{"id":383,"date":"2008-10-10T11:09:03","date_gmt":"2008-10-10T16:09:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/crowdspring.wpengine.com\/?p=383"},"modified":"2022-05-09T14:49:42","modified_gmt":"2022-05-09T19:49:42","slug":"12-questions-meet-denis-wong-singapore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crowdspring.com\/blog\/12-questions-meet-denis-wong-singapore\/","title":{"rendered":"12 Questions: Meet Denis Wong (Singapore)"},"content":{"rendered":"

In our 12 Questions<\/strong> blog series, we feature interviews with someone from the crowdSPRING community. For these interviews, we pick people who add value to our community – in the blog, in the forums, in the projects. Plainly – activities that make crowdSPRING a better community. Be professional, treat others with respect, help us build something very special, and we’ll take notice. <\/em><\/p>\n

We’re very proud to feature Denis Wong (crowdSPRING username: entz<\/a>) today. Denis lives and works in Singapore.\"\"<\/a>
\n1. Please tell us about yourself.<\/strong><\/p>\n

My name is Denis (aka entz) and I\u2019m a 27 years old male, born in the island of Mauritius. I bet you guys don\u2019t even know where that place is. Well, it\u2019s on the planet\u00a0Mars, and I\u2019m an alien! Actually, it\u2019s a small island in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Mauritius is a pretty laid back place and yes, that\u2019s where the DODO (extinct bird) lived. It\u2019s a great place for a getaway or honeymoon.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m currently living and working in Singapore. It’s been quite a drastic change.\u00a0The pace in Singapore is\u00a0ten times faster! How did I end up in Singapore? I came to Singapore\u00a0to study Visual Communication (advertising and graphic design) and stayed\u00a0because the design scene and opportunities are better than on Mauritius. I started in an ad agency, am now doing freelancing and I\u2019m loving every second of it! I don\u2019t need to apply for annual leave if I want to go on a holiday! To sum it up, I\u2019m living a much better lifestyle now.<\/p>\n

2. How did you start out as a designer? <\/strong><\/p>\n

I think I started when I was 6 years old. No! I think it was 9! Hold on a minute! Or was it 10? hmm..\u00a0 I can\u2019t remember exactly when but I drew a lot. I really like those robots comic movies like Transformers, Bioman and so on. I used to draw robots in a 3d shapes, boxy style.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s my story about how I started professionally.\u00a0I learned about graphic design just\u00a0one year before coming to Singapore to study. I always wanted to be an architect. I dreamt about designing skyscrapers.\u00a0In 1999, a very good friend\u00a0came back from South Africa with a Masters in Design. At first I didn\u2019t know what graphic design was. So he tried to help me understand and\u00a0from what I understood, a graphic designer\u00a0wears t-shirts and jeans or shorts\u00a0and goes to work in an office to draw on a computer! That\u2019s the career I wanted!\u00a0 My friend\u00a0taught me how to use Macromedia Freehand and Adobe Photoshop. Those were very useful during my study years. So in\u00a02000 I enrolled in Temasek Polytechnic Design School to pursue a Diploma in Visual Communication. That\u2019s when I really discovered the world of design and enjoyed my 3 years of studies. That was the only time that studying was fun for me.<\/p>\n

My first job was in an ad agency. I still remember the interview with the creative director. I specifically told him that I didn\u2019t want to be on an advertising team as I wanted to do graphic design like logos, brochure and so on. With all the stories floating around about the advertising industry, I was reluctant to go through all the overtime with no pay, toothbrush in the office for overstay, you get the picture.\u00a0And guess what? I got the job and before I knew it I was on the ad team! Well, I had to cope with it and it wasn\u2019t all that bad, I must say that It was quite fun in the end. Brainstorming on ad campaigns, thinking about headlines, taglines, visualization, storyboards and so on. The best part was TV commercials. We started from storyboards to casting of talents to shooting to post productions and finally to airtime. I had a blast as I was involved in the whole process! The creative director who hired me was very nice and taught me a lot. He gave me a lot of freedom in whatever I did.<\/p>\n

