Social Networking: Is it just a hype or for real, my journey to become a social networks & how to start a social networking site for below 1K _Edwin Wang.
- Do you have what it takes to be interviewed? Do you get tongue-tied when you face the media...or worse, suffer from verbal diarrhoea? Get the basics right if you want to be a media success _Freda Liu.
- 360° Persuasion - How To Get Anything you Want. The Psychology behind Getting People to Give You just about ANYTHING _Michael Reyes.
- Open Travel Culture: Wikitravel Press (looking for Malaysian editors!) and OpenFlights.org _Jani Patokallio.
- MAD over Mobile Apps!!! _Gerard KM Lim.
- Cradle Fund Entrepreneurs Experience _James Chen & Uncle Bugs.
- Let's Open Socially - an introduction to OpenSocial _Nazroll & Marvin Lee.
- Get Your Dream Job: Ditch School and Get a Library Card _James Lee.
- Advertising/PR, Bloggers/Integrity: Make money, thru honesty _Colin Charles.
- Your Office is everywhere - Mobile Office _Ikhwan Nazri
- Project Revitalise: Remedy to global economic downturn _Janet Tan.
- Photo mosaics with Ruby and Yahoo! BOSS _Chang Sau Sheong.
- Connect with Rural folks: Opportunity for you to get connected to rural folks in Malaysia through Internet to make $ or to spread your love by sharing your knowledge, skills, or services _Azul.
- Sex & Business - Why these Two share the same rules _Brandon Liew.
- Google Calendar for Dummies - marvelous for time management! _James Lee.
- The Art of Pitching - 60 second elevator pitch to inivestors _Michelle Chia.
- Get Lotsa Freebies here!! (Free Business Inspiration. Entrepreneur Secrets) And Tools to get you started _Joanna Tong.
- "Why and how to get your kids interested in programming" - Introducing Scratch, a visual tool by MIT to teach programming to kids _Preetam Rai.
- Building robust democracy using the internet _Khairil Zhafri.
- Art of Making Espresso: Chemistry of Creativity+Constraints _Azim Pawanchik.
- Fashion, Interactivity, Alternative Marketing: Exploring ideas of alternative marketing/management of fashion in relation to interactivity between designers/audience _Bea.
- 10 Sins of Advertising: An insightful look from the eyes of a youth advertiser from Penang _Jackson Teoh.
- The Entrepreneurs Algorithm _Daniel Cerventus.
- The Secret to start a Global Travel business with RM2500 _Alvis Loo.
- What I can do if I am Jobless...? _Michael Tan.
- Why some Mutations are Awesome for Your Company? _Jackson Teoh.
- Interactive social experiments and simulations. Learn how you are your best weapon of change or destruction _Ellynita Lamin.
- Silverlight Vs. Flex : Silverlight > Flex _TC Wu.
- Deep impact of Network Theory in Social Networks: N Level Up for Algorithmic Intelligence _Syed Talat Fakhri.
- Casual Game Development: Tips and Tricks _TC Wu.
- The Stingy Startup - grant money is great, what happens after? _Kengyew.
- Contributing to the Starbucks Economy _Aizat Faiz.
- PHP Fuzzing in Action: 20 Ways to Fuzzing PHP Source Code _Ahmad Siddiq.
- From Geek to Chic: True story of a geek saved his own social life. How to enhance your social life, and look good while you at it! _Khalid Hilaby.
- The Earth Saviours - Journey of a Crazy Social Eco-preneur _Aidan A Chew.
- You Can Start Small: Where each things in life where in business or life it is not a must that u have to start big .. it is okay for you if want to start small to reduce your risk _Fareez Shahfiqar.
- Communicate to success! _Dave J.
- Buzz Your Brand! (BYB) Insights by a youth from Penang about Buzz-ing a new brand. _Jackson Teoh.
- Corporate brands in social media: Win win for everyone? _Derrick Koh.
- Pecha Kucha
- Open Social Hackathon

Full list & details of sessions/topics.
Online registration is FREE.

BarCamp is basically a very open, participant-driven workshop event where people share knowledge and ideas and expand their social and business network. There is usually no particular theme. Those people who want to share ideas and knowledge - of any subject, in any field - could register for time and room to host their session. Then, the rest of the people could come to event for free and join any session that they are interested in. If they find that the session un-interesting, they could just leave and go to the next one.
Links: Website. Facebook Group. Facebook Event.

There has been a lot of interesting topics in the past barcamp events. Check out the topics at the first BarCamp KL, StartupCamp KL and the recent BarCamp JB.

+ + Not to be missed - PARTY + +
04Apr - SAT
4:00pm - 11:00pm
KL Design Week Gala Closing & Arty Party at Cap Square, KL.

DESIGN + CULTURE

2009-03-18T04:38:00.005+08:00

kakireka smalltalk 12.0
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Ms. Hua Project
- character design for branding
by: Jay Lim, Tsubaki Studio

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Culture + Identity = Icon?
- toys & character merchandising
by: Chun Woei, Urban Cr3atures

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Hip-hop Taoist Project
- conceptual design for animation
by: TinToy Chuo, ActionTintoy Studio

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Creating Versatility
- commercial graphic design
by: Muid Latif, Moedlatif

21 Mar 2009 - SATURDAY
1:00 - 4:00pm
Cobra Club House, 2nd Floor, Sports Complex, 7 Lorong Utara B, Jalan Utara, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
(behind Armada Hotel, next to Tun Hussein Onn Eye Hospital).
> Google map

FREE & open to public. come early to mingle & chat. limited seats.

For designers interested to find out more or to join wREGA, come earlier for the wREGA members luncheon & wREGA Annual General Meeting which starts at 11:30am.

Creative Economy and Industries Programme

2009-03-16T02:53:00.006+08:00

Today, the creative industries are among the most dynamic sectors in the world economy and provide new opportunities for developing countries to leapfrog into emerging high-growth areas of the world economy.

In implementing its mandate, UNCTAD has been proactive in promoting international action in the area of the creative industries, and hence, the creative economy, emphasizing their development dimension. The creative industries are at the crossroads of the arts, culture, business and technology. All these activities are intensive in creative skills and can generate income through trade and intellectual property rights.

UNCTAD´s work
- Promoting the creative economy as a new source of growth
- Providing a platform for intergovernmental debates and consensus-building.
- Supporting government initiatives for concerted public policies and inter-ministerial action.
- Liaising with governments, institutions, artists, creators, academia and civil society to strengthen the creative economy in developing countries.
- Providing demand-driven policy advice and technical assistance to governments.
- Building synergies among the United Nations system: UNCTAD, set-up the United Nations Multi-Agency Informal Group on Creative Industries.
- Organizing and/or participating in international and national events.
- Promoting networking through our quarterly E-Newsletter "Creative Economy & Industries".
- Sharing knowledge and information through its research analysis, studies and statistics.

BENEFICIARIES

The creative economy deals with a wide range of stakeholders:
- Governments: economic development, culture, trade, tourism, finance, technology, communications, labour, foreign affairs, social affairs and education.
- Business sector: from independent artists and small business enterprises at one stream, to some of the world´s largest conglomerate at the other.
- Public cultural institutions: museums, galleries, public service broadcasting organizations, etc.
- Civil society: foundations, academia, artistic and creators, professional associations, sectoral organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), etc.
- International organizations and public opinion: UN family, other international organizations, press and media, etc.

Ms. Carolina Quintana
Creative Economy & Industries Programme Trade Analysis Branch
UNCTAD, Palais des Nations
1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
T: +41 22 917 55 51
E: Carolina.quintana@unctad.org

article source: UNCTAD website

Develop Creativity Into An Industry: Shabery

2009-03-14T02:09:00.007+08:00

What a busy month March is... the KL Design Week is at the end of this month. Plus it seems there is a Creative Industry Conference organised by the Ministry of Information on the 16-17 MAR 2009 at Nikko Hotel, KL that will discuss matters of government policy, infrastructure to support & develop the creative industry. So... Malaysia finally jumps into the Creative Economy bandwagon right when the recession hits? Better late than never, right?

latest news from BERNAMA:

KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 -- The creative industry should be restructured and expanded to make it a sector that can contribute to the country's economic growth, Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek said today. He said the industry had great potential to be developed because besides having people with natural creative talent Malaysia had also produced many graduates in this from its local institutions. "It is difficult to define this industry because it is different from the manufacturing and construction industry where we can see the physical results.

"The end product of human creativity can only be linked to the contribution it makes to the country's economic growth and the creation of job opportunities and income for those involved in the field. But if carefully structured and expanded, it can become a big industry. "This is what is lacking in our country. Our society is creative but this field has yet to become an industry," he said in a interview on TV3's "Malaysia Hari Ini" (MHI) programme on the Creative Industry Conference which the ministry is organising on March 15 and 16.

The conference is aimed, among others, at providing a channel for the sharing of information and ideas among those involved in the creative industry, technology providers and policy makers, both local and foreign, on the future of the industry in Malaysia. Themed "Creative Industry: A New Dimension for Economic Development", the inaugural conference is expected to be attended by about 500 participants, including tertiary students and suppliers of films and dramas.

Ahmad Shabery said the creative industry could follow the footsteps of the agricultural sector which, after its restructure, expansion and change of mindset, became a business entity and industry that made a big contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). He said the creative industry in Malaysia was still lagging behind that in other countries which contributed up to nine per cent of their countries' GDP. "We don't know how much the creative industry in our country contributes to the GDP. Some say it's not even one per cent, so it's difficult for us to gauge. The potential's there but it's not being developed," he said.

Shabery hoped that the people and policy makers would see the importance of the creative industry not only from the aspect of job opportunities by also the products. He also said that the banks could help in the development of the industry by providing financial aid to the industry players to develop their talent and creativity to reach the global level. The RM20 million injection by the government through its second stimulus package was a fund that could be used to enhance the creative industry, he said. Besides that, Radio Televisyen Malaysia's (RTM) new 24-hour entertainment channel, Muzik Aktif, to be aired over 180 Astro from next Thursday could serve as a platform for creative practitioners to display their talents, including through video clips in its various programmes, he added.

Shabery said it was hoped that the conference would mould a new mindset in the society to better understand the Creative Economy (C-Economy). "We hope the word C-Economy will become a household word in the society. We will monitor the progress of the C-Economy in the country and this is a platform that we have built," he added.

source: BERNAMA

Is Malaysia ready to become a Creative Economy?

2008-12-16T22:04:00.005+08:00

Creative Economy
Report 2008
The Challenge of Assessing the Creative Economy: towards informed Policy-making

This report makes good reading for policymakers and anyone interested to be in the creative business. Also comes with a forest of facts & figures to be plucked & used in your own biz presentations.

