An award winning multi-disciplinary design agency with a strong reputation for delivering intelligent and beautifully crafted creative solutions with strategic results. Our philosophy of constantly challenging the physical norms of design makes us who we are. We are trine and this is our work.
SC G LO BA L C H I N E SE N E W Y EAR G IFT S E T
Luxury branding in a box Chinese New Year is a season of giving and receiving. Many businesses take the opportunity to send gifts to their clients and business associates as a form of well wishes. For SC Global, a luxury property developer, an opulent silk covered hand-made box was created to contain customized red packets made of special suede flock material.
The bold modern palette consisting of bright magenta and cyan lends a surprising touch of unconventionality to the brand whilst use of traditional Chinese floral motif throughout the packaging design conveys a sense of Chinese heritage to complement the season.
Every effort was made to ensure that this gift would be unique. Thus no expense was spared from the sourcing of the materials to the customisation of the finished product staying true to the company’s philosophy “Own the Original”.
Chinese ribbon custom designed and produced in Shanghai.
Each gift set is accompanied by a personalised card.
Specially chosen paper EDO Printable Flock from France (marble effect paper with a natural suede feel), was also shipped in from Hong Kong.
A N TA L I S MA R L E Y MAG P I E & T HE S EAR CH FOR TH E S H I N I E S T O B JE C T
Spinning a tale out of paper When Antalis looked to launch a new line of Arjowiggins shiny metallic papers, it commissioned Trine to create a promotional swatchbook that not only showcases the quality of the fine premium papers but creates desirability with the target audience – predominantly designers, printers and end-clients from luxury and retail industries. Through a collaborative effort with a group of talented local illustrators and writers, the swatchbook transforms into a enchanting storybook inspired by the magpie’s unbridled natural fascination with shiny objects. The book features multiple innovative print finishing techniques such as hybrid UV printing, flock printing, 3D embossing as well as traditional finishings such as french-fold and hand-sewn binding.
The combination of storytelling, well-executed design and excellent print finishing generated very positive response and awareness from the target group.
Each of the 1,000 books was hand stitched, with each ends secured to show the connection from Marley’s beak to his nest and the back cover page.
We had 9 different illustrators working on this project, each was given a section or 2 of the story to illustrate.
The results were nothing short of spectacular, making the book visually arresting yet an enjoyable read.
Each page was also given a different finishing, from sculptured emboss to paper flocking all with the intention to showcase this paper range flexibility and beauty.
A D D I C T I ON R AW D E H Y D RAT ED PE T FOOD
Smart packaging for man’s best friend To launch Addiction Foods new pet food range, our design solution adopted a lifestyle approach to the packaging – in terms of form, graphics and colours. Instead of plastic tubs and foil bags, an eco-friendly cereal box structure was used to convey freshness and convenience, to minimize damage during stacking and to allow maximum retail display exposure. The illustration style of the design graphics and palette of rich colours added a touch of premium to the product.
The results have been impressive as Addiction continues to grow their business and extend their product range.
C h e rry G a r d e n rebranding exercise
The art of Cantonese cuisine Cooking is a craft and food, an art. Cherry Garden’s advertisement campaign features a series of Chinese words – Joy, Heart and Thought - inspired from that belief. Subtle use of the traditional Chinese teapot, soup spoon and sauce dish with the calligraphy, represents the character of the food authentic, traditional and beautiful crafted.
Masterfully painted in elegant script, these words illustrate the philosophy behind Cherry Garden’s fine cuisine.
Banyan T r e e Spa B rochures
A Sanctuary for the Senses See in your mind’s eye an ideal retreat that encapsulates earthly elements of serenity and tranquility. Turning the pages of a Banyan Tree spa brochure exudes just that. Like their spas, which are situated in the world’s most beautiful and exotic locations such as the Tibetan mountains and ancient pine forests, the brochures seek the connection that exists in the destination.
Each brochure’s minimalist-style design and symbolic choice of colours encompasses the special characteristics of each retreat’s unique atmosphere, nature and culture.
Each brochure’s colour was carefully selected to best represent the location and the identity of the individual Banyan Tree Spa.
The graphical motifs used for each spa was also designed with much thought to the identity of the location.
Even the tiniest detail was not left out as to ensure a consistent brand application for every Banyan Tree Spa.
We had to ensure a flexible design layout for the brochure contents to accommodate the different languages according to each location.
S I N G A P ORE D E S IG N FESTIVAL UNNAT UR AL BEAUT Y
Unthink Undo Unveil Unnatural Beauty is a visual installation exhibition that presents art forms constructed from biodegradable cutlery ware made from cornstarch. Through design, these neglected everyday objects are transformed into visually stunning art. A single structure is made of 8,000 pieces of forks and spoons – the estimated disposed waste generated in a high traffic food court and fast food restaurant during the lunch hour. In many developed countries where trash is disposed off in an efficient manner, consumers often do not see the amount of waste generated by their consumption habits. By creating form from number, the exhibition unveils the visual impact of waste generated.