Freedom of expression is very important in design especially when you are a fresh graduate. I stayed there for almost 5 years.\u00a0 I know, most designers will hop around in different agencies. But I wanted to stick to one and try to make a difference. I\u2019m not sure if I managed to do so but I finally got bored doing work that I didn\u2019t really enjoy. So I called it quits and started doing logo competitions online. It all started when I was looking for some local competitions to take part in and stumble upon logosauce.com. That was the first logo competition site that I took part in. And I still remember my first win which was only like $100.\u00a0The name of the brand is Kitz n Thingz. One of my happiest days! I considered it as beginner\u2019s luck as I only competed in 2 competitions and won 1. That\u2019s when I started to go full throttle for those competitions. And so far, my\u00a0best experience is with crowdSPRING.<\/p>\n

Now I really have a passion for branding and designing logos. Are you in need of a logo design? I\u2019m your best man for the job!<\/p>\n

3. Please tell us a little about the graphic design industry in Singapore.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think it\u2019s quite good here. It used to be better from what I\u2019ve heard.\u00a0Maybe it\u2019s because now I\u2019m living here\u2026lol. Seriously, I think nowadays young designers, especially fresh graduates, don\u2019t know how to draw. I mean really take a pencil and draw. I think it\u2019s very important to learn how to draw when you start your career as a designer. Young designers now work directly on the computer. I think you need about 4-5 years of work experiences before you can directly draw on the computer screen. If you want to hire a good illustrator here in Singapore, you\u2019ll have to dig deep and of course deep in your pocket as well. But the graphic design scene here is pretty good. Singapore is a cosmopolitan city. So you have a lot of famous brands here and lots of opportunities to design for them. Personally I think the standard is quite high. <\/p>\n

4. Who\/what are some of the biggest influences on your design work?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, everything around me is a big influence. I actually like to go overseas to clear my mind. That\u2019s where you get to see new things and experience new cultures. That\u2019s how you get a lot of ideas and inspirations as well. All work no play makes Jack\/Denis a dull boy.\u00a0I always try to have fun in everything I do and that goes for work as well. I\u2019m not really an art guy. So I don\u2019t really appreciate art paintings like Picasso, Renaissance era and so on. It\u2019s not that I dislike those. I think they are nice, but it\u2019s just not my thing. I\u2019m more of a zen type. I like simple thing –\u00a0minimalism is my moto.\u00a0If you look at the logos I have created, most are quite simple. So, I think the way you design sometimes reflects who you are.<\/p>\n

5. What’s the very first thing you do when approaching a new design?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first thing I do is read the project brief 2-3 times so that I get a sense of what it\u2019s all about. If the brief is only 2-3 lines, you have to take a look at other things like the company name<\/a>. Sometimes the name of the brand itself is enough to be considered as a brief, at least to me. For example let\u2019s say the brand is called \u201cspankthem.com\u201d. 1. You already know it\u2019s for people and it involve spanking; 2. The target market is not for kids, so my guess is it\u2019s for people in the age group of 18-40 years old; 3. It\u2019s going to be an online community because of the word \u201cthem\u201d; 4. It\u2019s not corporate, not luxury, maybe something humorous and loud instead; 5. Colours will be bright and colourful.<\/p>\n

Based on that I have my brief without asking for it. But I have to add that if you have a well written brief, then the outcome will of course be much better. Then I will start to create a think map. It\u2019s something like a bubble chart where the brand name is in the centre and expands to different other bubble\/levels using single keywords. For example \u201cspankthem.com\u201d expands to a group of words like hand, star, people, community, online and so on, and I try to expand each of the word to another group of words (e.g. hands \u2013 clap, fingers, palm, lines and so on). I try to do this for about 3-4 levels. In the ends it\u2019s quite a big bubble chart and the key things is right in front of you to use. I know, bubble charts are so yesterdays! But try it and you\u2019ll see the difference.\u00a0The next step is to start designing on the computer.<\/p>\n

