ISSUE 001 A look into the life of an intern in The Brand Union
threefifteen pm
EDITOR’S NOTE
It’s three-fifteen in the afternoon and you just had your lunch - Lor Mee and a tauhuay from Amoy Street Market. It’s the time of the day you feel lethargy slowly seeping through your veins. Your eyes are closing as you browse through Behance, searching for references for a project. You leave your office seat and head over to the toilet. ‘I shouldn’t be doing this’, you tell yourself. But the next moment, the sleep monster has convinced you to sit on the toilet seat and have your routine afternoon nap. No one needs to know.
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SLEEP MONSTER
I should be honest. I am not the best intern. I am never on time for work ever since I knew everyone turns up late for work. But that was quite an invalid alibi since the people who came late worked late. But that is a public kind of flaw, you know. It’s okay if people know it, and accept you the way you are. However, there is something no one knows. It’s a closet flaw.
I sleep in the toilet during office hour. I am sure people do this but never admitted it to their bosses. So this is me, coming clean. It’s the first step to personal redemption. I want people to understand that I enjoy my internship. I do. But sometimes, I just cannot resist the sleep monster that haunts me at 3.15pm everyday. Please understand.
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THE BRAND UNION
So it’s the time of your life when you are accepted into an international branding company, The Brand Union. And here you are all contented and happy about everything until you realized that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Your company collaborates closely with one of the most established advertising agency, Ogilvy and Mather. And you will be working at 71 Robinson Road at the very heart of the Central Business District. But the most exciting part is working and experiencing life in a top advertising agency. Isn’t that awesome?
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Who are The Brand Union? Located in the same office building as Ogilvy and Mather, The Brand Union works independently but also collaborates with Ogilvy and Mather in various projects. In 2011, The Brand Union won a Silver Award in the Asian Marketing Effectiveness Awards for their branding for Kotex. Through The Brand Union’s branding, Kotex Luxe Colours had more than fourfold increase in market share over a span of four month. This was despite the fact that there was an overall decline in the market. In 2012, The Brand Union clinched a Bronze Award for their branding for The Orange Thimble in the ‘Design for Asia Award’.
LOGO
100% CYAN CORPORATE COLOUR
Some of the projects had done include Maybank’s eVibes credit card, Kotex Luxe Colours, Minute Maid Nutri-Boost, Telekom Indonesia and many more.
CORPORATE FONT
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Internship at The Brand Union
My army term was ending in two months and I wanted to pursue my interest in design immediately. Maybe it was the whole notion of freedom that created such a motivation. It was a lucky shot. I emailed companies and studios - about thirty of them - and requested for internship opportunities. From large international agencies like Ogilvy and Mather, to smaller studios like Asylum, I contact them. When The Brand Union accepted my application, I was thrilled and to be honest, very humbled. I have never been educated professionally in art and design, and my portfolio was created mainly whilst I was pursuing my A Levels in junior college. And so the journey to freedom begins.
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#1: Do Something
#3: The Orange Thimble Video
In the first few weeks of internship, I was bombarded with free time. Being someone that hates cruising around doing nothing, I created projects. ‘Do Something’ is a typography project that speaks about pro-activeness. Inspired by this influx of free time, it encourages individuals to get their hands into the plow to achieve things in life. Of course, this was done discreetly without the knowledge of colleagues.
#2: Kyoto Conference Icon
Kyoto Conference is an annual conference organised by Ogilvy and Mather to exchange knowledge and creative ideas with staffs in Ogilvy. The Brand Union was also invited to the conference in 2012 and was tasked to brand the event. I designed one of the icons which was the dragon. This was the first time I learnt how to use Adobe Illustrator.
This was the first major project that was given to me. I was tasked to storyboard and to make a motion video about The Orange Thimble, Singapore. It was a long and arduous process to be honest. But, I did learn a lot about animating movements and kinetic typography. It was a long bittersweet experience.
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#4: Oggy
Oggy is the branding of Ogilvy’s pantry (which is an amazing place I must say). The pantry hires a barista and offers wine after 5.30pm. I was involved in the researching of this project to give this space character. The Brand Union tasked me to experience cafes around the office and to report my experience about what I liked about them. I went from higher end coffee shops like Jewel Coffee to local coffee shops like Ya Kun. It was an eye opening experience.
#5: Candela Travellors Video
This was another major project that I was assigned to. It also involved storyboarding and animating. However, the deadline was tight. I learnt a lot from this project mainly because I was reprimanded for an hour over the phone. My colleague told me off because the standards I delivered was not up to expectation. While he understood the deadline was tight, he mentioned that I shouldn’t make empty promises if I could not deliver on time. This was a hard night of rushing deadlines. Of course, eventually everything went well and I had my deserved rest.
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#2: Yuan Chun Famous Lor Mee
LUNCH HOUR
Amoy Street Food Centre 7 Maxwell Road #02-80 Singapore 069111
It’s lunch hour. What do I usually get for lunch? And how sleep inducing is it?
#1: Salad Corner Amoy Street Food Centre #01-41 & & #01-60 7 Maxwell Rd Singapore 069111
It’s hard to find Lor Mee nowadays, and even harder to find nice ones. Mr Wang makes awesome Lor Mee for only $2.50 a bowl. Be prepared to queue for at least ten minutes during lunch hour though if you are intending to try this. Sleep Inducing: Z Z Z Z Z [3/5]
I have been accused of dieting when I constantly buy salads for lunch. But who woudln’t when you call the shots and be your own chef? It’s an excuse to say you cannot meet your two servings of greens when a bowl of salad with 5 toppings is $4.90. Topping range is vast from onions, to apples and even couscous. Sleep Inducing: Z Z Z Z Z [4/5]
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#3: 老豆 Soya Beancurd & Drinks
#4: Macdonald’s
Amoy Street Food Centre 7 Maxwell Road #01-17 Singapore 069111
3 Anson Road #01-03 Springleaf Tower Singapore 079909
Who can say no to silky tauhuay that melts into wonderful sweetness? Totally sleep inducing! Sleep Inducing: Z Z Z Z Z [5/5]
#4: Soup Spoon Asia Square Tower 1 8 Marina View #02-13 Singapore 018960
The one time I had Macdonald’s was because I was rushing deadlines and had to request my colleague to take away a meal for me. Who wants Macdonald’s when you have so many other options?! Sleep Inducing: Z Z Z Z Z [0/5]
A homey meal of soup and wraps with chunky ingredients. A great meal for that extra boost for the second half of your day. The downside is that it is a little pricey for interns like me. Sleep Inducing: Z Z Z Z Z [2/5]
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