Csr | w3-o

In the multiple Oscar-winning film “Forrest Gump”, one memorable scene shows how the lead character (played by Tom Hanks) accidentally ‘creates’ “Smiley Face” when he wiped dirt off his mud-covered face with a t-shirt. While the movie’s origins story is fiction, the fact that a t-shirt is a compelling medium of expression and can even become a catalyst in the creation of pop culture icons such as the aforementioned “Smiley Face” – that is very real. Originally issued as an undergarment by the U.S. Navy around the time of the Spanish American War, the humble t-shirt’s popularity has grown leaps and bounds largely because of its simplicity and practicality.

At W3-O, t-shirt designs are by no means created by accident nor are they mere trendy, “pretty pictures”. Instead, these are borne out of well-thought, strategic processes and considerations. Through the years, we have had our fair share of t-shirt designs – done for different clients and purposes such as humanitarian projects, internal usage, campaigns, etc.

From Support Cast to Star

When W3-O designed the t-shirt for the Madhu Duniya event, a jamboree of forest honey harvester of Asia, the objective was to provide support to the event’s other collaterals. This wasn’t meant to be. The organisers loved the design so much because it clearly conveyed the event’s message, that they eventually chose it as the main logo. So when in most cases, the t-shirt design will follow the corporate/event logo, it became the other way around. Talk about the “tail wagging the dog”, so to speak.

Madhu Duniya Conference 2011

Simple can be Spectacular

More often than not, W3-O faces budgetary constraints especially when humanitarian clients are concerned. The THF volunteer t-shirt is a prime example. The brief was single-mindedly simple: it shouldn’t cost so much to print, thus, it’s a single colour print. We thought a single colour is not an excuse to look sub-standard. After all, THF also wanted to merchandise them so, it must really look like something that they could wear many times and be proud about it – pretty much like when you’re wearing a cool surfing t-shirt. This is what the red-hot shirt projected with its unique ball of rope mash-up with the THF logo to signify how all of us are connected and that we need help each other by reaching out, lending a “rope” to hold on. Simple, but intensely meaningful.

THF T-Shirt

Long Lasting Ideas

Once upon a time, we were challenged to design an internal t-shirt. Problem is we only need to print about 25 pieces. Usage would be fairly “rare”, maybe 2-3 times a year so while we were initially very sceptical about it, we decided to go for hot iron printing. The thing is, there are a lot of limitations with this method, so many cons. But one of the pros is that this method also allows us to have “unlimited colours” and high details. Our designer had to give his brain juice a little extra squeeze. And it paid off well. Three years later, the t-shirts still look awesome!

Heart of the Matter

For our humanitarian mission to Mantalongon, Cebu, The Philippines, we wanted a t-shirt design that encompassed the mission’s theme, “Let’s Colour Up Their Life”. The mission was in support of the educational needs of some 305 kids from the Living Gospel Community, mostly from poor families whose parents are fishermen, construction workers, labourers and carpenters. The result was this colourful, stylised heart design which is an apt symbol of hope that cheered up these kids who were otherwise living “black and white” lives.

The Kids Says Alright

For the Media Development Authority of Singapore, media ratings may be a boring topic for a road show, with students to target at that. W3-O’s marching orders were to create a fun giveaway t-shirt as part of this national campaign, one that has to be very fun, particularly to the young folks that the government agency is targeting. The result is a chic yet edgy looking t-shirt design that just about anyone would love to wear – regardless of the media ratings that are literally printed on it to boot!

Take One for the Team

Again, for this project, W3-O had to “take one for the team”, as a manner of speaking. After all, budget is a major constraint. And the challenges are even more daunting. We needed to create a shirt where people could recognise Team9 members immediately in a disaster hit area. Of course, this is not our first time working with non-profit organisations, so when they mentioned about the budget, we thought, “brain-squeezing time” again.

To create this t-shirt design, we had to consider the situation where Team9ers will wear them. These places could be very messy and chaotic. While soldiers and police forces wear uniforms, Team9 volunteers could be mistaken as tourists, local workers or even some dodgy people who try to profit from disaster. The t-shirt is the first point of recognition for the team. Next, we need to “loudly” convey 2 things immediately: team name/logo and volunteer identity. It has to be loud since helpers could also easily be the victim in these situations. In case they get stranded or lost, people could spot them right away. Last but not least, as relief and “rebuilding” workers, we are supposed to bring hope to the disaster stricken area. So, we want Team9 to appear like the “hope” themselves. Hence, W3-O decided to avoid sombre colours and instead used the cheerful and bright red.

