Year ends are always filled with so much Hope, Love and Joy. Right?
That fuzzy feeling with cosy get-togethers, the joy of unboxing, the bliss in every magical moment. This holidays, we’re going DIY and hands-on for funsies — unlocking a season of much, much more!
All you need to do is cut, paste and assemble. Then display it around the house for happy vibes!
We all hold the keys to even merrier tomorrows. From all of us here, we wish you and your family a world of endless happiness and beyond!
Recently, we did quite a bit of 3D concepts for an in-store product display. Although we never actually produced them, we believe you’d love these cool concepts.
The next concept is something that we like very much. We were thinking how we can have a booth that will feel like an AUDI or BMW-M3. Super-glossy paint work with fine and durable leather seat.
By now, we’re guessing you’ve got our Christmas card already (which most probably brought you to this page too!) and ok we know, the card is sorta tricky to assemble. So, we did a little video below so you can have fun learning how to assemble it.
Also, it would be awesome if you can visit our other pages and discover how we’re spreading HOPE, LOVE and JOY. Thus, you’ll see how you can help bring hope to disadvantaged kids, feel the love in the eyes of a group of elderly people, and yes, know the joy of being passionate with what you do.
Again, from all of us at W3-O, have a wonderful Holiday Season!
“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.
Chocolate from the heart The E-Flyer Packing Goody Bags
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.
Boarding at Bintan Island Arriving at Tajur Biru Island
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.
Arts & Crafts Class Singing Class Sports & Physical Class Distributing lunch boxes Official handover of the donation to the school. The kids and the goody bags.
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 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 Anak lauts at school, finally.
For more information on Anak Laut Goes to School programme by THF, kindly visit its official website: thehumanityforum.org/anaklaut
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
…fell in love?
…were inspired, driven to turn your desire into reality?
…felt passionate about doing something continuously and not get sick of it?
We constantly find ourselves caught in a battle between passion and money. Surely, there’s got to be a balance where we can enjoy the best of both worlds, right?
W3-O believes in taking the time to attain this balance- to always be in the “prime of life”. Driven by passion and yes, a sense of fun, we’ve created a little Stop Motion Animation signoff that we could share with you good people!
Why stop motion specifically you ask? For starters, we were truly inspired by Wallace and Gromit and decided hey, why not put our passion to use and share with you good people!
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.
W3-O Christmas cards have always tried to adopt a unique form or design prior to any Christmas cards that have been around.
We aim to have all our Christmas cards send off a truckload of “candy cane” joy and excitement to our recipients.
For our 2010 card, we wanted to use intricacy to spread the Christmas spirit around. Craftsmanship was the key aspect that we wanted to showcase. Apart from the craftwork, elements of Christmas must be present to bask in this tasteful joy. And what’s Christmas without our pouty-bellied and snowy white beard, Mr Santa “Hoho” Claus? We showed Mr Santa doing odd things, perhaps a side of Santa we have yet to witness, to bring a new scene of imagination and to put a smile on every recipient’s face.
Shelf longevity was something we decided to push as well, hoping that our clients and friends will display it on their desks/shelves till our next card comes rolling merrily along.
“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
“What you didn’t expect”
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.
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.
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.
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.
“Fulfilling a Dream with World Vision” board game
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
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
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?
A partially pro-bono project – Another CSR Creative Sponsorship by W3-O Design Lab
