Article by Chiu Hwee and Celestin
Storyblog by Euclea Tan, Verlyn Ku, Natalie Lim and Andrew Sutjipto
As the Groundwork team begins work on the new August issue for the Filos seniors, we wonder if these booklets should really be judged by their covers. According to the Design team however, they sure should be for this month’s issue is packed with a plethora of gems tailored to meet the Filos seniors’ needs!
For the past two weeks, the design team has been hard at work compiling and aestheticising all the gems that the puzzles’ team has curated with much blood, sweat and tears (of joy of course)! Working in pairs, the designers were truly the perfect tag-team as they put together the puzzles scheduled for the various weeks, ensuring that the artworks and themes are cohesive and eye-catching! They were the silent heroes labouring behind the scenes who ensure that our booklets and handouts are not only aesthetically beautiful and engaging but also sensitive to the needs and preference of the elderly.
You must be thinking that it is impossible for a group of freshmen to do such magic behind the issues we see! These booklets look picture-perfect and action-packed with various activities piques your mind. And if we’re honest — they sure are a magical work of art!
Beyond the flawless covers and beautifully curated activities hides hours and hours of discussions and hard work. In an effort to cater to the needs of the elderly and design new and refreshing activities for them, our team has put in intentional thought in every portion, ranging from the sequence of the activities to intricacies of the font and font sizes for each heading. Each header and activity represents hours of thought and effort on our designer’s part as they seek to illustrate the essence of each activity or programme. These illustrations may seem purely to beautify our booklet but looking at it on a deeper level, they are crucial in setting the tone and mood of each section so as to excite and draw the attention of the elderly to the various programmes laid out for the week.
As August marks the month of our nation’s 55th birthday, every detail of the booklet sought to curate a celebratory mood as we move closer towards National Day! For some, this booklet means more than a batch project for it has become a platform for our freshmen to give back and bless our Pioneer Generation who have worked tirelessly to bring us to where we are today. To others, this booklet may serve as a monument that allows them to think back and reflect on the memories made with their peers during this batch project. In all, this booklet curation process means more than a product or a project. It has since become a key part to both the beneficiaries and designers alike as it paves a way for both the old and the young in celebrating this special day together.
This booklet resonates with this year’s National Day theme “Our Heart for Singapore” as it represents a tangible gift from the young to the older ones in our society, ensuring that our older generation Singaporeans are not forgotten during this COVID-19 period as multiple gatherings and events which the elderly look forward to during this momentous occasion have since been postponed or cancelled due to safe-distancing measures in Singapore to safeguard their health. We hope that this booklet presents an alternative source of joy and excitement for the elderly during this period as disappointments may arise due to the scaling down of the celebrations for National Day.
Thanks to the lessons and feedback from July’s design team, the foundation has been set for the design team to standardise the roles of each member so that we may work more efficiently on formatting and designing the puzzles.
Let’s hear what our designer has to share about his experience during this batch project!
Justin’s Response
Q: How did you feel/ what were your thoughts when you first joined the BP comm?
A: I was pretty excited to join BP (and finally be productive) as I didn't have much on my hand being quarantined at home. I thought it was quite nice for the USP community to be concerned about rendering help to those who need it in society, and am definitely glad to be able to support the cause with my own ability. On top of that, I also wanted to use this opportunity to meet and work with new people within the community.
I think it's pretty cool that we are not only working for a cause together, but also forging connections with people we are spending our next 4 years with.
Q: How was the experience designing the Filos activity booklet?
A: I have had some experience in graphic designing and publicity work back in JC and Secondary School, hence I didn't find designing the booklet particularly challenging. I guess my main objective was to make my design sufficiently accessible to the seniors, such as structuring each page in an easy-to-understand fashion, and cutting out unnecessary instructions to prevent confusion. Overall, I enjoyed the process as I find designing pretty fun, and I'm doing something beneficial to others.
Q: Most memorable moments/favourite part?
A: My favourite part of working for BP was definitely the new friendships I've made. My groupmates Amanda (Akari), Simone (Nomia) and I first met each other via Zoom to work on one of the puzzles for the July issue. In that session, we opened up to each other very quickly and shared a lot about our own lives, on top of working quite well together as we delegated our work evenly. Since our first encounter was so positive, we decided to work on two puzzles for the August issue together again. Again, we were very comfortable with each other, and even talked on Zoom until 3am that night. There were many topics for us to talk about, from our own OCamp experiences since we were from different houses, to discussing which WCT to take in Sem 1. I think it's pretty cool that we are not only working for a cause together, but also forging connections with people we are spending our next 4 years with.
Q: Special considerations?
A: One main consideration I suggested was to make the font size larger than what we are used to, as the seniors generally have poorer eyesight due to old age and it would be inconvenient for them if the font was small and unreadable. Other than that, we tried to reduce the clutter on each page by making the background and border designs simple, so that the seniors will find it less distracting when doing the activities on the booklet.
Food For Thought
Moving forward as a nation, how can we, as fellow Singaporeans, display our unity and pride towards Singapore even in this special period? While COVID-19 has indeed brought about multiple inconveniences and paralysed our ability in hosting our annual National Day celebrations, it cannot dampen our patriotic feelings and our abilities to celebrate our 55th birthday! Today, let’s take some time to reflect and think about some ways in which we can celebrate this National Day with our family! It could be a simple meal, a family outing, a ZOOM party or even a simple house visit to our grandparents' place! Just as we get excited in planning these activities, remember to stay safe, abide by the safe-distancing rules and most importantly, be responsible citizens. Finally, may we all wish you a Happy National Day!
Image credits: COCO Creative Studio
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