After it was tested on several humanitarian missions, Team9 appreciated our “hope and cheerful” concept as it really gave the vibe they wished to impart with the victims, particularly the IDPs (Internally Displaced People): A strong will to rebuild their lives with dignity.

As all these projects show, each t-shirt design goes beyond the confines of artistic discipline but very much into factors such as branding, function, budget constraints, and technical considerations. In the end, each of them succeeds in telling a story, conveying a message, promoting an idea – or all of the above. Each has served a purpose like creating high visibility and impact, or provoked an emotion.

Perhaps in the long run, they too can become pop culture icons like “Smiley Face”, but more than that, we prefer they become symbols that touch hearts and improve humanity.

beyond the studio // December 11, 2012

Star of Hope: Christmas 2012

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPIEST NEW YEAR

The Season of Joy is upon us once again and we at w3-o are working with The Humanity Forum (THF) to share it with the visually-impaired students of SLBN Bagian A (tunanetra) Bandung in Indonesia. The overwhelming success of “PROJECT STARGAZING”, our joint 2012 charity event with this school, has illuminated the fact that these students are just as hungry for knowledge as every normal kid – and that they are very enthusiastic to learn more.

That’s why, with your help, we would like them to reach for the stars further.

Simply post a photo that shows you holding the “Star of Hope” that we sent you to THF’s Facebook page. Once THF receives 200 photo submissions, w3-o will give the school an iPad mini – one of the best tools for the visually-impaired with its educational apps and functions that help them learn better.

Share the love. Let’s all lend our hands to THF in bringing these kids closer to their dreams.

If you didn’t receive the “Star of Hope” or if you wish to invite your friends to join this special cause, just click here or the icon below to download it.

Instructions:

Step 1. Print out this “Star of Hope”

Step 2. Cut along the dotted lines

Step 3. Take a photo of yourself posing with the “Star of Hope”

Step 4. Post a photo at THF’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/thehumanityforum

Step 5. Share with your friends

beyond the studio // January 17, 2012

A Water Tank that Communicates.

The Beginning

W3-O Design Lab is no stranger to The Humanity Forum (THF) and Team9, having been a loyal supporter of both for several years and counting. The reason simply being that Team9-THF carefully analyses who and what they support, before deciding to take on the project. More importantly, they get things done effectively and efficiently.

So, what got us started on this new quest with Team9-THF, was the inspiration gained from Trauma Healing Programme in Pariaman, after the 2009 Padang-Pariaman Earthquake where both teams painted some illustrations on the Tangki Ferro Cement (TFC – which means Ferrocement Water Tank in English), as a form of art therapy for post-trauma syndrome. From a designer’s and media specialist’s perspective, we saw an opportunity to create something more than just a water tank – a communication platform – for their Mentawai Rebuilding Campaign.

Medical team handling a stroke patient — Team9’s Humanitarian Mission to Mentawai in November 2010

The Concept

We proposed the idea to Team9-THF, and they were delighted with it as this would help in the extension of their hygiene programme for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), who lacked public and hygiene utilities in Mentawai.

We wasted no time and launched the project in high gear. After much research and discussion with Team9 was thrown out on the table, we decided to focus on these two key aspects:

1. TFC

As the Mentawai people collect water for their daily usage from the river, they wouldn’t know or understand the purpose of having a water tank or clean water for that matter. So, we needed to formulate a message that conveys the purpose and proper maintenance of the water tank. However, high-level of illiteracy in Mentawai was a challenge to us as we had to convey the right message to them. On top of that, we needed to allocate some space for the donor and Team9’s logo, and ID number for tracking. With all these in mind, we concluded to execute our message using iconography with simple vector illustration.

Translation:

Air Bersih, Air Sehat = Clean Water, Healthy Water
Untuk Kebutuhan Bersama = For Communal Needs
Dilarang Buang Air Dekat Tangki Air = Do not urinate near water tank
Periksa kondisi air setiap 6 bulan. Kuras bila kotor = Check water condition every 6 months. Drain it out if it’s dirty
Bersihkan tangki air kita secara rutin = Clean our water tank regularly
Cegah nyamuk Malaria. Hindari genangan air = Prevent Malaria Mosquitos. Avoid water puddles.
Jauhkan binatang dari tangki air = Put animals away from water tank
Sumbangan kemanusiaan dari permirsa INDOSIAR = Humanitarian donation from the viewers of Indosiar TV channel.
Dibantu oleh = Supported by

2. Hygiene Campaign

Since Mentawai people are not well-versed in their hygiene practices, we decided to extend Team9’s hygiene programme by educating the locals on the usage and maintenance of these water tanks. So instead of listing down a step-by-step guide of how-tos, our design expertise led us to create iconography of different scenarios where locals can use the clean water for their daily lives – from bathing to cooking and drinking.

