The Monash Chamber Orchestra Chronicle Part 1- Navigating through the Jungles of Projects
The article below contains excerpt from the book “The Musichronicle”. For second part of the article, click here.
By the time of this writing, I had long withstood the struggle of stylistic transition. My branding projects have been never as “graceful” before, the use of monoline and 8 point text on a B5 paper terrified me to an extend, that, it was my first time to test print sheets after sheets of design just to make sure what I was seeing on my screen is perfectly normal.
Months after the project’s beautiful wrap up, I feared that all the sense I once learnt and unlearnt will slowly disappear. I truly treasure everything that I’ve gained from this project, as it represents a nice (not perfect) conclusion to my four years of design study.
Journal of "The Musichronicle" Branding Project
This will be an article, dedicated to explain how and why I arrive where I arrived. Take this piece of wordful information as a transcript-ed journal (of those ugly pieces of scribbles and data collection) that will hopefully, benefit your next academic project. For non-designers, I hope it will be a reading pleasure for you to understand how designers crafts brand and value.
In pursuit of meaning-making
A few months prior to the end of my Internship around August, I was in the state of exhaustion from advertising life, not because of the client revisions and rejections, but the constant repetition of similar work that I was doing made me a design robot. I remembered during the first week of internship, I asked one of the senior designers who had been working overtime since my internship begun, “just, how can you withstand this?”, I asked. Her reply was an utter confusion for me during that time.
“Because I really love design,” that’s what she said.
Me as a CoNfuSed iNtErn figuring out what just happened
I did not understand her reply back then, but looking back to that harsh experience, there is really such thing as "you have to learn to love what you do". Yes, through the right method (and timing), interest could be acquired. Essentially, advertising is also about making people feel interested in buying a product - ironically, advertising seldom interest people in loving it.
Advertising to me, is how a brand gets their message (or value) out the world, through the use of what they call “above-the-line” and “below-the-line”. But I was more interested in how value and experience are individually curated for a brand, simply because I much prefer the creation of things. Or maybe because (modern) branding does evolve advertising too (?).I felt the need to get back to what I loved to do.
That statement alone made me look like a kid who prefers eating snack over proper food.
Kids only gonna do things that they love to do, full stop.
Finding the perfect snack wasn’t easy.
Finding an interesting topic to embark as my final semester project (let’s call it FSP) isn’t as straightforward as I thought would be. The project brief for FSP is to solve an existing problem using design (thinking), and open brief like this are notably a headache for amateur creators. “Do anything you want” would sound delicious for an artist, but not for me.
That moment of brainstorming was interestingly after the post-election moment. Pakatan Harapan was ought to be the new light of Malaysia - people were discussing on the definition of what is seemingly the “Malaysia Baharu” on Twitter. Interesting topics were brought up, the few that I remembered was LGBT and issues regarding Chinese independent secondary school, both of which I tried to explore briefly but (thank goodness) abandoned; reason being that the former is too mainstream and cliche, and LGBT in Malaysia (for me) is a conflict of religion and mindset; meanwhile, I am not completely truthful to devote on the latter. I am O.K. with the existence of Chinese Independent schools, but no strong opinion on it.
Yong Yanning (clarinetist) seen trying out Amanda's violin out of plain interest and curiosity. Musicians' common passion in music-making are shared within an orchestra.
Those topics led me to a common point of national issue - "unity".
"How do you solve unity issue in Malaysia", I wondered. Malaysians only think they are racial-friendly when things happens, such as the “Crispy Ayam Rendang” news, or the “Cendol Singapore” that should have belonged to Malaysians. I strongly believe the moral textbook (not newspaper) should instead focus on those issues, rather than learning how to make friends with your neighbour, Abu. No offence, Abu!
The small enlightenment here is - unity is about finding common point, not eliminating difference. This topic is so much debatable!
"Unity is about finding common point, not eliminating difference."
But who am I to solve such an old problem? I understand that some problems are too big to be solved. I brought along the idea of cultivating unity onto my next idea, and so on, until I settle on the current branding project.
Pro Bono Realisation
Working in an advertising agency is not entirely bad too. Big organisations often give you the opportunity to self-initiate certain project that helps you get out of that stagnant 9-6 lifestyle. Through working in a company with diverse and multitalented employees, I came to realise that to be able to design is partially a "gifted talent".
I do not mean that non-designers are not gifted with the ability to design, but good designers, especially in Malaysia are hard to come by because not every Asian family are as open minded to allow children pursue in creative field; plus, the next sentence would probably get designer angst and sweatly uncomfortable.
Design is easily attributed as a skill that could "do good" for the society, for free.
Charity works and constantly making something out of nothing. They are called designers!
It sounds really bad until designers could leverage its benefit. Famous designers such as Paula Scher do free projects occasionally; thus, as long as you know your limit, doing free project with good cause has almost no harm in it. My theory is - you hardly get known for working hard in organisations (unless you are creative director who is in particular field for more than 20 years and jumped around different companies, or won multiple awards during young age).
I reached out to my high school friend, who we had spoke about her hardships managing an orchestra. My instinct from our last conversation regarding orchestra isn't just about identity crisis and problem, it is a cultural barrier, a niche beneath a niche.
Quote set in "Chamber Display" custom typeface for Monash Chamber Orchestra.
An hour and half of Skype with the key people of orchestra team had helped me understand the problem they are facing. Funding is hard despite their recognition is building in a steady momentum. Marketing collaterals are needed alongside with a new branding if necessary.
It was a delightful conversation. Unfortunately, none of the above happened.
Stay tuned for the part two article, following up with the design process of "The Musichronicle", branding project for Monash Chamber Orchestra. Meanwhile, feel free to browse the whole documentary album here.
Additional Note: If you are interested in purchasing "The Musichronicle" introductory book upon viewing the documentary shots here, please feel free to contact me via email (fsk1997@gmail.com). All payments are to cover printing and design / production costs while promoting Monash Chamber Orchestra.
Meanwhile, enjoy the documentary film created in conjunction of the branding project and their second annual concert. All footages were intended as marketing material, but later compiled as a documentary film. Please pardon the hasty video production.
For second part of the article, click here.
