We’ll be honest, we’re suckers for all things purdy and attractive. Be it that Instagram picture of yesterday’s golden hour or that brooding charmer quietly sippin’ on his latte. We can’t help it, we’re visual creatures and we thrive on observing all things beautiful, and it may be easy to observe beauty, but sometimes the better of us can’t seem to understand it. Picture this, you’re sitting in a quaint cafe with your designer friend. You guys get seated and your friend starts chuckling at the menu. Comic Sans. You don’t get it, but you pretend to anyway. Really in your mind you’re wondering, “what’s wrong with Comic Sans?” but you’re too afraid to ask because you’re not ready for the teasing comments you’re about to get.

Does this scenario ring a bell? That one designer friend that claims to be a design maestro and more often than not acts like he has a more superior taste than the rest of us? Here’s why. Design may have had a long global history (we’re not going to bore you with details, don’t worry) but our little red dot has yet to establish a name for ourselves despite our continuous efforts to build a local design hub. With an abundance of websites and online applications that allow pretty much anyone to dabble in the design domain, many are starting to embrace this newfound idea that anyone can be a designer. Clients aren’t willing to pay for good design anymore knowing that “there’s always someone who will do it cheaper”, hence the need for professional designers to constantly set themselves apart from the untrained ones. It’s no wonder they act all high and mighty with exclusive designer-only jargons and terminology that not everyone gets, kinda like how doctors refer to Panadol as paracetamol, but they’re really just talking about Panadol. Now don’t get us wrong, we’re not dissing our own kind here because we’re all designers who’ve faced difficult clients like that at some point in time, but we’re not condoning our ‘I’m better than you mentality’ either. If you’ve encountered conversations with designers that ended with you thinking all designers are snobs, that’s exactly what we’re here to change. Design isn’t meant to be complicated and design is definitely not meant to be used as a leverage!

That said, our brainchild ARTAS was conceived to present the seemingly mind-boggling world of design to you (lookin’ at you, people who have suffered the wrath of indignant designers!) in the simplest way possible. We’re not going to talk about kerning, we’re going to talk about the spaces between the letters of a word; we’re not going to talk about composition, we’re going to talk about the way different elements fit together in a given space. From designer to designer, we’re giving you plenty of bite-sized design knowledge to help you impress your fellow designer mates and endless art inspiration with a visual feast to boot. So go on and get acquainted with ARTAS, you’ll find out that we’re really not that ‘atas’ after all.

Besides being a space that exudes creativity and inspiration, Gallery & Co. also infuses a lot of ‘Singaporean flair’ in their retail store and the way their space was designed. If you don’t get what I mean, just look at the way they stylised the use of terrazzo* tabletops in the cafeteria area - it practically screams old-school kopitiam tables! But I wouldn’t be surprised though, that a sophisticated gift shop tucked within the walls of British architecture would utilise such elements that might risk contradicting their elegance. Afterall, like we mentioned, Yah-Leng Yu and Arthur Chin of Foreign Policy Singapore were the ones largely responsible for the branding and space of Gallery & Co. Fun fact: they were also the ones who published the widely sought-after book by many designers, ‘Brand Guide: Singapore Edition’, in 2015. In a way, you could say they knew how to make things look and feel ‘Singaporean’.

Especially with our nation celebrating her 50th year of independence last year, we’ve seen aplenty of nostalgic designs appearing on our social media sites and knick-knack stores. If you’ve seen the famous dragon playground printed on a canvas tote bag, or ‘ang-ku-kuehs’ being made into cultured cushions, you would know what I mean. It may have been novelty at first, but with more and more replicas of these supposed ‘Singaporean designs’, I would understand if you can’t stand the sight of another icing biscuit—because honestly, I can’t too!

Now you might think I’m just another snobby designer that hates Singaporean designs. Well, I may find some of them a little bit overrated, but I can assure you this—local design is very much still of great importance! I want you to think about Hong Kong for a minute. (For those of you who have never been there, recall the Hong Kong dramas you may have watched before, or the replica of a typical Hong Kong street in Jurong Point) What do you see? Big neon signs hanging from low-rise buildings along the street, dim sum in obviously over-packed cafes, perhaps even your favourite actor/actress.

Now think about Singapore—what do you see? Hawker centres lined with marble tables and red plastic chairs, the Merlion maybe, or prominent landmarks like the Esplanade and Gardens by the Bay. Congratulations! You’ve just learnt the basics of creating a local design! Really it’s just that simple—local design in its core essence represents Singapore in its unique ways. It uses visual elements—objects and shapes that you are constantly exposed to—to convey a sense of familiarity; of home.