Is that all? Certainly not!

If you think all the above mentioned were mind bogglingly tough, the best challenge had yet to come! Sparking off ideas like fireworks is easy, but carrying it out is where the hair-pulling and table-banging starts. Besides executing, W3-O also had to mull over the production of our materials. We definitely could not produce the artwork in Singapore and transport it over to Mentawai, due to cost limitations and accessibility. Also, producing the artwork in Mentawai is a no-go as they lack electricity and printing equipment. But with W3-O’s expertise in maximising cost efficiency and know-how, we proposed to print weatherproof metal plates and create stencils in Jakarta, before the team sets off, and paint the illustrations in Mentawai.

Additionally, we’re quite fortunate to have a partner in Jakarta (another supporter of Team9) Matari Advertising, one of the biggest advertising agencies in Indonesia, to lend their support in production. From here, we came up with a simple cost efficient solution together – two heads are always better than one.

Stencil-friendly illustration — The original vector illustrations converted into stencil-friendly illustrations

Stencils sliced into two sheets — As the printable area of the water tank is about 7m x 1.6m and there is no “rigging” solution in the middle of Mentawai jungle, we decided to slice up the illustrations into 2 main pieces. This would save Team9 the hassle of finding additional workers just for this job.

Our designer at work — Crafting all the illustrations at W3-O Design Lab Singapore

Charles Martanto (Team9’s Programme Director) and Pak ACI from Matari Advertising — Carefully going through the stencils

Design Improves Life

Design is not just about creating a pretty picture, it’s about improving lives. “Form follows Function” is the key to bridge the gap between aesthetics and benefits. If the end product only looks nice but does not bring about any user benefits, it will get mooted out eventually. Just imagine an obscurely designed chair that is only for the eyes to see, but not for the body to experience. With this, W3-O went all the way back to the fundamentals, which is to fully understand our audience and the environment where our designs are to be placed.

After executing the iconography and simple illustrations, we needed to create stencil lines to be cut out. It may seem like an easy task to simply draw lines on the visual, but it’s definitely more than meets the eye. We drew the lines such that it looks like part of the design, without distorting the visuals, turning technical challenges into an aesthetic appeal.

So, by creating an aesthetically enticing visual with an end in mind to understand the whole communication objective and medium, we will be able to stretch design beyond its capabilities – improving the lives of Mentawai people to stay healthy and curb the spread of intestinal diseases among kids.

All in all, W3-O is proud to lend our creative expertise and resources to Team9-THF in their 3-year plan of Rebuilding Mentawai.

May the Force be with Team9-THF and the people of Mentawai.

beyond the studio // November 1, 2011

Creating HOPE for indigenous children

by Law Diche

A Truly Sweet Project

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

This timeless saying instantly came to mind when I first heard about the suggestion to help send the Anak Laut to school as W3-O’s 2011 outreach programme.

After all, we’re talking about a group of indigenous people who, through countless generations, never learned to read or write, and never went to school. This endeavour will give their children a fighting chance to survive a rapidly changing global scenario well into the next millennium. Without this chance, the word “extinct” comes to mind instead.

Next question was how to raise funds. From several worthy endeavours came the sweetest of them all- selling chocolates! Initially, the plan was to make the chocolates ourselves but when it became apparent that it may not be worth the effort, we took the experts in and forged a partnership with specialty chocolate shop “Chocz”. The packaging of the chocolates, on the other hand, was a labour of love by the W3-O volunteers as everyone spent countless after-office hours for over a month- daintily arranging each praline in a box, placing stickers, placing notes and a very tricky ribbon tying that demanded perhaps more than a dozen trials to gain perfection. Not to mention of course the selling part, this was a frantic rally for everyone to hit a high sales target that we’ve set for ourselves.

Trip to Temiang

After several weeks of selling, planning and packaging, D-Day finally came. From the get go, it was a “sacrifice” as a manner of speaking as we had to wake up in the wee hours of the morning, when the world was still literally covered with darkness for our trip.