Excerpts:
"The creative economy has the potential to generate income and jobs while promoting social inclusion, cultural diversity and human development."

"This Report provides empirical evidence that the creative industries are among the most dynamic emerging sectors in world trade."

"The large majority of developing countries are not yet able to harness their creative capacities for development."

"The policy-oriented analysis presented in this Report represents an initial contribution to developing a better understanding of the key issues underlying the creative economy and its development dimension."

A more thorough overview of the report can be found here.
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> Download report (pdf 2.5Mb).

This Report is the fruit of a collaborative effort that was led by UNCTAD and the UNDP Special Unit for South-South Cooperation and that included a team of experts from the collaborating UN agencies – UNCTAD, UNDP, UNESCO, WIPO and ITC – as well as international consultants.

Design & Crisis

2008-12-13T21:23:00.015+08:00

kakireka smalltalk 11.0 -- Design & Crisis
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Implications of current financial crisis on Brands
by: Liza Low, Identity Matters

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The Bukit Antarabangsa landslide aftermath from a designer/victim's point of view
by: Asri Ahmad, wREGA member

19 Dec 2008 - FRIDAY
7:00 - 9:00pm
Ole Cafe (upstairs), Changkat Bukit Bintang, K.L.

FREE & open to public. Light refreshments served. come early to mingle & chat. limited seats.

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- - COMING SOON - -

2009 schedule for kakireka smalltalks

JAN - Design & Cultural Heritage
"Malaysian Design - a vernacular or copycat?"
FEB - Design & the Built Environment
MAR - Design & Photography
APR - Design & Event Management
MAY - Design & Character Animation
JUN - Design & Print Publishing

Details will be announced as soon as they are confirmed.
If you would like to attend or be a speaker at any of these smalltalk events, drop us a line for an invite. Venue will be at Ole Cafe unless specified otherwise. All are welcome.

Pipit 2nd. Anniversary at Zouk

2008-12-09T14:41:00.005+08:00

Pipit celebrates their 2nd. Anniversary in true artsy designer style! With short film screenings, installations, design product booths, LIVE digital art demo, DJ performance. Go for the ideation, demonstration and collaboration.
> details here.

Pipit is a project that actively support worldwide independent artist and designer, promote art design related project, exhibition and other creative activities, keen to provide source , information.

Pipit is also an online community , publisher , agency that produce independent creative issue, organize event and crossover project.

- congrats, Mike! & all the best from kakireka.

MDeC Targets 6 Partnerships In Creative Content Industry

2008-11-19T21:56:00.004+08:00

Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) is targeting at least six co-production partnerships between Malaysian companies and regional counterparts for animation, television, games and virtual reality projects.

Its vice president of creative multimedia department, Kamil Othman, said four companies in Malaysia were currently involved in co-production with Korean parties in creative content covering animation, television, games and virtual reality. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Second MSC Malaysia Creative Industry Dialogue Session today, Kamil said MDeC was eyeing more successful partnerships between Malaysian companies and those from Thailand, Australia and South Africa next year.

He said the formalization of cooperation treaties between the National Film Development Corporation (FINAS) and its counterparts in Canada, Australia and Singapore scheduled next year will also boost the local creative content industry.

Kamil said to take the local creative content industry to greater heights, Malaysia will need to adopt a different approach. Previously, local content players have been focusing on production. We need to put more emphasis on pre-production in churning ideas and designs as well as scripting," he said.

According to Kamil, MDeC is passionate about its vision to help local content players be more successful globally. "When we go overseas for our trade missions, we bring these companies along so that they can find their potential partners and see how other players in the world are doing," he said.

Kamil said another area that MDeC wanted to do more was to help local content players in intellectual property. We will assist them by creating more awareness in intellectual property through cyberlaw conferences so that they will not be exploited," he said.

In addition, MDeC was also providing assistance in the form of grants to help local content players, Kamil said. He also said that the biggest opportunity for the content industry was the government's plan to have high speed broadband for the nation.

Source: Bernama 14Nov2008

Kyoorius Design Yatra Powerup

2008-11-17T05:56:00.004+08:00

Being a "jaga pintu", it is inevitable to bump into so many familiar faces from my past during the Kyoorius DesignYatra conference event held last week 14Nov2008. And also nice to have made quite a few new friends too.

These design conference-type events are so important to designers to get a boost of insight, inspiration and brief respite from our hectic agency life of never-ending deadlines. The event topics covered was not only inspirational, but also aspirational with bits of the cynical and critical all rojak mix-up "ABC campur-campur" like what Kath Tudball would say. Maybe will post a detailed review later.

Meanwhile, here's to hoping there will be many more conferences to come in negaraku.

Watch this space for lots of interesting kakireka monthly smalltalk events from the contacts I've made at this Kyoorius design event.

May Those Who Help The Most Win

2008-10-07T12:44:00.004+08:00

Are you a do-gooder? Do you like helping others? Occasionally dreams of being a hero? Imagine yourself saving the world by saving the cheerleader? But you don't have a superpower to speak of. And yet, you have big ideas on how to make the world a better place but lack the resources to carry them out. Well, now here's your chance.

Google has just announced Project 10¹⁰⁰ (pronounced "Project 10 to the 100th"), a worldwide call for ideas to change the world by helping as many people as possible. This is in conjunction with their 10th birthday.

Why is Google doing this?
The short answer is that Google thinks helping people is a good thing, and empowering people to help others is an even better thing. Here's the long answer.

How it works:
1. Send Google your idea by October 20th. Describe the gist of your idea by filling out the official entry form. You can supplement your proposal with a 30-second video.
2. Voting on ideas begins on January 27th on the Best 100 ideas and the public to vote the Top 20 semi-finalists. Then an advisory board will select up to 5 final ideas.
3. Google will help bring these ideas to life by committing $10 million to implement these projects, and the goal is to help as many people as possible.

Idea Categories:
// Community: How can we help connect people, build communities and protect unique cultures? // Opportunity: How can we help people better provide for themselves and their families? // Energy: How can we help move the world toward safe, clean, inexpensive energy? // Environment: How can we help promote a cleaner and more sustainable global ecosystem? // Health: How can we help individuals lead longer, healthier lives? // Education: How can we help more people get more access to better education? // Shelter: How can we help ensure that everyone has a safe place to live? // Everything else: Sometimes the best ideas don't fit into any category at all.

Criteria:
- Reach: How many people would this idea affect?
- Depth: How deeply are people impacted? How urgent is the need?
- Attainability: Can this idea be implemented within a year or two?
- Efficiency: How simple and cost-effective is your idea?
- Longevity: How long will the idea's impact last?

This is a great example of branding at its best. The whole concept & idea is so ideal v& unique to the Google brand. From the project name "Project 10¹⁰⁰" which is basically a googol, to the scale, scope & overall goal of helping to make the world a better place. Go Google Go!note: the reward is simply making the world a better place. If you read the FAQ, you'll discover there's no $ in it for you even if you win. But if you're a true superhero, you wouldn't care about that, would you?

wREGA Members Night

2008-09-22T02:38:00.006+08:00

wREGA or the Graphic Designers Association of Malaysia will be having a Members Night this coming Wednesday in KL.

An informal get-together over drinks and snacks and for members to find out more about wREGA's activities & exciting plans for 2008 & 2009. All existing members will receive their official 2008-09 members pack from the current wREGA President, Koh Lee Meng.

Date: 24 SEPT 2008 (WED)
Venue: OLE CAFE
Time: 7:00pm* - 10:00pm *updated

Non-members & guests are also most welcome - if you wish to join the official registered design association in Malaysia, wREGA, attend this event to find out more & introduce yourself to other designers/members.

note: wREGA = wakaf REka GrAfik

FREE Seminar Independent Filmmaking: Creative Strategies and Multi-Market Thinking for Film

2008-09-09T11:44:00.011+08:00

by: Michael Wiese,
(International Producer & Publisher)

25 Sept 2008 - THUR 10am - 5pm
26 Sept 2008 - FRI 10am - 1pm
Venue : Theater P.Ramlee, FINAS

A lively and informal seminar of 'must-know' information for professional filmmakers, writers, producers and covers the creative business and programming strategies necessary for creating success with your project and getting noticed in the overcrowded world arena.

Michael Wiese will share tips for raising financing, finding distributors and avoiding the traps found in standard distribution contracts. His specially designed PITCH SESSION, Wiese will help you find your unique voice and skills and turn your special gifts into a vocation. Participants at Michael's previous seminars have rated Michael's seminar 93% to 96% "at meeting or exceeding expectations". An engaging and challenging event is anticipated for the Kuala Lumpur creative and business community.

The seminar, will be tailored to attendees needs and may cover some or all of the following topics:

Case Study of "Bali Brothers"
Develop a Successful script
Give Investors What They Want
Get Financing from Investors, Distributors and others
Add Promotable Elements to Your Package
Prepare a Business Plan
Prepare Income Projections
Spin Plates Among Stars, Investors, Distributors and Sponsors
Assemble a Winning Team
Obtain Marketing which is More Important than Dollars
Cover Yourself Legally
Put Together Financial Projections
Identify Hidden Sources of Money In Your Project
Find Producing Partners
Target Distributors
Develop Your Own Pitch that Sells
Identify Your Own Unique Skills
Choose The Right Digital Tools
Get Into Production

Michael Wiese is an America filmmaker, author, seminar leader, and publisher who lives in England. He was formerly Vice President at Vestron, at one time America's largest independent studio, where he oversaw the production and distribution of over 200 videos in all genres grossing over $100 million. He was also responsible for launching video lines for National Geographic, Smithsonian, NOVA and PBS. Currently he oversees Michael Wiese Productions which publishes over 100 professional film and video books that are used in the major motion picture studios and in 600+ film schools throughout the world. He had presented filmmaking seminars for Kodak (Cannes Film Festival), The Independent Feature Project, The American Film Institute (15 yrs) and Rockport's International Film and Television Workshops. He is currently is preparing to direct a feature film based on his 1995 novel in Bali. interview1, interview2.

Interested?
REGISTER here to get your free DVD, CDROM and course material.

JayLim's Ms.Hua Dances with Flowers to Nanyang via Penang

2008-09-08T06:41:00.009+08:00

What's up in Penang's design scene?
An upcoming exhibition by JayLim who will reveal his first signature style & character design, "Miss Hua" – the fictional character of a young woman based on the Shanghai 50’s era.

This is part of a cross-cultural project with a group of talented artist/designers from Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan, namely Nakanari, Josef Lee, Muid Latif, Urban-Cr3atures and Fusionwave.