6. Which of your designs are your favorites and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Have to be “Kitz n Thingz” because it was my first ever logo competition win. A bit of emotional attachment you might say. But I think it\u2019s a very fun and versatile logo. It was designed for a Quilt and Patchwork supplier back in Australia. They are located on a farm. So, nature and fabrics had to be part of the logo. My idea was a tree with patchwork as leaves. The best thing about this idea is that it changes patchwork leaves every season. It\u2019s like the tree is alive. They have plans to expand into caf\u00e9 as well. So, I think this logo is versatile enough to fit any business that they will venture in.<\/p>\n

I love typography! I think you can tell by just looking at my work. I like to play and mess around with the letters. One of my favourite logotype is \u201cTackSales.co.uk\u201d. I think it was clever the way I integrated the leaves inside the letters and not lose the legibility.<\/p>\n

And there\u2019re Monograms. Those are really hard to achieve. One of my best Monogram is for AMC Technologies. The icon is viewed as an \u201ca\u201d, look closer and you\u2019ll see the \u201cm\u201d and \u201cc\u201d. I got a glimpse of the letters while trying to create something entire different. It was an accidental design.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Master Electricians is also one of my favourites. The ME plug icon is really simple yet it describes what the business is all about.<\/p>\n

I always say that design is subjective. Some people will find those examples not to their liking. If so, try to visit my online portfolio at www.entzcreative.com<\/a>, pick the nicest or ugliest logo and let me know about it.\u00a0I\u2019m game for a little feedback from anybody.<\/p>\n

7. When designing a logo, you always offer a version on a white background and one on a black background. Why do you offer both versions?<\/strong><\/p>\n

That\u2019s pretty obvious I think. But some buyers\/clients don\u2019t really understand the logic behind why I do this. Let me explain then. A logo will have to work on both light and dark backgroundsm\u00a0even though you are just starting a new business and only need it initially for your stationery and website. What if your business grows and becomes famous? Your logo will be use everywhere from posters to other people\u2019s website to as sponsors and so on. And those people who will be using your logo will not accommodate your restriction of using a logo on only one type of background. Imagine your logo as a sponsor on a poster where it just blends in the background. You would barely see it! A logo needs to be versatile in terms of applications. To me that\u2019s the basic requirement. If a logo works on a white background and doesn\u2019t on a dark one even after you reverse the colours, then it will not get my stamp of approval.<\/p>\n

8. How has technology affected your work?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I started on Macromedia Freehand and it was love at first sight!\u00a0I knew every shortcut key. I mean you could ask me anything about it and I\u2019ll give you an answer. During study years my buddies called me the Freehand Master!\u00a0Gone are the days of Freehand, so I am now hung-up on Adobe InDesign. The transfer was very difficult, but I had to learn fast if I wanted to survive and succeed. Many people tell me that Adobe InDesign is for publishing only and not designing. I think I\u2019ve proved them wrong.\u00a0Another software that I use is Adobe Illustrator. Usually I will combine the two as they are compatible. I can just copy and paste from either. I try not to upgrade version as long as I can do and create what I need. Every year, software companies like Adobe will release new versions and I think it\u2019s just a waste of time and money. Personally, I think new versions are just the same as the old ones but with more gimmicks. Unless you can\u2019t live without it, my advice is to stick with what you already have.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a PC!\u00a0I could not afford a Mac at the time I started working. So far, I haven\u2019t really experience a crash or any of the other problems mentioned in the I\u2019m a Mac ads\u00a0(knock on\u00a0wood).\u00a0I\u2019m sticking to PC as I\u2019m so used to it now. But I think I may switch as the years go by, you never know.<\/p>\n