In fact, the night before was another tiring streak as we stayed late to prepare and pack the goodies for the school kids- a package consisting of snacks like drinks, fruits and cookies, plus school stuff like pens, papers. Now imagine preparing close to 200 of these.

The sea travel was a welcome respite though as it was relatively calm, even soothing to a point. I was expecting a rough ride, but then even the weather and the sun was smiling warmly at us. The smiles that greeted us at the jetty when we arrived were even warmer.

School Daze

Our bright red convoy, on the account of the bright red THF shirt all of us were wearing, gleefully snaked through the trail towards to school, with some huffing and puffing, as we were carrying the goodies and other donations like guitars and a musical keyboard. Following closely behind were some of the Suku Laut women, all smiles that despite the language barrier, seem to encourage us to move forward.

The scene that welcomed us at the school was an exhilarating sight. Hundreds of school kids running to and fro, laughing, shrieking, finally coming to a grinding halt and hushed silence as the school principal ordered them to assemble accordingly.

I learned that the kids were assembled that day specifically for our programme, as it was a Saturday. None of them seemed to mind though as each face was a picture of excitement and anxiousness. It was enough to melt one’s tiredness from the late night before and sleepiness in the early morning. But, the programme has just begun.

Official handover of the donation to the school.

A Touching Experience

It was time to finally meet the Suku Laut people. Among the donations were 2 specially made “school boats”, painted with the distinctive yellow and black letters of a typical school bus, which the Anak Laut would be using to transport them across the body of water that divides their home and school. As these weren’t big enough to accommodate our group, not everyone managed to go.

Upon reaching their homes, we realised it’s not just the boats that won’t be able to accommodate all of us. The homes itself, while not decrepit, were neither that strong nor big. One of the wooden planks cracked with the weight of a colleague. Less than a kilometre away from the village, life looked markedly different at the Suku Laut’s homes which were built on stilts. While they have the amenities of modern life like TV (not sure if it actually works), a mobile phone even, the living condition is far from ideal as the space looks cramped, the furnishing bare.

Their lot in life can be so much better.

2 brand new “Sampan Sekolah”, the school boats.

The school boat outside the homes of "anak laut", the sea tribe children. — The school boat outside the homes of “anak laut”, the sea tribe children.

The official handover of the boats to the head of Suku Laut community.

School bags with stationery and shirts, for all anak lauts.

Future Looks Bright

It would take so much more than a mobile phone to adapt to the demands of a far more competitive world, whose resources are fast depleting and only those with access to “information” will be better equipped to face the challenges of a new world.

That information should begin right at the very beginning so to speak, by sending children to school so they can have the building blocks towards higher learning and having better options in life. Now, that has become possible for the Suku Laut people and their kids, the Anak Laut.

Overall, it was a very memorable trip, very memorable experience – from the boat ride to the kids’ smiles.

Everyone agrees, as a colleague would put it, “letting the kids have a chance to go to school” is more than simply fulfilling. Another exclaims joy “when the kids responded extremely well to our songs, and the way they were paying close attention to what we were teaching. Their eager eyes were glistening with curiosity, thirst for knowledge.“

Other experiences were more on a personal note, like “the non-existence of time that I felt. How everything was in slow-motion and I could take my time to inhale the surroundings, which I can’t back in Singapore”.

And yes, the simple fact that “doing your part and giving effort” for the sake of others is something else, something that gives a new dimension to having a meaning in life.

Anak laut swimming and playing in the sea, right outside their homes

For more information on Anak Laut Goes to School programme by THF, kindly visit its official website: thehumanityforum.org/anaklaut

For more photos, please visit THF’s Flickr album.

beyond the studio // August 11, 2011

Movie with a Cause

W3-O has always envisioned making a difference in society, by leveraging on our creative expertise. Having these skills and talents bestowed upon us, be it marketing collaterals or activities, we believe in approaching the job at hand in a creative yet strategic manner. With that, we’ll be able to help NPO and NGO communicate their social programmes more effectively.

Having handled several NPO and NGO accounts over the years, – World Vision Singapore, The Humanity Forum, Indonesia Forest Honey Network (JMHI), etc. – it has given us an extensive exposure on the know-how of the social scene in Singapore as well as the Asia region.

Impressed with our portfolio and strategic planning approaches, TOUCH Community Services (TCS), one of the leading and top performing non-profit organisations in Singapore, appointed W3-O as their creative “consultant” for their marketing communication activities.