“There is a huge following in western culture and modern living, and this situation will have an effect on the identity of a country, or a person. Even the cultural heritage that we see still standing along Petaling Street and Jalan Mesui, for example, is an integral link between the past and the future that continuously shape our perspective and understanding of the present world". - JL.

The exhibition will have designers sharing stories and their experiences in the ever-demanding creative industry through keynote speakers Lim Chun-Woei (Han Chiang College), Muid Latif (CD/founder of DMP), Luk Chee Chew (Fusionwave) & JayLim. The exhibition will feature a variety of styles and perspectives through poster designs.

Exhibition & Talks
"A Journey to Nanyang – Dance with the Flowers"
19 & 20 Sept 2008 11am – 5pm
Han Chiang College, Lim Lean Teng Road, Georgetown, Penang.

note: the above article content is adapted from JayLim's event blog.

smalltalk // 28 June 2008

2008-06-27T06:23:00.018+08:00

kakireka will be having a special smalltalk event in conjunction with wREGA's Annual General Meeting & Elections 2008 to be held at the same venue (Ole Cafe) earlier from 2pm onwards. If you're interested to hear what's the Malaysian Graphic Designers Association about, come earlier, details in the blog post before this one.
100 Characters inside my Bag
A talk on designing unique characters
Speaker:
Tintoy Chuo, character designer
ActionTintoy Studio

28 June 2008 (SAT)
Ole Cafe, Changkat Bukit Bintang, KL.
5:00pm-6:00pm
Entrance is FREE but limited seats: to book a seat, click here.
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Studio profile:
ActionTintoy Studio is a character design & illustration studio located in Kuala Lumpur, founded by Tintoy Chuo, a multimedia designer who's passionate about cartoon & character creation. Besides being conventional artists, ActionTintoy Studio is also involved in new media design such as animation & game development. His creative expertise has reached across the globe and back: Singapore, Beijing, Hong Kong, Sweden, Canada and USA.

ActionTintoy Studio's works were also featured in many design magazines, as well as design web-portals. Tintoy Chuo is constantly involved in international design collaboration campaigns to promote & increase the awareness of Malaysian design and character design.

wREGA - Malaysian Graphic Designers Association Annual General Meeting & Elections 2008

2008-06-23T10:30:00.004+08:00

Calling all graphic designers! If you like kakireka's activities but would like to join an actual professional body for designers in Malaysia, look no further than... wREGA or Wakaf Reka Grafik Malaysia (the one and only association for graphic designers in Malaysia that is recognised by ICOGRADA). Anyway, we share similar goals but wREGA is a registered organisation while kakireka only exist online... for now.

wREGA's been around for 9 years now and will be having their 10th Annual General Meeting this Saturday, 28 June 2008. Incidentally, the meeting will be held at the same venue as kakireka's smalltalk, good old "Ole Cafe" at 48, Changkat Bukit Bintang, KL.

Drop by and find out what lies in the future of design in Malaysia and maybe how you can benefit or contribute as a designer. Membership is open to all design professionals, design students and even associate members (ppl in biz related to design) are welcome to join.

Malaysia is changing rapidly in the aftermath of the 2008 general elections. There is a social awakening among Malaysians about the power the rakyat has and even designers should step up and be counted. Now's the time to get involved and let your voice be heard if you have something to say about the design profession on a national level. Can design be used to provide creative solutions to what ails this beloved country of ours? Racism? Culture drift? Transportation woes? The environment? Effective town-planning?

Instead of just bitching about agency politics or racist politicians or what coulda woulda shoulda, join wREGA now, get into the organising committee and make some serious changes for the betterment of us all. And make design be sexy, be better valued, be useful... before we all drown in the rising prices of everything due to wasted resources and not being able to work together becos we are different.

wREGA 10th AGM -- 28 June 2008 (SAT)
2pm - 6pm
Ole Cafe, Changkat Bukit Bintang, K. L.

Interested, email wREGA today to book your place. Do indicate if you're interested to serve in the organising committee.

smalltalk // 07 June 2008

2008-05-30T01:53:00.013+08:00

07 June (SATURDAY)
Ole Cafe, Changkat Bukit Bintang, KL.
8:00-10:00pm

speaker // topic:
"Learning Mathematics
Can Be Creative & Fun"
by: Dr. Kien H. Lim, University of Texas at El Paso, USA

Is the math taught in schools killing the creativity in our children? What does the the field of mathematics education in the West (US & Europe) propose to resolve this issue? Are the strategies applicable here?

In the talk, Dr. Lim will share the challenges he is facing in helping his students (prospective teachers) in the US develop ways of thinking instead of memorizing facts, formulas, and algorithms.

He will discuss how math problems can be designed so that the math can be learned in a fun and meaningful way. You will experience it through an activity for yourself.

Who should attend:
Designers dealing with finance industry clients, e.g. you need to make sense of all the numbers in the corporate annual report. Anyone who's afraid to deal with numbers or just want to stop hating maths. Anyone who need to solve a math problem but have no idea what it all means. Parents with school-going children. & maths teachers?

Why kakireka? Part I

2008-05-28T14:32:00.006+08:00

(published with permission)
Dear Kenneth,
Hi. I was really glad that I stumbled upon kakireka.com on the internet. I am certainly quite impressed by the initiatives taken to form talks/forums such as 7:21. It was with pleasure that I realized you are the co-founder and that you previously worked at O&M as I did a short stint there as an intern during my undergraduate study in 2004. I am a Malaysian currently doing my MPhil/PhD in Graphic Design in UK. Unfortunately, I am not sure of how much I can do to help as I am not in Malaysia, would certainly be an active participant if I were in Malaysia! Also, I am hoping that we could have a discourse and probably an interview later on as I am interested in your direct experience in this field, as well as your perspective on the perception and practice of graphic design in Malaysia, as part of my research. Thanks so much, in advance, I am looking forward to contacting you for any insight and advice you would be willing to share. Meanwhile, I would constantly keep up with the site. Thank you for your consideration. Regards, Debbie

(kakireka reply)
Hi Debbie,
well met indeed. sorry i dun remember if we crossed paths in O&M but i left end of 2004. which dept were you in? kakireka needs more people like you to provide some food for thought and academic insights into why what we do matters to who how when. As design practitioners, we often get caught up in our own client's self-serving world of sell sell sell and neglect the social aspects of the creative power we truly possess. One of the objectives of kakireka is to buildup a repository of public discourse and research into local design history, methods, culture, best practices, etc. We welcome any researcher to publish their papers/ prelim. findings on our site. Heck, we might even help facilitate your research by giving you access to our readers/members if you want their opinion or other support (case-by-case basis) online or offline during one of our live events.
It's a crying shame that till today, 50yrs of merdeka, there can't be found any substantial (published) research on malaysian DESIGN history (compared to arts & craft), as Irina, our exco member cum Masters student researcher from UiTM can attest to. With no discernible history to relate to or learn from, it is no wonder young designers generally lack a sense of pride in their chosen profession. Survival in the industry becomes a personal battle against other competitors /designers. Dog eat dog world. price cutting counter-measures. Or who has the better skill, the latest software weapons, etc. We are like designer mercenaries. Next, we enter & win creative industry awards to show off we're the best... NOT to learn from each other. There are so many stories of fresh graduates who get disillusioned and quit the profession within the first year of graduating. To break this pattern, we have to build a sense of community where we must help each other if we are to grow professionally. And to be open to new ideas, new collaborations and experimentations of new techniques, new fundamental practices that may make us grow to be a better person as well. So, welcome again to kakireka. We're, in turn, also interested in your progress and future research contributions on "the perception and practice of graphic design in malaysia". Do share with us your insights. May I know what's your thesis/research about? cheers, Kenneth

smalltalk // 30 May 2008

2008-05-27T04:04:00.011+08:00

30 May (FRIDAY)
Ole Cafe, Changkat Bukit Bintang, KL.
8:00-10:00pm

speaker // topic:
"Asia, Heart & Bowl"
A talk about Experience, Creativity and the Heart over Mind.
by: Melisa Wong, Octagon Creative

Who should attend:
Graphic Designers, Theatrical Set Designers, Video/Multimedia Artists.

Are you Malaysia's hottest young design entrepreneur?

2008-05-26T02:25:00.003+08:00

Are you running your own design business with panache and flair?
Do you feel passionate about making a difference in design?
Fancy hanging out with the likes of Tom Dixon & Sir Terrence Conran?

If that's you, you're our Malaysian Young Design Entrepreneur to send to the UK!

As the Malaysian finalist, you will take part in a 12-day all expenses paid tour of the UK’s design sector, along with the finalists from 9 other countries. The tour will comprise visits, meetings, seminars, events and shows, including 100% Design and London Design Festival where you get to schmooze with the big players and your peers. Plus the shot at winning prize money of £7500 and being chosen the International Young Design Entrepreneur 2008.

3 Easy Steps to becoming Malaysia’s representative to IYDE 2008
Step 1: Get noticed - submit your application by 30 JUNE 2008
Step 2: SHOW not just tell us and you’re on the short list
Step 3: Speak up and be heard - IMPRESS the judges at the interviews

Visit www.britishcouncil.org.my now for the application form!

Pecha Kucha Night Kuala Lumpur Vol.3

2008-05-23T01:55:00.005+08:00

24 May 2008 (SAT)

The Annexe Gallery, Central Market Annexe
7.30pm – 10.00pm

What is Pecha Kucha you ask?
It’s a night of music (by Blastique), drinks and swift and slick presentations (20 slides, 20 secs/slide) by people of the creative persuasions.

And who’s on the line up?
Ridwan Kamil, architect and urban planner, Bandung Indonesia
Creative United Movement (C.U.M.). design collective and fun folks
Munkao, visual artist and bawdy humorist
Simon Keogh, architect and curator, transplanted from Ireland
PopMalaya, tee-shirt designers
Elaine Foster, poet and humble servant to the Freedom Film Festival
Zhin Teng, emerging architect

It’s going to be a night like none other so make sure you’re there!
Email British Council or call 03 2723 7931/7988 if you need to talk about Pecha Kucha. And check out Pecha Kucha Global – it’s happening almost everywhere!

Olympic Games Beijing 2008 Graphic Language

2008-05-08T16:16:00.009+08:00

Click here for the 2nd of 3 parts of an interview with Min Wang, the Design Director for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Interesting read with cross cultural design strategies, forming a graphic language that speaks to the world and yet retains an unique chinese flavour.

Learn how the team fuses Eastern & Western ideas, values & aesthetics.

Examples include the unique inlaid circular ancient jade "bi" (transl. talisman tablet?) into the olympic games medal design.

And how the sports pictograms were inspired by oracle bone calligraphy and chinese seal characteristics.