Technology is moving fast. Computers and the Internet now run much faster than 8 years ago. It used to take forever to render graphics in Photoshop. What took forever now only take a few seconds!\u00a0I like to work as fast as humanly possible, so it really suites me.<\/p>\n

9. When working online, how do you decide whether to participate in a project?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I am the kind who will try his hand at everything and I mean everything! I don\u2019t have any preference in terms of participation. I just choose whatever my mouse pointer clicks on or which is on top of the list and I\u2019m off to the design process. I try to be versatile in my design style. I don\u2019t want to have only\u00a0one style. Once this style is gone, then you are gone as well. Personally, I think I\u2019ve passed the stage of always sketching before starting on a new design or logo. I start straight away on the computer and if it doesn\u2019t look good, then I\u2019ll go to the drawing pad for some sketches. But usually I try to do everything on screen. I always experiment with what I have visualized in my mind. And often, the final outcome is totally different from what I\u2019ve envisioned which I think is a good thing. I call this \u201cThe Accidental Design\u201d as you never know what will come out of it.<\/p>\n

10. What are the most challenging and rewarding parts of being a graphic designer?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The most challenging part is that today, everyone considers himself or herself a designer. With\u00a0inexpensive\u00a0graphic softwares easily accessible to many, you don\u2019t have to go and study design to be a graphic designer. Many are self taught and are much better than those who spent\u00a03 years of their life studying.\u00a0A graphic designer will have to compete with the rest of the world to be able to survive. Many people who are starting a business will say why do I need a designer when I can do it myself? I\u2019ll just buy Photoshop and do my posters and logos.\u00a0But there’s a big difference.\u00a0If you compare what a real designer\u2019s (whether formally educated or self-taught) to a wannabe, you\u2019ll straight away see the difference. A designer has an eye for details and layout. So, to fight the world, you always need to do stuff that ordinary people wouldn\u2019t expect or can\u2019t create themselves. But we live in a world where almost everything has already been created. So, to me, a designer is an innovator. We take bits and pieces from existing materials, put them together and voila! You have something that is out of this world! That to me is very challenging.<\/p>\n

The most rewarding would be the compliments I get when I create something. It doesn\u2019t have to win anything. Just a simple \u201cnice\u201d is enough to make my day. I especially love it when another designer emails me with compliments about my work.\u00a0It shows that I\u2019m doing the right thing. I myself, I will email those designers who did impress me. I think it\u2019s a good way to show appreciation and get to know new friends.<\/p>\n

11. What advice would you offer to someone considering graphics design as a career?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Graphic design is not as easy as it looks. If anybody want to venture is those waters then be prepared for the worst as it\u2019s going to be a rough and bumpy ride. But once you get use to it, it is really a lot of fun.\u00a0Always design something with meaning. Even a simple dot can have a very powerful message behind it. It\u2019s just how you want your target audience to interpret it. So, don\u2019t design for the sake of designing. Think first! Think twice even! Meaningless design with a lot of cosmetics will get compliments yes, but a simple meaningful design will get a lot of praise and recognition.<\/p>\n

One more thing that I think will be useful is don\u2019t just flip design books for inspiration. I was taught that the hard way during my internship with a local agency.\u00a0The creative director ask me to explain my design and I did. But the message my visual carried didn\u2019t fit that particular product.\u00a0He told me that he saw me flipping a lot of design books for inspiration and ask me what do I look for in those book? I told him nice visuals and ideas.\u00a0He gave me\u00a0two books, and told me to go and read them.\u00a0Two books with few visuals and a whole lot of text! But after reading everything, I saw what difference it really makes to your design skills and the way you approach a problem. You learn how they manage to find the solution. You learn the process, thinking behind it, strategies and so on. This little piece of advice really helped me a lot and I think it will help others as well.<\/p>\n