The exhibition encourages the audience to rethink their role in creating a sustainable future and to undo undesirable consumption habits. By engaging the audience and creating a stronger awareness of the dire state of global waste pollution, we hope to motivate each individual into making a commitment to create less waste. All materials used in the exhibition will be cleaned and reused to avoid wastage.
T h e S ingapo r e F r e ePort corporate branding
Branding Asia’s first fine art fortress Located in the island republic, The Singapore FreePort is the Fort Knox and Geneva Freeport of the East. More than just a high-tech security storage facility, The Singapore FreePort offers innovative bespoke art storage services for both private art collectors and institutional clients from all over the world.
The logo features a globe in red and white colours, representing the scope of its global operations, its Swiss heritage and Singaporean identity.
The 2009 Singapore GP invitation used carbon fibre material on the cover with the invitation sliding out printed a metallic strike paper. The shape of the invite is similar to the top view of the Singapore FreePort building as with the corporate brochure above.
The first Singapore GP invitation for The Singapore FreePort. Specially designed to impress the receiver. The moving sequence LED lights along the track would activate upon opening the box.
M anda r in Or i e ntal Singapore Brand
Redefining the blueprint of luxury An award winning hotel and resort group, Mandarin Oriental had launched a multi-million dollar refurbishment of its Singapore hotel to propel it into the league of the top hotels in the republic. Trine has had the privilege to collaborate with the client in the design revitalization of almost its entire hotel collateral, marketing materials and restaurant collateral.
The re-launch campaign garnered tremendous success and positive response from both media and customers.
The revamped In-Room Dining Menu and the Guest Service Directory, our team was invited to stay for a night in the newly renovated suites to have a better understanding of the Mandarin Oriental before we embarked on the project.
We had to ensure that every little thing that we do right down to the amenities set was consistent with the brand identity that we created.
Perhaps the best result of this whole project was the implementation of what we did to their brand identity guideline for all their Asia Pacific hotels.
Our team not only oversee the designs but also the entire production process to ensure that the results were to our highest expectations.
T R I N E LOT US T E A L I G H T H OL D ER
A beautiful experiment Created using intricate laser-cutting on paper, the Lotus Tealight Candle Holder is the result of an experiment to explore form, material and construction techniques. Inspired by the beauty and resilience of a lotus flower blossom, the structure of the candle holder comprises of three rings of petals. Each ring of petal can be removed individually to use as a standalone tealight candle holder; or can be stacked together to form a single tealight candle holder - which resembles a delicate blossoming lotus flower.
The floral motif on each ring features traditional Chinese, Indian and Muslim art respectively. These three cultures form the majority of Singapore’s melting pot of culture and heritage. Symbolically, the lotus flower represents a wish for peace and hope for the Republic nation.
It takes around 1 hour for the laser cut to be complete, after which, each lotus tealight holder is individually put together by hand.
Top view of the lotus tealight holder. A custom glass cup to hold a candle was created to sit perfectly inside.
We also ensured that the packaging of lotus tealight holder opened up like a flower in bloom.
The slip on casing was designed with a minimalist tone to create a sense of calm.
AU RU M R E S TAUR A N T M E NUS
Expect the unexpected Conceived as a bold new frontier to molecular gastronomy dining and inspired by Damien Hirst’s clinical art, the interiors of Aurum restaurant featured glittering gold operation theatre lights, tables and wheelchairs.
To enhance the unique dining experience, the restaurant menu was conceptualized to emulate an X-ray file. Where black and white films were riveted on laser-cut gold acrylic boards and graphic elements such as x-ray photographs of human anatomy and wine bottles were used.
A SI A - E U ROP E F OU N DATION 10T H ANNIV ERS ARY
Celebrating the voices of Asia and Europe Asia-Europe Foundation is an organization founded in 1997 to forge closer ties between the peoples of Asia and Europe. In celebration of its tenth year anniversary, ASEF commissioned an identity and a book containing thoughts and “voices� of partners, supporters and participants from Asian and European countries who had contributed in some way to the organization over the past years.
Each page is designed to complement the theme and tone of the article, resulting in a book that offers an interesting myriad of visual content. The book is ringbound. The cover art consists of silver duotone images of the people, with a shape of a voice-box die cut on the mounted board covers.
A manu e ns e s B R A N D I DENT IT Y
Creating clarity in communication Derived from a Latin word, which translates loosely to “a helping hand�, Amanuenses offers tailored coaching, training and consultancy services to individuals and businesses. Amanuenses’s philosophy is centered on communication between individuals and organisations. The founders believe that communication is the key to discovering the value and power in the process.
The new brand identity reinforces the idea of starting and continuing conversations between the audience and Amanuenses. The identity collateral presents a clean, uncluttered and professional brand image that extends to its presentation tools and web presence.