Also check out the Beijing 2008 graphic elements and compare it with past years designs.

smalltalk // 09 May 2008

2008-05-06T13:57:00.000+08:00

09 May (FRIDAY)
Ole Cafe, Changkat Bukit Bintang, KL.
8:00-10:00pm

speaker/topic:
"Online Games Design showcase"
by: EasyOnly!Games

Award-winning game designer Hazmer will showcase his latest original online games from his EasyOnly!Games studio.

Their latest release, "The Last Canopy", a manic top-down shooter got rave reviews and won First Place at the recent JayisGames.com's Casual Gameplay Flash Game Design Competition #5.

Come & get some insights on how to design a great flash game & release it online.

Admission is FREE. Limited seats. Come early.

OGC unveils new logo to red faces

2008-05-05T13:37:00.004+08:00

(left) The OGC logo, seen as it was intended.

It cost £14,000 to create, but clearly no-one at the smart London design outfit that came up with the new logo for HM Treasury thought to turn it on its side. The logo, for the Office of Government Commerce, was intended to signify a bold commitment to the body’s aim of “improving value for money by driving up standards and capability in procurement”.

Instead, it has generated howls of mirth and what is likely to be a barrage of teasing emails from mandarins in other departments.

According to insiders, the graphic was already proudly etched on mousemats and pens before it was unveiled for employees, who spotted the clanger within seconds.
> read original article here
by: Aislinn Simpson, Telegraph.co.uk

Designers Graduation 2008 // The One Academy

2008-05-04T17:21:00.005+08:00

The One Academy Designers Graduation Show (Batch 55).
Majors in: Advertising and Graphic Design, Multimedia Design, Interior Design, Digital Animation, Illustration.

theme:
"StoryBox"

05 - 15 May 2008
Exhibition at The One Gallery, 28 Jalan PJS 11/28A, Bandar Sunway, PJ.
Enquiries: Sam Goh m:012-220 0911 Dora Lau m:016-3778 390

+ + + + + +
Note: to all design students reading this, let kakireka help promote your own college graduation showcase when the time comes. Send us the necessary info in the format shown above with a key graphic/picture (150x150 pixels) and we will post a blog entry on your event. Free-of-charge service by kakireka as a show of support to all young designers.

The Freak Factor - What's My Problem?

2008-05-03T22:07:00.004+08:00

Designers, have you ever felt or made to feel like you're a freak, a nerd, or a geek just be'cos you don't want to conform to the masses? That you don't fit in? Your friends/peers/boss/parents tells you that you have this and that weakness in your character that needs to be fixed or else you won't be liked/accepted?

Well, don't despair and don't simply give in to peer pressure & this overwhelming desire to change yourself - just to conform. You might do more harm than good to yourself if you do so. To find out why, go download this PDF file, read on and be inspired...

The Freak Factor: Discovering Uniqueness by Flaunting Weakness
by: David Rendall
...short excerpt from the document...

2. What’s My Problem?
I have a lot of weaknesses. According to my parents, teachers, managers, friends and wife, I am:

hyperactive
impatient
impulsive
easily distracted
resistant to authority
need to be the center of attention
not open to the ideas of others
too focused on the big picture
unable to manage administrative details
a poor listener
a bad team player
disorganized

Even with these weaknesses, I’ve been able to achieve a moderate level of success. So, how did I do it? How did I overcome my problems? How did I finally conquer my weaknesses?

I didn’t.
I didn’t overcome my problems or conquer my weakness. I didn’t get better. Instead, I discovered that my apparent flaws were clues to my true strengths. Because of this insight, I became a professor, speaker and consultant. Now, the hyperactive guy, who can’t sit down or stay quiet, gets paid to stand up and talk.

The guy who isn’t a team player works alone. The guy who doesn’t like authority runs his own business as a leadership and strategy consultant, which means that the guy who isn’t good with the details helps people to see the big picture when they are too busy with daily operations.

All of my supposed flaws are still there, they just don’t matter that much. In fact, I’ve succeeded because of my weaknesses, not in spite of them. These examples from my life illustrate the three primary lessons of this manifesto.

1. There is nothing wrong with you. Weaknesses are important clues to your strengths.

2. You find success when you find the right fit. You need to match your unique characteristics to situations that reward those qualities.

3. Your weaknesses make you different. They make you a freak and it’s good to be a freak.

"My experience as an individual, consultant, parent and leader indicates that efforts to fix weaknesses are ineffective. Furthermore, I believe that the goal of being well-rounded is both undesirable and impossible to attain. The purpose of this manifesto is to explain why I believe this and to offer a better alternative."
David Rendall

... end excerpt...

Download full PDF file from the ChangeThis Manifesto website...

smalltalk // 21 April 2008

2008-04-19T10:11:00.005+08:00

+ + Announcement + +

With regret, our next smalltalk scheduled for 21 April is cancelled due to the unavailability of our main guest speakers who were invited to share their experience working behind-the-scenes on the Making of "Re-imagining the City" project in collaboration with onedotzero in KL earlier this month.

We hope we'll have them at a later date, esp. for those who missed the entire 5-6April multimedia performance workshop/event/forum exploring how Art & City Life can each affect and cause change in the other and the roles artists can play.

So You Think You Can Act? Write? Direct a Film?

2008-04-13T16:31:00.009+08:00

by: Kenneth Lam

They say every art director secretly aspires to be a film director and every writer harbour dreams to pen an award-winning screenplay one day. They also say life is short, so go explore these new dramatic horizons.

For aspiring film directors, actors and writers, FINAS (National Film Development Corporation Malaysia) offers many short courses on the craft of film-making. Courses are available on film production processes from screen-writing to short film to documentary workshops and technical workshops from camera techniques to set deco to makeup, sound design and film editing, etc. These intensive short courses mostly takes up 5-days (full-time) and reasonably costs RM600 each.

To find out what's hot in the local film industry, here's a decent web portal by FINAS called SinemaMalaysia launched sometime in 2007.

Check out the latest film industry news, discussion forums, search the comprehensive database of made-in-Malaysia films dating back to the 1930's!

There are also searchable directories of actors, new talents, film crews, producers, various creative companies providing professional services for the local film industry. Designers, get yourself listed-lah.

Interact 10-ways

2008-04-13T08:36:00.004+08:00

by: Kenneth Lam

Walk into any design studio and you will see stacks of stock image sample books opened on tables, stacked on the floor, stuffed in shelves, all over the place. I love image catalogs.

Besides sourcing for that right picture from the imagebank to use in a campaign, I know many designers/art directors flip through these catalogs to get inspiration, sort of like brainstorming free-association style. They don't know what they are looking for ...but they will know it when they see it, ...you know.

I just wish there is a "less clutter" way of doing this as the collection of books pile up sky high. Like going online and searching through the various imagebanks or google images. But that only works when you know exactly what you're looking for and the experience of searching is often slow, clunky and clinical (like going to the dentist and getting your teeth drilled).

Recently, I came across this new site commissioned by GettyImages designed to inspire via imagery organised by 10 themes. Which is nothing new by itself compared with printed image catalogs but along with each theme comes 10 separate conceptual experience with an edgy interface that's simple and involving. Go interact, play, experience visual imagery and see where it can take you.

check it out >> interact10ways.com

smalltalk 7:21 // 07Apr2008

2008-04-06T03:12:00.008+08:00

Our next kakireka smalltalk is on 07 April, this coming MONDAY!
8pm -- Ole Cafe, Cangkat Bukit Bintang, KL. FREE Entrance.

Topic/speakers:
Commercial Design in Siam
A Malaysian Designer's Experience in Bangkok
by: Jazmi, Dotiro

All about Chatting
Online Meeting Tools
by: Josh Hong

Re-imagining the City

2008-04-05T02:53:00.004+08:00

It's finally here.
An arty farty multimedia event by onedotzero and British Council.
Performances, film screenings on SAT plus a panel discussion on SUN.
Not to be missed.

> Click on pix or visit the British Council website for details.

Design Field Trip // Islamic Arts Museum

2008-04-03T23:19:00.012+08:00

Have you heard good things about the Malaysian Islamic Arts Museum and always wanted to visit but just couldn't find the time or the right group of people to go with?

Here's your chance to go with a bunch of designers keen to broaden their minds to explore the aesthetics of Islamic world of art & design. You're all invited to tour the museum with the kakireka.com organisers this Saturday.

Come feast your eyes on 7,000 exquisite artefacts spread out over 12 galleries with emphasis on the thematic Malaysian melting pot that comprises Malay, Chinese & Indian Worlds.

Marvel at the artistic craftmanship of illuminated calligraphic manuscripts, armaments, ceramics, jewellery design to textiles, etc. in breath-takingly beautiful architectural surroundings.

Come and be inspired with a 360 degrees experience of a brand.

Interested to join us, meet at Museum's main reception area.

05April, SATURDAY -- 2:00pm

Museum admission fees:
Adults -- RM12
Students -- RM6 (with ID)

note: all photos are taken from the official Islamic Arts Museum website.

Helvetica Rules OK!

2008-03-31T05:23:00.005+08:00

Who would have guessed there would be so much interest among local designers in a film about typography and specifically that oldie but goodie, Helvetica. This is very encouraging, no? More than 60 people turned up during our last kakireka smalltalk film screening on 21 Mar. The room above OleCafe never looked "cosier". And afterwards, more than half you agreed you're interested in similar typography themed events in future. interesting... hmmm. What shall we do next to top that?

Previously, I've observed young designers nowadays would just use whatever font that comes pre-installed in their Mac/PC and not blink twice. Or the other end of the spectrum for others I have seen would force fit as many font as they can like there's no tomorrow in a single job. That inevitable rojak font circus parade gives that creative edge, no? To each their own, you say? Down with conformity and readability? The rule is that there are no rules? I wonder how many of you who watched the film discovered a new found appreciation for Helvetica or typography in general.

> View photos from the event, photog by JoshTew.

A big thank you to all those who stayed back for that little typo exercise with the kakireka ident. We hold events so designers can meet up & collaborate so we thot of that game to help break the ice. Hope many of you made few new friends that night. But we do appreciate your creative contributions and will showcase all of the new kakireka logos at the top of this blogsite in due time.

We do this to also show you that kakireka is created for all of you and each new designer that comes in contact with kakireka will slowly but surely, help evolve the kakireka brand. So our logo ident will be never be the same, ever-changing, quirky yet trendy.

Many thanks also to our sponsors, OleCafe (venue), BasheerBooks (refreshments). And thankyou to all those who slogged & helped to make that smalltalk a success, incl. Irina's friends who helped with guest registrations. See y'all again on the 7th of April. Details coming soon.