After a few meet-up and discussion sessions with TCS, we got to know each other better and decided to take a step further by being more involved in supporting their social causes.

Presenting to you… Touch Movie Nite!

… and W3-O is proud to be one of the sponsors!

This event is to help raise funds for children from low-income or single parent families, at-risk youths, people with special and healthcare needs and the elderly.

Let us make a difference today, dear friends and support this charity movie night! Kindly visit their official website for more information or to make a donation, www.touch.org.sg/movie

Thank you and we’ll see you there.

beyond the studio // June 10, 2011

Love is in the neighbourhood

Love is in the air; love is all around. We don’t have to search far and wide for it, because sometimes, it’s just right in front of us.

That being said, W3-O approached South East CDC and expressed our keen interest in bringing some old folks for an excursion, to spend quality time with them. We didn’t want to simply donate items or money to an old folks’ home, as our observations with prior CSR projects made us realise that it wasn’t the tangibles that these old folks are looking for – it’s companionship and someone to talk to.

Tangibles can be depleted and forgotten, but intangibles stay etched in our hearts. And that is what W3-O is about – moving away from the conventional, spreading our love and passion for not only design but humanity as well.

So, South East CDC introduced Sunlove Kampong Chai Chee to us, saying that they’re looking for organisations or companies to bring the old folks out for a day. It’s not exactly an Old Folks’ Home per say, but more of a gathering place for the elderly around the neighbourhood to come together and mingle. These elderly people live by themselves in a 1-room flat, and spend their time in the “day-care centre” and, in a way, “hangout” with their friends.

With that, our “brief” was to come up with an activity that is engaging and at the same time, interact more with our beneficiaries. There were many ideas and activities bouncing around but we decided on an excursion to Jurong Bird Park. The reason being that some of the old folks might not have been there, and there will be interaction with the old folks as well.

That’s not all. With us, it’s about going the extra mile to give these old folks an enjoyable time. Besides walking around the park, we came up with an activity sheet for the old folks to “hunt” down particular species of birds. After completing the activity, they each received tokens in return – NTUC vouchers that will be of great use to them. Also, we had a lucky draw contest where winners stand a chance to win attractive prizes! There’s nothing better than going out for an excursion and returning with goodies of remembrance, filled with lots of love.

And so, the journey of love begins…

Sunlove Kampong Chai Chee — Rise and shine comrades!

@ Kampong Chai Chee — The love for our neighbours woke us up on a Saturday morning to give our time to the old folks

@ Jurong Bird Park Car Park — Destination, reached

Waiting for entry ticket — Waiting eagerly for our entry tickets

The “King of the Skies” show – the mighty eagle’s grasp

Walking in Jurong Bird Park — On to our next destination

Happy Auntie & Uncle — Hand-in-hand, love will bring us happiness

Bird Feeding — Bird-feeding – up close and personal

Lunch with old folks — Alfresco dining in the wild

1st Prize — Congrats uncle! The Grand prize winner in our Lucky Draw contest 🙂

We’d like to thank South East CDC, Sunlove Kampong Chai Chee and most importantly, the Uncles and Aunties of Sunlove for a wonderfully fulfilling Saturday.

beyond the studio // April 13, 2011

HEART ROCK – Japan Relief 2011

W3-O is one of the official partners of HEART ROCK: Japan Relief 2011.

Spearheaded by local band, MONOCHROME, with their charity initiative – “Heart Rock”, the event will showcase performances by other prominent musicians and bands such as Caracal, The Dirt Radicals, Maia Lee, We The Thousands, Amterible, Fatskunks, MONOCHROME themselves, as well as the winner of Hard Rock Café’s “Battle Of The Bands 2011”, B.A.R.B.

“Heart Rock : Japan Relief” is themed with the tagline “Let I Be We” to showcase how various Singaporeans from different walks of life can unite together to help make a difference in our society today. “Heart Rock” is an initiative that hopes to inspire others to take that small step in caring for the needy and less fortunate, making compassion and charity a way of life.

At the same time, The Humanity Forum donated 2,000 pin buttons for the fundraising drive. We hope that this contribution could help the fundraising drive to reach its targeted amount of S$ 50,000.00, which will be donated to MERCY RELIEF SINGAPORE for their humanitarian missions to Japan.

May The Force be with HEART ROCK and Japan!

beyond the studio // June 2, 2010

A difference made for these little people with big dreams.