12. What do you do with your free time?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I sit on the couch, beer on one hand, chips on the other, and watch football on my TV!..lol.. just kidding! Whoops! That\u2019s my weekend routine. Seriously, I will play some games on my computer. I\u2019m a sports freak, so you guess it! Fifa08 is currently my favourite game. Besides that, I play basketball. I\u2019m a huge Michael Jordan fan! I like special effect movies like Matrix and Lords of the Rings. I can watch those movies over and over again.\u00a0I like to shop! I know, guys are not supposed to like shopping, but I do! I shop for electronics, clothing and so on. I\u00a0recommend this to all the dudes, shopping therapy really works!<\/p>\n

Thanks so much, Denis.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In our 12 Questions blog series, we feature interviews with someone from the crowdSPRING community. For these interviews, we pick people who add value to our community – in the blog, in the forums, in the projects. Plainly – activities that make crowdSPRING a better community. Be professional, treat others with respect, help us build something very special, and we’ll take notice. We’re very proud to feature Denis Wong (crowdSPRING username: entz) today. Denis lives and works in Singapore. 1. Please tell us about yourself. My name is Denis (aka entz) and I\u2019m a 27 years old male, born in the island of Mauritius. I bet you guys don\u2019t even know where that place is. Well, it\u2019s on the planet\u00a0Mars, and I\u2019m an alien! Actually, it\u2019s a small island in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Mauritius is a pretty laid back place and yes, that\u2019s where the DODO (extinct bird) lived. It\u2019s a great place for a getaway or honeymoon. I\u2019m currently living and working in Singapore. It’s been quite a drastic change.\u00a0The pace in Singapore is\u00a0ten times faster! How did I end up in Singapore? I came to Singapore\u00a0to study Visual Communication (advertising and graphic design) and stayed\u00a0because the design scene and opportunities are better than on Mauritius. I started in an ad agency, am now doing freelancing and I\u2019m loving every second of it! I don\u2019t need to apply for annual leave if I want to go on a holiday! To sum it up, I\u2019m living a much better lifestyle now. 2. How did you start out as a designer? I think I started when I was 6 years old. No! I think it was 9! Hold on a minute! Or was it 10? hmm..\u00a0 I can\u2019t remember exactly when but I drew a lot. I really like those robots comic movies like Transformers, Bioman and so on. I used to draw robots in a 3d shapes, boxy style. Here\u2019s my story about how I started professionally.\u00a0I learned about graphic design just\u00a0one year before coming to Singapore to study. I always wanted to be an architect. I dreamt about designing skyscrapers.\u00a0In 1999, a very good friend\u00a0came back from South Africa with a Masters in Design. At first I didn\u2019t know what graphic design was. So he tried to help me understand and\u00a0from what I understood, a graphic designer\u00a0wears t-shirts and jeans or shorts\u00a0and goes to work in an office to draw on a computer! That\u2019s the career I wanted!\u00a0 My friend\u00a0taught me how to use Macromedia Freehand and Adobe Photoshop. Those were very useful during my study years. So in\u00a02000 I enrolled in Temasek Polytechnic Design School to pursue a Diploma in Visual Communication. That\u2019s when I really discovered the world of design and enjoyed my 3 years of studies. That was the only time that studying was fun for me. My first job was in an ad agency. I still remember the interview with the creative director. I specifically told him that I didn\u2019t want to..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":23317,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3158],"tags":[3183],"class_list":["post-383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-other","tag-interviews"],"yoast_head":"\n12 Questions: Meet Denis Wong (Singapore) - crowdspring Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"12 Questions: Meet Denis Wong (Singapore) - crowdspring Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In our 12 Questions blog series, we feature interviews with someone from the crowdSPRING community. For these interviews, we pick people who add value to our community – in the blog, in the forums, in the projects. Plainly – activities that make crowdSPRING a better community. Be professional, treat others with respect, help us build something very special, and we’ll take notice. We’re very proud to feature Denis Wong (crowdSPRING username: entz) today. Denis lives and works in Singapore. 