I want to be the new crony

2008-03-13T18:02:00.018+08:00

by: Kay H Khoo
Now that we have a new state government, I am hoping that real change will happen.

As a resident of PJ, we will be getting a new MBPJ. I last read that they are looking for an outdoor advertising man to monitor the billboards. I think designers are looking at a nice rebranding project about to happen.

How can they not do a rebranding? MBPJ (PJ City Council) looks like an old and arrogant establishment. We need new ways to communicate to its target audience. The branding exercise also needs to motivate the demoralised existing staff who aren't sure whether they would still be in the office, if they are those who earn a paltry official RM1200 salary, yet staying in a 2-storey bungalow and driving black perdanas.

I am almost certain of this: for the first time, the job will not automatically fall into the hands of cronies. How about this - DAP-PKR-PAS, if you are listening, I want to be your new crony. I want to give your new foothold a makeover.

This is what I would like to propose to the new MBPJ.

The arrogant authoritarian image of MBPJ has to go. They are to serve the residents, not to rule over them. A dark blue uniform chap wearing a police looking emblem is nothing close to being friendly or approachable.

I usually don't like to recommend disposing off the existing logo, even though it is a very designer thing to equate rebranding with a new logo. For MBPJ, the logo simply has to go. Do a bungaraya, a dove, a smiley face, a heart shape, or just typeset MBPJ in Frutiger. Whatever. It doesn't matter. It's just a logo! The priority is to make it say "MBPJ is here to serve you" and not "MBPJ is here looking for ways to saman you".

Let me start with the normal designer's package deal. Do the logo change. Establish brand identity guidelines. Redesign the uniform - perhaps a smart causal with a tie would do. Repaint the vans - especially those raiders of the DVDs and mamak stalls.

What I would like to recommend is to use the budget wisely. Upgrade your MBPJ contact points. The payment hall's environment is gloomy and dreadful. The PJ civic centre chairs are breaking apart. The library needs new books and magazines. Get a good interior person to work along the brand guidelines and improve these touch points. I won't say this will make paying fines and taxes a joyful experience, but at least, it is not so depressing.

I would also propose that MBPJ invests heavily in the web. The latest news is no news. The sistem semakan kompaun is not working. The current web reflects the owner - irrelevant and obsolete. Don't say the internet penetration rate is low. Young working classes do run errands and help their parents pay bills - the summons and the cukai pintu. If MBPJ gives them a more efficient method to do so and eliminates the agony of queuing up, the city council's revenues should increase. That is ROI-talk, if MBPJ needs a reason to invest in good web design. Coming fresh from the election victories, the new state government should know better about the power of internet. Still not convinced? Ask Jeff Ooi.

MBPJ should reduce unnecessary printed collaterals. It is ironic to scream aloud big words like green sustainability while pumping out pompous leaflets declaring PJ as a smart city. While we are at the subject of printed collaterals, I would like to offer my design services to redesign all the official forms. It's not because I want to show off what I can do with Helvetica. Seriously, the borang-borang just don't make sense to most people. One word of caution though, to keep up with the "we care" positioning, MBPJ may be required to create new job opportunities for the professional form-fillers outside the MBPJ premises.

Most importantly, please don't put up buntings and billboards all over PJ to tell people how great MBPJ is. When one is great, the people will know - there's no need to scream. Don't cut corners on the identity development and then spend a bomb telling the world about the logo change. Bad is bad - didn't we already learn the lesson from Telekom's rebranding?

I wish to go on with the list, but I am reminded about the need to protect our profession. We are dealing with intellectual property here! I can't give anymore free ideas.

There are other areas which MBPJ should look into if they were to take rebranding seriously. An extensive brand audit and research needs to be conducted. A proper proposal needs to be prepared and evaluated. Most crucially, MBPJ should prepare to build a long term relationship with a good design consultancy, making them a partner until 2013 elections. Why does that sentence sound creepily alike rewarding a crony with a lucrative contract?

I know as a designer, it's definitely a nice challenge to rebrand a city council.

For that, I don't mind being a DAP crony!

- by Kay H Khoo / figtree, reflecting on Malaysian design.

In your (type)face

2008-03-13T06:14:00.005+08:00

kakireka 7:21 smalltalk _21Mar2008 (FRIDAY)
8pm-11pm
Ole Cafe, Changkat Bukit Bintang, KL.
FREE Entrance but limited seats.

film screening:
"Helvetica", a feature-length documentary about that typeface. Millions of people use and read this typeface every day, on public transport, newspapers, shop fronts and computers. Through provocative, lively interviews with designers and type enthusiasts (eg. David Carson, Stefan Sagmeister), the film tells the story of how a typeface drawn by a little-known Swiss designer in 1957 became one of the most popular ways to communicate. Though it has gone in and out of fashion it has never gone away - is this a symptom of globalisation or simply a reflection that it is the ultimate typeface?

Come and get up close and personal with the world's most popular typeface which celebrated its 50th birthday last year.

No smalltalk 07Mar - eve of Election Day

2008-03-05T12:20:00.012+08:00

kakireka smalltalk event on 07Mar (FRI) has been called off due to the National General Elections the very next day 08Mar2008. Many will want to balik kampung on Friday night. Others may want to squeeze in that last ceramah/political rally or two, listen to politicians talk big one last time before making up their minds in this most hotly contested general election in recent memory. Go and VOTE!

+ P R E V I E W +
The next smalltalk will be on
21st Mar 2008.
Theme: Typography in Design
by the fans of helvetica.

Since this is election month, come join in the debate on whether Helvetica is truly the best public service typeface ever designed... or not? Other contenders?
Come & find out.

poster design: peter jarvis

ChangeThis Manifesto

2008-02-28T19:41:00.011+08:00

In this election season in Malaysia, we see manifestos flying left & right as the powers that be or just wannabe attempt to communicate/sell their unique brand/political point of view to the rakyat. Is it just me or do most if not ALL the design & layout of the contesting parties' manifesto statement documents look tired, dated, so "last century" and not very inspiring visually? eg. download > BN (5.2Mb), DAP (0.4Mb), Keadilan (2.6Mb), PAS (15Mb). Last minute rush jobs? Can't afford to hire art directors/graphic designers? What does that say about the understanding or appreciation for good design among those who walks in the corridors of power in Malaysia? Does it even matter? What do you think?

But wait-a-minute, manifestos aren't just churned out by political parties. ChangeThis is creating a new kind of media that uses existing tools (eg. Adobe PDFs) on a mission to spread important ideas ("manifestos") and change minds. What strikes me is their consistent use of a simple grid that accommodates the wide variety of ideas, each with a simple functional & attractive design & layout. Even if some are just text-based, it still looks good and compelling. You can download some of the best examples below. Good ideas presented with good layout & design.

The Elongating Tail of Brand Communication
This topic touched on by Kay Khoo during kakireka's 1st smalltalk in Nov2007. Now you can find out more about the web 2.0 mass media cultural revolution and how it affects brand communication today.
> Download (695Kb)

Build Your Brand in Bits & Bytes
Welcome to the Me Millennium. The World Wide Web is an indispensable tool for communicating your value as a professional, expressing your differentiation, networking and performing career research. Not only will you be researching opportunities online, others will be researching you.
> Download (263Kb)

One-Minute Site
The end of the corporate website as usual. How to get rid of this model that doesnʼt work and prevents you from getting what you were promised from the Web. Missions 1--Kill the homepage. 2--Avoid brochure site model. 3--Stop worshipping technology.
> Download (478Kb)

Calling All Designers - Learn to Write!
User experience isn’t just visual design. It’s time we designers stop thinking of ourselves as merely pixel people, and start thinking of ourselves as the creators of experiences. And when it comes to experience on the web, there’s no better way to create it than to write, and write well.
> Download (652Kb)

The Personal MBA
Mastering Business Without Spending a Fortune. Business schools don’t have a monopoly on worldly wisdom. If you care more about increasing your effectiveness at work than a diploma and a few lines on your resume, the Personal MBA is for you.
> Download (747Kb)

ChangeThis Manifesto
The original manifesto of manifestos. Sometimes it seems as though our disagreements over everything, from politics to business to the designated hitter rule - are more serious and more divisive than ever before.
> Download (198Kb)

As you can see, I love well-designed Adobe PDF documents. This format gives designers the total ease & freedom of laying out design elements for print, with some basic interactivity & accessibility that rivals a website or interactive cd-rom format. But without all the technical fuss & steep learning curve for its production. Future article will have examples of cutting-edge PDF documents with multimedia...

Malaysian Graphic Design Survey 1

2008-02-22T07:08:00.008+08:00

Our resident researcher, Irina invites you to take part in her little survey on the Malaysian design scene as part of her UiTM masters research which investigates the need for a centralised design resource center in Malaysia. It's only 10 short questions, click here to begin.

Design Refreshments

2008-02-22T05:08:00.016+08:00

Call yourself a graphic designer? Do you have the necessary foundation skills and knowledge to do the job? Not all designers have the privilege of a proper design education or to learn from dedicated lecturers who inspires learning even with the most mundane of subjects - maybe typography or art history?

It's when you are out working in the real world when you suddenly wish you had paid more attention in that certain class. But learning is a life-long quest. We never stop learning so don't despair if you don't know or forget a fact or two. Most designers learn on the job anyway.

For those keen on continuous learning or just want to brushup, here's an online magazine, "Before & After" that's dedicated to making graphic design understandable, useful and even fun for everyone. They are a great source of short & sweet design tips, delivered with beautifully crafted design makeovers based on basic design foundation & communication principles. It's a subscription service but you can still download free samples each month like the ones shown below...

1. Design a Logo of letters! Are you known by your initials? Turn those letters into a terrific signature! 2. How to cool a hot photo. When your photo can't be changed, surround it with cool color. 3. What's the right typeface for text? How to choose a typeface for clear, easy reading over long distances.

If you want more free samples like the ones below, you can if you register as a myPantone member (FREE) as mentioned in the previous post. Register, login, then goto Tips & Techniques section...

1. Design a story-style brochure. Fold-and-undfold-a single sheet into an appealing, narrative-like presentation. 2. Create Web page Photo backgrounds. Make pages so real it’s like being there. 3. Design simple presentations. Visual brevity will help a great talk.

Color Palettes for FREE

2008-02-18T03:18:00.010+08:00

I have a long-term love-hate relationship with the Pantone system. Much as I enjoy picking out mouth-watering spot color hues from their expensive collection of "fan" color swatches booklets for a design project, getting the work to look/print accurately to specs (or to look like the swatch) is a never-ending challenge.

Like playing lottery, hit & miss, die now must recalibrate/redo/blame the poor printer? Choosing a color palette for a design job is a matter of technique (which can be learnt) and taste (something you're born with or not). For those not born with it, there are design books offering ready-to-use color palettes that are proven to work as a shortcut to picking your own palettes. For those who need a shortcut...

