A' Design Award in Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design Goes to The Early Chapter Brand Identity by Allan Toh

The international grand jury of the 2021 - 2022 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Allan Toh for graphics, illustration and visual communication design

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 22, 2022 /DesignNewswire/ The Early Chapter Brand Identity by Allan Toh has been granted the A' Design Award in the Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The award was conferred within the 2021 - 2022 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

About the A' Design Award

The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.

More About The Early Chapter Brand Identity

The Early Chapter is a brand identity created for an early childhood activities clubhouse in Singapore. The clubhouse helps children develop an interest in Mandarin through immersive play. The logo is built from simple shapes in red, yellow and blue, stacked to resemble a small hut. The hut form represents the community that the clubhouse aims to build. The negative space between the shapes forms the Chinese character for Mandarin, showing the focus on the Chinese language. A half sun suggests an uplifting environment for young children.

About Allan Toh

I am a designer, thinker, and observer. As an individual, I enjoy people watching and observing how things are done in different cultures and by different people. I always believe that everyone is unique. Family, environment, culture, time and experiences shapes our perspectives and actions. So I find it extremely intriguing to observe. My view that everyone is unique shapes my attitude as a designer. Because design is supposed to solve problems, it is only successful if relevant to the stakeholders - end users and business. I always start each design by understanding the requirements by listening to the stakeholders.

Award Record

With this recognition, Allan Toh is a winner of 1 A' Design Award.

About the A' Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design Award

The A' Graphic Design Award is an international graphic design competition recognizing good graphic designs by best creative agencies and designers worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to graphic designers, communication designers, graphic artists and illustrators from all countries. Typical entries include logos, posters, infographics, brochures, packaging designs and business cards. The awarded graphic designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/graphics

About A' Design Award & Competition

Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/128237
A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/128237
Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!128237
Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/312767
Further Information from the Laureate: https://www.allantoh.com/portfolio_page/the-early-chapter/

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project: The Early Chapter Brand Identity
Function: Brand Identity
Category: Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design
Discipline: Communication Design
Industry: Branding & Advertising and Arts
Colors: Teal, Steel Blue, Tomato, Gold and Cadet Blue
Images: 5

The Recognition

Laureate: Allan Toh
Country: Singapore
Recognition: A' Design Award
Edition: 2021 - 2022
Design ID: #128237

Design Details

Unique Properties: The Early Chapter is an early childhood activities clubhouse for children to develop an interest in Mandarin through immersive play. The logo consists of simple shapes in primary colors- red, yellow, and blue, stacked to look like a hut or small house. This represents the community that the brand tries to create. The negative space between the shapes forms the Chinese written character for Mandarin, which represents the clubhouse's emphasis on the Chinese language (Mandarin). The half-sun symbolizes the uplifting environment The Early Chapter wishes to create for the rising young stars of tomorrow.
Inspiration: Inspired by the idea of a "close-knit and fun community for children", I wanted to create a logo that looks like a colourful hut that feels uplifting, fun and safe. The colours are carefully selected- red for attention, yellow for fun and blue for safety. They also happen to be the primary colours which children can easily identify with.
Research: Desk research, market study and brand positioning analysis were conducted to understand the context, target market and competition. Stakeholder interviews, target market study and competitive analysis were carried out. The research indicated that children in the target age group(1.5-6 years) engage in constructive play, and decipher primary colours such as red, yellow and blue better. The findings gave a clear design direction and contributed to an outcome that is more relevant and appropriate.
Challenge: The challenge was to create a suitable colour palette as I was working with the 3 primary colours. I also have to be mindful in creating a brand identity that feels trustworthy yet uplifting and fun. I have to find a balance point such that the outcome does not appear boring while attempting to be trustworthy, and also not being too childish and unreliable while trying to be fun and uplifting. I hope I managed to strike a good balance here.
Realization and Technology: I started out by understanding from the client's perspective what they wanted, and went on to use mind maps to break down the meanings and associations for the words, "Early", and 'Clubhouse". I gathered that 'sun' is a good representation of 'early' and that a 'hut' is a nice association for a clubhouse.
Operation and Interaction: Due to the use of three primary colour hues, it is ideal the logo appears on a White or Floral White (beige-looking) background. Floral white provides a warm support for the three colours so the logo stands out well.
Project Duration and Location: The project started in late April 2021 in Singapore, and finished in late June 2021. The clubhouse is has completed renovations and is open to the public since November 2021. The logo and brand materials are used in stores and for marketing purposes.
Specifications: The minimum height of the logo for web is 45px. The minimum height for print is 10mm.
Keywords: The Early Chapter, Early Childhood Clubhouse, Children, Mandarin, Chinese, Activities, Fun, Playful.