It all started with a vision…

“Our vision for every child, life in all its fullness;
Our prayer for every heart, the will to make it so.”

Every child is entitled to dream, whether big or small, and World Vision Singapore is there to help fulfil the dreams of the less fortunate children from over 100 different countries.

The story goes…

Some time back in June 2010, W3-O received a call from World Vision Singapore, who was keen in getting help to revamp their current collaterals. They were pleased with the previous CSR projects that we’ve done for other NGOs, and wanted an agency that is not only passionate about giving back to society but also understand the works of charity organisations.

We were tasked to conceptualise a Marketing Kit, comprising of various collaterals that would provide information and convey their vision to corporate entities, individuals and youths.

It was a rather challenging project with the strict Corporate Identity (CI) guidelines we had to adhere to. Budget was another hurdle we had to cross, as World Vision Singapore would rather pump more resources to their beneficiaries than on marketing efforts.

However, geared with our “never say die” attitude and creative expertise, we accelerated head-on to maximise whatever resources given to us. At the same time, ensuring the collaterals makes an emotional connection to the people in Singapore.

Overall packaging – Brochure folder

In most instances, what we see/know and the reality are worlds apart. Also, it’s hard to imagine not having proper living conditions in our clean and green Singapore, with high-rise apartments and sky scrapers all over.

After our many brainstorming sessions, the main direction we wanted to head towards is to portray an emotion that reaches out to pull the heart strings of the public, and also to create awareness as to what’s happening around us.

Very much like the “Before & After” concept, we came up with a 2-tier messaging of “What you are expecting” and “What you didn’t expect”.

“What you are expecting”

Brochure folder - Cover
Brochure folder – Cover

“What you didn’t expect”

Brochure folder - Inside
Brochure folder – Inside

Once the target audience opens the folder, they would see the children on the cover actually living in the dumpster.

In this day and age, it’s only normal or rather human that we only see what’s on the surface. Simply because we’re fortunate enough to have proper living conditions. The folder will be the glue that holds all other collaterals together. So with this mechanic at play, the target audience would realise the dire situation these kids are facing every day, be drawn emotionally by the visuals and hopefully to act on their emotions.

Brochures concept

We needed to conceptualise 3 different sets of brochure – corporate, individual and youth. The tone and mood to portray for each is vastly different, adding on the fact that we had to comply with not only the CI guidelines but also the information given.

The concept for corporate entities had to look clean and more serious as they needed as much information as possible.

Corporate Brochure – Cover / Corporate Brochure – Inside

As for the individual brochure’s layout, it is less complicated as they don’t require that extensive amount of information.

World Vision Brochure

Individual Brochure – Cover / Individual Brochure – Inside

And saving the best for last, our biggest challenge yet – how could we appeal to the youths yet at the same time keep in line with the CI guidelines? Youths would definitely not be interested and engaged if we use the same design and layout as the above two.

So tapping into our youthful hearts, we made it exciting, fun and easy to read by using more pictures to bring the message across.

World Vision Brochure

Youth Brochure

We also added an extra feature that helps maximise cost-effectiveness. We made it such that the brochure could double up as a poster on the flipside! Schools will then be able to put it up on their notice boards, or youths themselves can paste it on their walls.

Pull-Out Posters (Inside Brochure)

Poster on brochure’s flipside

Additional items

World Vision Singapore hopes that the donors support/sponsor the children in reaching their dream, and not just a “drop & go” affair. Because ultimately, it’s about the bigger picture of how we can sustain the growth and development of the less fortunate.

With their extensive journey of sponsoring a child, W3-O took a step further and transformed their current poster into an interactive and engaging “board game”. The target audience would not only have a clearer picture, but a fun time on the journey that they will be embarking on with their sponsored child.

So how does this game work? Simple! It comes with the main board piece and attached game pieces of a dice and characters.

Milestones into educational game

“Fulfilling a Dream with World Vision” board game

World Vision Game Piece

Game pieces, supplied flat & after folding

Roll your folded dice.
Move your folded character that represents the boy or girl you are sponsoring, according to the number on the dice you’ve rolled.
You’ll be able to “travel” the journey with your sponsored child, from them getting a new toothbrush, to receiving access to medical support and eventually reaching their dream.

A smile goes a long way

Mail-friendly photo frame

We all like to be remembered in one way or another, let alone a child who is in need of our support. What’s better than a photo frame to remember someone by? W3-O came up with a simple cost-effective photo frame where donors can proudly display the picture of their sponsored child.