Pantone now offers online color palettes for FREE download that reflects latest color trends & other user-submitted ones. Subscribe (FREE) to their e-newsletter as a myPantone member & download lots of goodies including great "Before&After" design makeover pdfs for the designer looking for some inspiration.

I Love Dogs _21Jan smalltalk review

2008-02-14T04:29:00.015+08:00

review by: Irina Muis
Don’t be afraid, it won’t bite you. How would you like to have a pet dog that does whatever a normal dog does, yet doesn’t eat, poop or die? Then I’d like you to meet Bobby, the interactive new media installation by Edwin Yiing.

“I love dogs” is Edwin’s final project as a multimedia design student at The One Academy. Driven by the desire to explore extraordinary usage of the webcam and speaker, Edwin was able to produce a 2D onscreen virtual dog that could interact with the ‘owner’ in real time.

With the installation projected on the wall, Edwin demonstrated how he could walk, run, jump and even play ball with Bobby. You could even show your love to Bobby by patting him on the head! Later everyone was given a chance to experience playing with Bobby just by putting on a black pair of gloves...

Citing Nintendo Wii and YouTube as his inspiration and research, Edwin set out to use minimal technology as opposed to the expensive equipment usually related to new media. Overall, it was cool and an eye opener, you would never fully understand new media unless you experience it yourself.

Hopefully other designers would be similarly inspired to challenge the norm in producing future works.

// DOWNLOAD
Edwin has kindly made available for those of you interested to experiment in this area, a flash actionscript file that made the motion detection feature possible in his project. Download it here. 515kB zipped.

Chinese New Year break

2008-02-04T00:57:00.001+08:00

kakireka smalltalk series will be taking a break in February since since our chosen dates of 7th & 21st of every month in February falls smack in the middle of Chinese New Year and Chap Goh Mei where the chinese hold big family reunions.

So the next smalltalk will be on the 7th March 2008. Have a good holiday and we wish all our chinese readers Happy Chinese New Year! Kong Hei Fatt Choy!

From Insights to Design _21Jan smalltalk review

2008-01-28T11:52:00.003+08:00

review by: Irina Muis
From paper cutting to luxury cars and diamonds, Michael Quay treads a thin line between being a con artist and a consumer expert.
Started out cutting ads for a year after finishing a double degree, Michael Quay showed that by being persistent and blindly courageous, you might accidentally end up being a strategic planner in an ad agency. This gave way to his topic for the night, “From Insights to Design.” With his relaxed style of presentation, Michael proceeded to share his vast experience on how consumers’ insights help shape ideas for amazing ad campaigns and marketable products.

As an exercise, the group was given 5 minutes to dig an insight from the person next to them and to relate it to the group. The exercise demonstrated how asking simple questions could uncover unique knowledge in people. Mike continued to give examples on insights that formed the design of products, starting from the Ford Mondeo to DeBeers diamonds. At times insights even help ensure the saleability of the product even before they are produced.As designers we are responsible in producing goods for the masses but still encouraging commercial success for our clients. Michael’s advice to designers, be more sensitive in observing the behaviour of consumers.

After Michael’s presentation, some of the young designers said how the exposure has made them realize how insights can help them produce better designs, rather than merely as an aesthetic value but also in its commercial sense.

+ + UPDATED + +
Mike has kindly agreed to let us download screenshots of his powerpoint for a limited time. Plus his notes are in the comments section.

Show off your anim/design skills on MTV

2008-01-27T05:12:00.003+08:00

Remember those mesmerising, wild and wacky MTV logo animations that you see on the MTV channel and you go "I can do that!". Now, here's your chance...

MTV Asia call for entries -- create your original MTV idents (MTV logo) in any artform - live action, 2D, 3D, stop motion anim, claymation, photography, etc. Selected entries will be aired on MTV channels. Individual or team entries accepted. You are allowed to put your signature on the work. Outstanding participants may be offered internship at MTV Asia.

Details > MTV Asia website.

Nextgen Contentpreneur Awards

2008-01-25T22:15:00.000+08:00

Astro + MDeC are organising this competition that honors creativity in the creative content/media industry. They value the IDEA that drives a campaign along with the execution of the idea. Exclusively for students - esp. those pursuing a career in the content, communication, broadcasting and multimedia industry. Cash prize: RM10,000. Closing: 07 Mar 2008. Details: Astro website.

Searching for Ideas - How Creative Can We Be?

2008-01-24T02:05:00.001+08:00

Designers are generally expected to possess creative flair. How creative are we really... compared to an inventor?

Attend this FREE talk and rub shoulders with a bunch of down-to-earth innovative Malaysian entrepreneurs. Be inspired with a tip or three & make new biz contacts to marry good design with good inventions to make it great!

Searching for Ideas - How Creative Can We Be?
by: Dato Ghazi Sheikh Ramli, President, MACRI
26 January 2008 (SAT) -- 2:30pm
MACRI Club, S2, Level 2, Center Point, Bandar Utama, PJ.

contact Ramesh Pillai, or call 017-8828302 to reserve a seat.

Face to Face Forum is Malaysian Association of Creativity & Innovation (MACRI)'s monthly networking session, held on the last Saturday of every month.

Rise of the Creative Class

2008-01-21T13:46:00.001+08:00

Came across an interesting article - Wanted: A 'bulldozer' for Malaysia by ChanHoYing (The Strait Times, S'pore) about how Singapore is cultivating the "creative class" to fuel its economic development into a metropolitan "creative city". Which explains why they have a national design library and recently, a design museum plus substantial government support on local organised design-related events.

Reading the article led me to some even more interesting articles on current thinking about how certain successful economies/companies owe their success to nurturing and attracting this very creative class (which includes designers like u and me). I wonder when the Malaysian government will ever catch on...

read this:
The Rise of the Creative Class: Why cities without gays and rock bands are losing the economic development race.

The 'creative class' (wikipedia), a term coined by social scientist Dr. Richard Florida, refers to a group of highly imaginative and creative citizens.

Insights to Creative Strategy Talk

2008-01-20T02:51:00.000+08:00

kakireka
7:21 smalltalk 6.0
7:21pm - - Ole Cafe, Changkat Bukit Bintang, K. L.
Come listen to the best creatives talk big & meet other designers over small talk. Light refreshments provided. Seating available for 30 people only... so come early. FREE Entrance. TOPICS/SPEAKERS

"From Insights to Creative Strategy"
by Michael Quay
Strategic Planner, M&C Saatchi
Real life stories of how unique consumer insights help create the best advertising campaigns.

"i love Dogs"
new media installation
by Edwin Yiing
Multimedia Designer, Pathfinder FX
Experimental design project pushing the limits of webcam & microphone.

kakireka 7:21 smalltalk - - 7th & 21st of every month @ 7:21pm - -

2008-01-19T11:00:00.000+08:00

So we finally made the move from blogger to wordpress as the blog platform of choice. The reason is that there are so many things we tried to do with kakireka that we very quickly hit upon the wall of structural & design limitations with the free publishing engine provided by blogger/blogspot. Blogger was free, simple, intuitive, with essential features which makes it easy to startup a blog. But the lack of 3rd party plug-ins and not being able to setup sub-sections is a real pain for a growing content-rich site that kakireka is meant to be…

Many thanks to Asri for sponsoring our move which meant getting our own domain name “www.kakireka.com” and a proper paid web-hosting services with AN Hosting.

Deciding on a web-host is an adventure in itself for designers like me who are basically lost at sea with all the IT issues to consider with various options and a minefield of hidden costs and fly-by-night web-hosts. Luckily, Kay and Jai has been a great help providing me with real world advice on what works and whose tech support is better. And these websites helped me make my decisions, with their expert tips - problogger.net and reviews of the best web-hosts - www.ojr.org

The importing of the whole blog content was clear-cut and wizard-aided but not without its challenges so pls. bear with us while we iron out the kinks, esp. the wonky font settings and some missing pictures. Plus the look & feel might change drastically over the next few weeks as we experiment with a few site templates from thousands available to find the best fit. This blog is all about design so it better have a kick-ass web-design & aesthetics, right?

New blogsite… kakireka.com
The old blog is still there… kakireka.blogspot.com and we will continue to maintain it during this transition period.

Lastly, with the move, expect to see much more exciting & useful features for designers to interact with one another at the new web/blogsite very soon.

Collaborative Work with D-Fuse?

2008-01-15T21:14:00.000+08:00

This is a great opportunity for multimedia/video designers/artists.

British Council and acclaimed UK cross-media outfit onedotzero are looking for video artists, sound artists or film-makers to collaborate with London-based creative media artists D-Fuse.

You will need to, on your own time, gather video footage between end FEB - end MAR. And commit from 1-6 APR 2008 for work with D-Fuse and presentation of "Surface".

The collaborative piece "Surface", will be performed live in Kuala Lumpur. Local artists (you) will collect time-lapse panoramic footage of the urban landscape and work with D-Fuse in putting it together for an amazing original piece of work.

Interested? Closing date for application: 31JAN 2008
Details here > www.britishcouncil.org

Re-imagining the City - an audio-visual project which explores how artists are both influenced by, and can help shape, cities, through the use of digital and other emergent technologies. Aiming to give artists a voice in how cities are planned and experienced, this project will also attempt to address issues of creativity, community and connectivity, identity, planning and sustainability.

Manga Manga Where Art Thou Manga?

2008-01-15T14:01:00.000+08:00

Here's something for you manga artists and fans. Manga meets Shakespeare? Holy Hamlet!

Book Talk & Signing Session
8.00pm WED | 23 January 2008 | Kinokuniya, Suria KLCC

Come and meet:
Paul Duffield - Artist for The Tempest, winner of Tokyopop’s Rising Stars of Manga and the International Manga and Anime Festival grand prizes.
Emma Hayley - Director, SelfMadeHero, which publishes the Manga Shakespeare series, shortlisted as Young Publisher of the Year in the British Book Industry Awards.

Win Kinokuniya Vouchers!
If you’re a Manga/Comic artist, bring your best artwork and the Top 3 as selected by Paul and Emma will win Kinokuniya vouchers.

For more info about Manga Shakespeare, Paul Duffield and Emma Hayley, click here. Organised by britishcouncil.org.my

What is Web 2.0?

2008-01-14T05:20:00.000+08:00

The Machine is Us/ing Us
Our smalltalk speakers in the past have uttered the words "Web 2.0 this & that" so what exactly is Web 2.0, some of you may ask? Here's the best explanation I've seen yet, in the form of a video/animation designed by Michael Wesch, assistant professor of cultural anthropology from Kansas State U, USA.