1. Please tell us about yourself. My name is Denis (aka entz) and I\u2019m a 27 years old male, born in the island of Mauritius. I bet you guys don\u2019t even know where that place is. Well, it\u2019s on the planet\u00a0Mars, and I\u2019m an alien! Actually, it\u2019s a small island in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Mauritius is a pretty laid back place and yes, that\u2019s where the DODO (extinct bird) lived. It\u2019s a great place for a getaway or honeymoon. I\u2019m currently living and working in Singapore. It’s been quite a drastic change.\u00a0The pace in Singapore is\u00a0ten times faster! How did I end up in Singapore? I came to Singapore\u00a0to study Visual Communication (advertising and graphic design) and stayed\u00a0because the design scene and opportunities are better than on Mauritius. I started in an ad agency, am now doing freelancing and I\u2019m loving every second of it! I don\u2019t need to apply for annual leave if I want to go on a holiday! To sum it up, I\u2019m living a much better lifestyle now. 2. How did you start out as a designer? I think I started when I was 6 years old. No! I think it was 9! Hold on a minute! Or was it 10? hmm..\u00a0 I can\u2019t remember exactly when but I drew a lot. I really like those robots comic movies like Transformers, Bioman and so on. I used to draw robots in a 3d shapes, boxy style. Here\u2019s my story about how I started professionally.\u00a0I learned about graphic design just\u00a0one year before coming to Singapore to study. I always wanted to be an architect. I dreamt about designing skyscrapers.\u00a0In 1999, a very good friend\u00a0came back from South Africa with a Masters in Design. At first I didn\u2019t know what graphic design was. So he tried to help me understand and\u00a0from what I understood, a graphic designer\u00a0wears t-shirts and jeans or shorts\u00a0and goes to work in an office to draw on a computer! That\u2019s the career I wanted!\u00a0 My friend\u00a0taught me how to use Macromedia Freehand and Adobe Photoshop. Those were very useful during my study years. So in\u00a02000 I enrolled in Temasek Polytechnic Design School to pursue a Diploma in Visual Communication. That\u2019s when I really discovered the world of design and enjoyed my 3 years of studies. That was the only time that studying was fun for me. My first job was in an ad agency. I still remember the interview with the creative director. 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Please tell us about yourself. My name is Denis (aka entz) and I\u2019m a 27 years old male, born in the island of Mauritius. I bet you guys don\u2019t even know where that place is. Well, it\u2019s on the planet\u00a0Mars, and I\u2019m an alien! Actually, it\u2019s a small island in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Mauritius is a pretty laid back place and yes, that\u2019s where the DODO (extinct bird) lived. It\u2019s a great place for a getaway or honeymoon. I\u2019m currently living and working in Singapore. It’s been quite a drastic change.\u00a0The pace in Singapore is\u00a0ten times faster! How did I end up in Singapore? I came to Singapore\u00a0to study Visual Communication (advertising and graphic design) and stayed\u00a0because the design scene and opportunities are better than on Mauritius. I started in an ad agency, am now doing freelancing and I\u2019m loving every second of it! I don\u2019t need to apply for annual leave if I want to go on a holiday! To sum it up, I\u2019m living a much better lifestyle now. 2. How did you start out as a designer? I think I started when I was 6 years old. No! I think it was 9! Hold on a minute! Or was it 10? hmm..\u00a0 I can\u2019t remember exactly when but I drew a lot. I really like those robots comic movies like Transformers, Bioman and so on. I used to draw robots in a 3d shapes, boxy style. Here\u2019s my story about how I started professionally.\u00a0I learned about graphic design just\u00a0one year before coming to Singapore to study. I always wanted to be an architect. I dreamt about designing skyscrapers.\u00a0In 1999, a very good friend\u00a0came back from South Africa with a Masters in Design. At first I didn\u2019t know what graphic design was. So he tried to help me understand and\u00a0from what I understood, a graphic designer\u00a0wears t-shirts and jeans or shorts\u00a0and goes to work in an office to draw on a computer! 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