Hawo r t h SH A N G H A I C R EAT IV IT Y CENT RE
Shanghai Creativity Centre Haworth, one of the leading office furniture companies in the US, created the Shanghai Creativity Centre in the vibrant Xintiandi district as a testament to the myriad creative solutions their furniture systems can produce. People were invited into their spaces and introduced to the Haworth furniture experience. This inaugural book was commissioned for them to showcase the furniture on display at the Centre and the underlying concepts behind them.
The Chinese word for source, yuån, was used to appropriate Chinese values and impress upon visitors’ minds the link back to Haworth. It further suggested the seamless flow of a maximized Haworth workspace environment with its simplicity and allowance for a continually changing space.
HEI D E L B ERG SP E C I A L A P PL ICAT IONS
Inspiring Print Technology Heidelberg commissioned an event invite for all printers to come and be ‘inspired’ by their latest UV printing machine. A showcasing of its cutting-edge UV printing technology and capabilities, the invite was imagined similarly as a platform to show printers possibilities. Strategic design elements were utilised to demonstrate the accuracy of its automated fold system.
The slogan, ‘inspire’, was also fleshed out in UV printing on the invite cover, contrasting the vivid burst of gold fireworks that set off the printed paper.
HEI D E L B ERG P R I N T E C T DIR EC T MAIL ER
Enhanced performance and results The Heidelberg – Prinect Direct Mailer is a stellar example of design coming together to give proven results. Created to promote the new Prinect function of introducing a whole system of workflows to speed printing processes, such processes could be now put altogether to increase productivity for Heidelberg users. Going with the idea of bringing things all in one, the direct mailer was conceptualised to have two parts coming together symbolically. This single outstanding feature turned a simple, straightforward campaign into one with exponentially added value and effectiveness.
The client’s feedback that it was one of the most successful direct mailers they had ever sent was reward enough.
HEI D E L B ERG P R I N TSC A P E 2006
Shaping the future of packaging & labelling Leading the global print media industry, Heidelberg invests heavily in new, innovative print technologies and the importance of shared knowledge. It hosts regular events where latest print technologies are showcased to the market. For one such event, the focus was on packaging technology.
The design of this direct mailer tied in with the event’s theme by using a cleverly customized structure that allows the flat two-dimensional invitation card to unfold into a threedimensional box. The response rate was very positive with generated sales exceeding target expectation.
nanyang busin e ss school
Ahead of the curve The Nanyang Business School has built its reputation as one of the best in Singapore but needed to move forward and capture the attention of a new generation of students. Staying relevant so young people could relate to it was key and the liner, “Ahead of the curve,” was employed to convey that NBS moves you ahead. In keeping to this forward-thinking policy, it was rationalised for the school brand to be built with technology. Furthermore, the communications strategy would lie in proving the school’s credibility and track record, transitioning from fun to a more serious tone because education is a serious matter.
Staying relevant so young people could relate to it was key and the liner, “Ahead of the curve,” was employed to convey that NBS moves you ahead.
Students received a mailer complete with a badge that could then be used to trigger the augmented reality segment of the new NBS website. When detected, the animation of a rocket blasting off would appear and students could choose to take a photo using their webcam and post the image directly onto Facebook.
F O UR S E A S ON S H OT E L S AND RESORTS ON E - N I N E T Y / JI A N G N A N CH UN / WINE B AR
Gastronomical excellence Another new work recently completed for the three F&B outlets at Four Seasons Singapore. The tired look of their current menus were spruced up while retaining the essence of the brand. The menus were updated in luxuriant gold to dark bronzed hues and featured the logos of each restaurant debossed in metallic ink.
Bound in highly textured synthetic leather to add an element of tactile appeal to browsing diners, these sensuous details add to the sumptuous yet unified look and feel across the different establishments.
T HE E S P L A N A D E A N N UAL REPOR T 2010
Inspiring Lives Themed Inspiring Lives, the latest annual report for Esplanade – Theatres On The Bay presented a once-a-year opportunity to showcase a full calendar’s worth of events at one of Asia’s finest arts venues. The five senses were employed to bring the theme to life, along with the bold use of the centre’s corporate colours and a well-balanced selection of pictography and typography. Having been awarded the project on the basis of the concept – “I close my eyes yet I still see” – key visuals featured a kaleidoscope of scenes throughout the year projected onto people’s faces.
These unique encounters with the Esplanade serve as inspirations kept alive through memory.
We believe that good work is nothing without the passion that is behind each project. Over the years, trine have accumulated a good track record particularly in the hospitality, arts and the private sector. With clients like Banyan Tree, Mandarin Oriental, Heidelberg, Four Seasons and more. Along the way we have garnered awards & recognition and have our work featured in numerous publications and magazines. If you liked what you have seen and would like to meet us up, please contact Wan Chin via email [wanchin@trine.com.sg] or call her at +9387 6136. We would love to hear from you.
Trine Design Associates 1008 Toa Payoh North #05-14/15 Singapore 318996 tel: +65 6476 4533 fax: +65 6476 4573 email: us@trine.com.sg web: www.trine.com.sg blog: www.trinedesign.wordpress.com