It starts simply with just pencil and paper then transitions to various computer screens displaying relevant websites, while deftly deconstructing the code behind the websites in a way that makes the medium part of the message. And it's simple enough for a layman to understand - brilliant! Check it out > The Machine is Us/ing Us.

Malaysian Animation Education Seminar

2008-01-12T16:20:00.000+08:00

Date: 21-22 Jan2008
Venue: Dewan Orkestra ASWARA, Akademi Seni Budaya dan Warisan Kebangsaan, 464, Jalan Tun Ismail, KL.

For those interested or dabbling in animation as a designer, academic or artist - here's something that should get you into an animated state...
There is a FREE animation seminar organised by ASWARA with the objectives of bringing about better awareness of the latest advances and insights into the challenges & coping strategies to thrive in the world of animation. 12 papers to be presented in 4 sessions over 2 days. Theme is "Malaysian Animation Education Development" (my direct BM translation).

Closing date: 16 Jan 2008. Limited to 200 participants. > Apply now .
More info: Azlim Ibrahim 03-2697 5978, Azizi Ismail 03-2697 5337

To read the original notice in BM from kakiseni, click into the comments section. Note: both ASWARA and ASK websites seems to be down at the time of writing this.

smalltalk 4.0 - kakireka ChillOut Nite Report

2008-01-12T00:30:00.000+08:00

Wan Hazmer's Emergent Behaviour in Game Design talk was a fascinating insight into the latest game design trends. He brought lots of gifts to encourage audience participation. So basically nearly everyone went home with a gift present. Note: someone left behind their designer gift tall glass - email me to claim it back... There wasn't enough time for Hazmer to show more of his own award-winning work so he is willing to come back for another talk and maybe design/demo a real game LIVE (online) in the near future.

Meanwhile, Jo Kukathas's talk was an eye-opening acting workshop, very hands-on and movement and enjoyable role-play. Body language awareness. Something about body posture/positioning influencing own state of mind. Natural ice-breaker as side-effect. Very well-received by attendees. More photos & a short videoclip here > facebook kakiREKA group.

Jo also indicated her interest to do another talk/workshop, on theatrical stage design with hands-on creative design work for the participants, maybe with a fictitious play or something. Wouldn't that be cool? Based on her reveal that too few local designers dabble in stage design. Wants to develop interest/collaborate with us in that area.

setup
Food & drinks from OleCafe were simple & good. Finger food & fried rice(?). The cauliflower tempura bit was deli-c. Collected RM5 from guests total = RM60. Thanks to all of you who donated. CheeMoong came early to lend a hand. OleCafe staff ever so helpful. Event started on time but 1st talk only began at 8:45pm. slightly 10+ people at the time. Many thanks also to Irina Muis who help out with the guest registration.

crowd
average = 15+ only incl. organisers. interestingly, ALL new faces! Wonder what happened to all the kakireka smalltalk regulars?

potential speakers
wREGA past president Hanan was there. He will be guest speaker in future smalltalk. Need to followup for details. Spoke to One Academy new graduate Eva Wong to do a 15min showcase of her fashion-themed social networking website project at next smalltalk on 21Jan. Will follow up to confirm.

Note to ALL new design graduates, if you want to practice your presentation skills, and showcase your work, kakireka smalltalk is your stage. Email us to book your spot, it's FREE publicity for you.

kakireka admin
Gary intro-ed the new kakireka logo strategy. All invited to submit designs and give comments on kakireka.com.
Chee Moong agrees to join committee.
Newcomer Irina Muis (who's doing her Masters in Graphic Design at UiTM) also invited to join committee. New blood! which brings our small kakireka volunteer organising committee to 6-strong.

NEXT: smalltalk 5.0 _21Jan2008 Preview
Michael Quay - Insights > Strategy > Concept > Execution
Edwin Yiing - "i love Dogs" interactive virtual canine demo
Eva Wong - "Dazzlers" teen fashion diary portal demo

smalltalk 7:21 _07Jan2008

2008-01-04T05:04:00.000+08:00

kakireka
'ChillOut' Nite
Date: 07 Jan 2008 (Monday)
Venue:Ole Cafe

Talks are FREE, only RM5 for food/drinks.

Come & meet other designers over small talk, cool music, finger food & games. Seating available for 30 people only... so come early.

7:21pm -- welcome & makan

8:00pm --
"Using Emergent Behaviours for Digital Game Design"
by Wan Hazmer of Easy Only Games

9:00pm --
"Acting Tips & Maximising Space
for Creative Presentations"
by Jo Kukathas of Instant Cafe Theatre

10:00pm -- makan, minum & mingle
11:00pm -- bye bye

What is Copyright, Patent, Registered, Trademark?

2008-01-02T04:47:00.000+08:00

This is the 2nd part of the summarised transcript of the last 7:21 smalltalk by lawyer Rajendran Packiry as requested by some kakireka members. Raj covered the 2 topics that interests many designers, esp. if you're a freelance designer or you own a small design house setup.

Raj also spoke about Malaysian Intellectual Property Law - copyright, trademarks, patents, registered designs. And the difference between authorship and ownership of a copyright and how it applies to freelance designers.

Part 2 - "Who Owns The Design" or Intellectual Property
To read article, click into the comments link under this post.

If you have any questions, post it as a comment or email direct to Raj if you want more privacy.

How to Chase your Client for Late Payment - Legally

2007-12-30T04:33:00.000+08:00

This is a summarised transcript of the last 7:21 smalltalk by lawyer Rajendran Packiry as requested by some kakireka members. Raj covered the 2 topics that interests many designers, esp. if you're a freelance designer or you own a small design house setup.

He spoke on how to legally deal with certain clients from hell who refuse to pay you after the work has been done & delivered. or How to handle legal disputes over payment due from a client. Don't get bullied, get paid.

Part 1 - "Make them Pay" or Modes of Execution Proceedings
To read article, click into the comments link under this post.

Before that, you've got to send your usual 1st, 2nd & 3rd invoice/reminders (in b&w), which is needed to build up your case (documenting the chronology of events) if/when you do go to court to plead your case. It is said that most people will settle/pay up upon receiving a letter from a lawyer's office (4th reminder & notice to sue) theatening to go to court if they don't respond.

Next step is to hire a lawyer to take action using the best suited mode of execution proceedings.

A Gift for You

2007-12-21T22:29:00.000+08:00

For all you crafty designers who like to make or design your own gifts for others in this joyful season of giving, here's a little gift of knowledge just for you. I stumbled across this website Instructables.com - the world's biggest show & tell, where I found out how to make "LED Throwies" (pictured here) for a party event. But be warned, this website can get addictive and hours could go by as you learn how to make yourself all kinds of cool widgets ;-)...

WANTED: Examples of Good/Bad Design

2007-12-21T18:09:00.000+08:00

Send us pictures of what are, in your own opinion, examples of GOOD or BAD design. If you're a designer, surely you have a collection of such things. Whether it's your own work or something you saw in a book or website, select a few & share them with us. Designs preferably of Asian/Malaysian origin.

Max 30 pix/person. Each picture = 150kb or less in file size. Zip it all up then email to kakireka. Closing date: 07Jan 2008.

All pictures will be compiled and projected onto a wall at the kakireka 'Chill Out Nite' on 07 Jan 2008. We hope this will stimulate thot and discussion among the designers present. Note: pls. don't mark good/bad on the pictures 'cos we want to leave it up to the viewer to decide. Leave it open to interpretation.

We need volunteers!

2007-12-21T16:27:00.001+08:00

If you don't already know, kakireka is run on a non-profit basis and is managed by a small group of designers passionate about the state of the design industry in Malaysia. We are doing all this for you and other designers and we are trying our hardest to keep all events FREE for you to attend be'cos we know many are struggling just to survive out there. So far, all of the expenses incurred in organising the talks e.g. venue rentals, food/drinks have been out of our own pockets and a few kind sponsors.

We can't keep this up indefinitely and we hope you can chip-in/contribute in some way and/or help us find sponsors for the designer talks/events we are planning for next year.

Or...
If you can spare the time, volunteer yourself to help us design better events for designers. No matter what your design area/expertise, every little bit helps and who knows, you might find it more satisfying to have helped make an event a huge success rather than just attending the event itself.

For this coming party/get-together event, we urgently need a few people to help put up the decorations for the venue and setup the multimedia equipment. Can help? Contact - Gary.

Other volunteers, contact - Kenneth.

ALL YOUR PARTY ARE BELONG TO US!

2007-12-21T15:38:00.000+08:00

- - kakireka Party on the 21 Dec is postponed to 07 Jan 2008 - -
So instead of the Christmas Party, we are planning a post-New Year Get-Together for designers. Sorry for the last minute notice cos I was away on a short break. The reason for the postponement is that many of the kakireka 'kakies' will be away during the long weekend and we suspect many of you will have other plans as well. We've lined up some fun stuff for the party and hate to see it all go to waste. so...

1st kakireka 'Chill Out' Nite
Date: 07 Jan 2008 (yea-lah... it's a Monday) Time: 7:21pm Venue:TBC
The only entry requirement is you must be a cool designer, or you bring one with you as the entry ticket (the ultimate designer object to have!). Meet other designers over cool music, good food, surprises, fun & games. So what more can designers want at a designer party? > let us know & we'll try to make it happen.

Lastly, kakireka wishes all muslims "Selamat Hari Raya Haji", christians "A Merry Christmas" and a "Happy New Year" to the rest of you who have other beliefs or... are really just confused.
See you next year on the 7th of Jan 2008. Cheers!

note: the title above is a homage to a once popular viral meme derived from a video game that is strangely reminiscent of how religions are spread. Need inspiration on viral marketing/ambient media - do a google search on "all your base are belong to us".

07 Dec FRIDAY - smalltalk 7:21

2007-12-04T18:39:00.000+08:00

7:21pm at Ole Cafe, 48 Changkat Bukit Bintang, K.L.

"Nike: Jangan Togel"
Compass Interactive's creative team, fresh from their Golden Kancil 2007 award win in Nov, will showcase their ground-breaking work for Nike Malaysia and various other works. (40mins)

How to get there: see map below.
- we're shifting our smalltalk venue from Central Market Annexe Gallery to Ole Cafe, inline with Galleriiizu's shift to it's new home. Many thanks to Mike for sponsoring such a fab new venue that's so convenient and centrally located (5mins walk from Bukit Bintang/Lot10 monorail station). Also many thanks to Gary for his delicious curry puffs, mince tarts n tehtarik at our last smalltalk. Can bring some more-ah, pls?
See y-all on Friday. Come early & mingle...