Just by looking at this cute little face, doesn’t it brighten up your day already? 🙂

Just a little something extra

We also designed a CD sleeve that’s of similar design to the brochure folder. This would be used for generic purposes if interested parties who want to know more about World Vision Singapore, and how to go about doing their part for the leaders of tomorrow.

CD Sleeve

CD Sleeve

A final note

Helping our clients in maximising cost-effectiveness is one of W3-O’s driving forces to success! We believe in attainting a win-win situation, building and maintaining long-term relationships with our clients.

It’s truly a blessing to be able to pass goodness on isn’t it? Make your day better by making a difference in others. To quote the late King Of Pop, Michael Jackson’s song, “Heal the world; make it a better place; for you and for me and the entire human race”, just says it all.

Are you ready to heal the world with us?

w3-o

A partially pro-bono project – Another CSR Creative Sponsorship by W3-O Design Lab

beyond the studio // January 2, 2010

DESAKU, From Despair to Hope

KDK, together with its partner Dian Niaga and W3-O Design Lab Singapore, has successfully helped to rebrand and repackage its line of local spices for the Yogyakarta community for sale in the commercial market – bringing a new hope to the people of Yogyakarta.

In 2006, a devastating earthquake rocked a village in Yogyakarta leaving it in ruins. Kerabat Desa Kota (KDK), an NGO based in Yogyakarta, immediately got on the scene to help rebuild the communities that were most affected. Instead of merely giving aid, one of KDK’s main focuses was on life sustainability – KDK wanted to make sure that the people can continue to rebuild their life even after they leave – by teaching them how to earn money.
2006 Earthquake in Yogyakarta

2006 Earthquake in Yogyakarta

Local farmers in Yogyakarta

Farming is one of the main sources of income for the people of Yogyakarta, but there’s just one problem – they’re not utilising all of their harvest. Instead, they are letting excessive harvest go to waste or selling them at super low prices

Using the Sun-Drier (Glass House) method that KDK taught them, the people at Yogyakarta was able to convert excess harvest into dry goods which could be sold at more competitive rates. There was, however, one more problem that they faced. They had trouble naming and branding their goods. Without a proper name and brand, they couldn’t sell their goods at a price that was sustainable to them.

Sundrier

Dried chili

Dian Niaga, a partner of KDK, came to know of this problem and consulted The Humanity Forum (THF) with regards to making the products more appealing and marketable. THF had previously worked with Dian Niaga and JMHI, and successfully rebranded and marketed Dorsata. THF then invited W3-O Design Lab Singapore (who had previously supported JMHI on the rebranding of Dorsata) to come on-board this project. W3-O Design Lab Singapore, knowing that they could help the people of Yogyakarta, immediately agreed to help and support this project on a pro-bono basis as part of their CSR program.

With the support of THF and W3-O Design Lab Singapore, a brand new packaging was revealed. The packaging was not only attractive, it also managed to educate consumers about the history of Yogyakarta with its interesting visuals.

There were altogether 10 different packaging that were successfully developed. These 10 different packagings were for: Red Chilli, Ginger, Turmeric, Coriander, White Pepper, Bird’s Eye Chilli, Cinnamon, Clove, Black Pepper, and Nutmeg.

Red Chilli, Ginger, Turmeric, Coriander, White Pepper, Bird’s Eye Chilli, Cinnamon, Clove, Black Pepper, and Nutmeg Packaging

Red Chilli, Ginger, Turmeric, Coriander, White Pepper, Bird’s Eye Chilli, Cinnamon, Clove, Black Pepper, and Nutmeg Branding

Red Chilli, Ginger, Turmeric, Coriander, White Pepper, Bird’s Eye Chilli, Cinnamon, Clove, Black Pepper, and Nutmeg Label

Most NGOs are good at what they do, but as illustrated in this example, there are some tasks (such as marketing and branding) that are best left to the professionals. This is another example of “humanitarian branding”, and THF hopes that more NGOs will engage the help of professionals when the tasks exceed their area of expertise.

Before Packaging
Before

After Packaging
After

THF would like to take the opportunity to thank W3-O Design Lab Singapore in lending their help and support for this project. THF would also like to wish Dian Niaga, KDK, and the Yogyakarta community all the best in whatever they do.

Photographs are courtesy of TEAM 9, KDK & W3-O Design Lab