Design Malaysia vs. Australia

2007-11-25T23:00:00.001+08:00

Back to our discussion on graphic design, in Australia, there are lots of design movement and some are well known not only to graphic designers but also to others from different discipline backgrounds. I would say that designers can be considered to have 'a strong and loud voice' here. Although we designers in Melbourne are fighting to establish our roles in the society, especially in communication/graphic design areas but I would say it's moving... slowly. We try to collaborate with others in different background (e.g. industrial, product, interior, interaction, branding, culture studies, education etc.). We hope by doing this we could define our roles in the communities.

I think would be good to start communication design/graphic design association in Malaysia and try to do some project that involved communities. What I can see here in Melbourne, most graphic designers are playing their roles to collaborate projects with others and get involved with society. Not all but some are active. Get involved! After all who are we designing for? Ourself or society? Are we designer 'syok sendiri'? We sometimes think that our design is great that we tend to ignore others opinion and what our contribution to others.

I guess old time school in graphic design college or intuition would educate the designers to think about the client, mainly corporates or company. Like 'client always right' term always been applied. But now days, we designers have to be strong in opinion, not just a plain opinion but we need to educate ourselves about other things around us. Research and update ourselves with what's happening in the world, etc. Then we can be confident and strong when we consult our client and also start to think about our roles and what can WE, graphic designers offer to the society. - - Nurul Rahman

Readers, care to comment? - - K

small talk - News

2007-11-19T11:42:00.000+08:00

+ + upcoming events + +
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
{small talk 2.0} -- 21 Nov 2007 -- WED
7:21pm at the Annexe Gallery, Central Market

"Convergence of Art & Design in the New Age"
by Izu from Galleriiizu. Shaping identity through art & design. Case studies from European art nouveau to the manga/anime culture of the new Japan...

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
{small talk 3.0} -- 7 Dec 2007 -- FRI
7:21pm at Ole Cafe, 48 Changkat Bukit Bintang, K.L.

"Nike: Jangan Togel"
Compass Interactive's creative team, fresh from their Golden Kancil 2007 award win in Nov, will showcase their ground-breaking work for Nike Malaysia and various other works. (40mins)

And a practising Malaysian lawyer will speak about your rights as a designer and how to legally chase a client for payment overdue or in dispute. (20mins) We know you may have many legal questions. Come prepared or send us your questions beforehand so we can do a FAQ list and make sure Qs are covered.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
{small talk 4.0} -- 21 Dec 2007 -- FRI
Time: 7:21pm Venue: TBC

Speaker: none. 'cos this will be a kakireka end-year PARTY occasion! Designers can have fun too, y'know. Details & invites coming soon.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
{small talk 5.0} -- 7 Jan 2008 -- MON
7:21pm at Ole Cafe, 48 Changkat Bukit Bintang, K.L.

'Acting Skills for Designers' - "How to Sell an Idea"
by Jo Kukathas, Artistic Director of Instant Cafe Theatre. (60mins) The topic is at proposal stage, let us know what u think.

Note: All talks are FREE to all designers & open to the public unless specified otherwise.

Design in Malaysia 1957-2007?

2007-11-16T11:18:00.001+08:00

Nice work! Am happy to see such effort related to design in Malaysia. Good start. Unfortunately I'm can't contribute much but would love to hear more about it. I think it is important to start a discourse about design and see what other designer been up too with their practices. Did it went well? How was it?

Regarding to the issues of design history in Malaysia, I think the evidence is there, just that it's not been valued enough. We just need to start valuing it and do some design exploration with it. Not to mention we need to publish or exhibit it in order to make it important and to get some value out of it. I'm a graphic / communication designer, related to my areas of practice, what I'm saying here are related more to printed material, promotional items, advertisement, corporate logos etc. I know that in architecture, there are lots of archived and collected information related to the history of architecture design in Malaysia. Note that graphic design / communication design can be considered as new field in Malaysia, therefore its understandable that it's is not much been appreciated. But I believe, we designers can make some changes in this. We need to start thinking what's our roles in design and how can we contribute to the society. - - Nurul

Note: Nurul Rahman currently is doing her PhD practice based research in Communication Design, School of Applied Communication, RMIT University Melbourne. She’s a communication and graphic designer who has been working long enough until she realized that she needed more that practice in design and decided to continue her postgraduate studies. Her interest is in communication design, identity, branding practices, culture and heritage. Her research investigates the participation of Graphic Designers in crafting cultural and national identity. Find out more about her here.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Nurul, I think you made some interesting points esp. on valuing our design heritage and it would be interesting to see what our readers think. Right now, in Malaysia, the architects have PIAM taking care of them. But who takes care of graphic designers in Malaysia? Am curious - what is the situation in Australia? Are designers also left to fend for themselves? - - K

Review: David Pledger's talk on Project Eavesdrop

2007-11-12T00:57:00.001+08:00

Project Eavesdrop is one weird show I wish I could have experienced in person. 10 characters, interconnected by stories and doomed to repeat a certain 9 mins of their lives in a perpetual loop. All delivered in surround screen & sound as an immersive interactive multimedia drama presented in a custom-made cinematic space. There's unrequited love, song & dance, suicide, a high body count plus a certain inflatable doll. Very drama-one. Download a clip of the show here.

David Pledger from Not Yet It's Difficult (NYID) talked about the vision and shared some secrets behind this interactive installation by himself and Jeffrey Shaw in 2004, and I was mesmerised. The creativity of the script and high production values. The cool star-trekie rotating platform user interface with zoom & pan navigation to hide/reveal layers of narrative in each character's "interior landscape". And his enthusiastic fascination with TV soap operas both as message & medium.

When asked what he would do different if he could do the project over but with no technological limits, David wished that every member of the audience could be tracked within the constructed space and would hear different pieces of the inner thoughts relevant to their proximity to the actors on screen.

I wonder what exciting projects the 5-day workshop participants will conjure up for the Malaysian masses. Can't wait.
This talk was organised by the Instant Cafe Theatre Company.

7:21 {small talk} 1.0 photos

2007-11-10T03:01:00.000+08:00

Poster/Banners concept & design by Martin Ng from OgilvyOne KL.
Printing sponsored by Asri Ahmad (left) of muliaevents.
Venue sponsored by galleriiizu and hosted by Izu.
Photos by Black of muliaevents, Indonesia.

Everyone watches a TV docu on selling a made-up brand to children from the UK. The Little Shopping Horrors. Kenneth Lam's talk on 360 branding with a case study on selling to children, Milo anyone? Kay Khoo from figTree Design and his tale of the "Long Tail". Read a transcript of his talk here.

See you on Nov 21 for the next 7:21 {small talk} 2.0, same time & place.
The 15m slots are now open for application.

Do you have a piece of work/ medium or inspiration to showcase? let us know.
kakireka@gmail.com

7:21 small talk 1

2007-11-05T22:27:00.002+08:00

Date: 7th Nov 2007 (WED)
Time: 7:21pm - 10:00pm, teh tarik - 11pm
Venue: Gallery, 2nd floor, The Annexe, Central Market, KL.
FREE admission, drinks pay your own.

{ small talk } 1.0
- designers talk design -

Topic/Speaker:
360 Branding Design
Case Studies
by: Kenneth Lam

Using a mix of available TV documented studies on children behaviour and samples of his own work, Kenneth will showcase how selling a brand experience using ambient media is used to great effect on today's youth market that's awash with an unprecedented bewildering assortment of multimedia distractions.
Time: 1.5 hrs

Bonus: Learn a simple group game to improve your public presentation skills infront of a crowd. (if there's time -K)

Kenneth Lam is an Art Director, formerly from OgilvyInteractive Kuala Lumpur, with 15+ years of design/advertising/online design industry experience. Kenneth has picked up numerous local creative awards incl. the first Gold ever awarded for interactive media at the Kancil Awards 2003 for his work on a Nestle Maggi Hotcup campaign. Among others, he has also won multiple awards for online work on Nokia Malaysia & Nestle Milo brands.

{ talk back } 1.1
- designers talk design -

- 4 slots total, 0 still available, 15mins each - apply at the door or email us earlier.
- event to end at 10pm.
- Kay + Izu + Mabel + Asri

Open invite to all designers, design students, come if you can, or help spread the word. 7:21 {small talk}. designers talk design.

See ya all.

7:21 Launch

2007-11-05T21:01:00.001+08:00

7 -- 2 -- 1 ...we have lift off!

So we're off and running.
Many thanks to galleriiizu and muliaevents for being the sponsors of 7:21.

There will be a series of designer talks in various venues in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia over the next 6 months to address the serious lack of graphic designer events and activities. And we are calling it the "721 small talk" series by kakireka.

Why 721?
Becos it will always be held on the 7th and 21st of every month from Nov 2007 - Apr 2008. And it always starts at 7:21pm. Easy to remember what... 7:21 small talk ... so you always know when and what time the next talk will be.

What to expect?
The 7:21 small talks will be informal gatherings to listen to designers from different specialisation share their latest works, inspirations and even divulge some bread&butter know-how on how-to-survive... no, to thrive as a designer of repute in Malaysia or of the world that is getting increasingly borderless. All small talk sessions are informal and meant to stimulate discussion or even debate on any subject in a respectful manner, ...we hope. We are here for you. All are welcome. Even non-designer who wish they are one. Or friends of one. Tell your friends, yo.

7:21 small talk - by designers - for designers.
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The format
- 2 pre-invited guest speakers each time - 2 hrs
- Any designers to speak, just apply-at-the-door & immediate approval by organisers -15m x 4pax = 1hr
- open discussion (any subject related to design)
- ends then adjourn for teh-tarik at mamak.

Topics
Anything that moves Designers today or tomorrow.
Your work as a showcase. Or show stuff to get feedback on a specific piece of design. Or just discuss a pressing issue with design as a hopeful solution. Or redefine what is design? My fav. designer idol and their latest work. The latest award-winning works from Malaysia (Kancil? DMAM? MC2?) and around the world (Cannes Lion, Webby, Art Directors Club, etc). Screen and discuss video docus on best design practices. On design branding. Or design in advertising. Or the best & worst advertisements (your opinion). Caught some good viral ads? DIrect Marketing. Jewellery design? Animations? Website makeovers? Websites desperately in need of a makeover? Grafitti is design? Pimp my old adidas sneakers anyone? RealityTV show format as inspirations for our local cultural muhibbah-ness? What is happening to design standards in Malaysia? What is good design? Your research on history of design in Malaysia? Your experience on how to handle bad clients? Start your own design business? Your own designer blog? How to chase for payment? Income tax 101 for designers?

Get the picture? anything goes really.

If you're a designer of any sort and need inspire or be inspired, come join us.

7th & 21st every month... at 7:21pm

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