USM, PENANG, 24 May 2016 - As life becomes more intense, the minimalist style is slowly gaining influence among the Millennials for them to invest their time in the important things in life. 

“Less is more, as people now prefers to go straight to the point,” said Ooi Wei Chuin, 23, a final-year Graphic Design student from the School of the Arts in Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), during the artwork showcase RINTIS for final-year project students.

Using the concept of classics in the branding for her client, which is for a hair saloon business under her final-year project, she successfully created a simple yet eye-catching design for the hair saloon.

Emphasising on clean and direct visual effects, the design highlighted the good service of the hair saloon, where customers’ satisfaction is their priority. In order to convey the core of the idea, the poker card feature is chosen as being symbolic of the good service where the customer would be served as if they were the “Kings and Queens”.

She cleverly utilised the negative or white space to be used on T-shirts, books, posters, bags and so on, with the “king and queen” feature as the main design. It is conceptual, fun and uniquely developed.

“Negative space is a way to create double meaning and at the same time, effectively give the design a more minimal look, which is suitable for logo and branding purposes,” she explained.

Having a strong passion in designing, Wei Chuin managed to overcome various challenges during the process of designing, including time and financial constraints.

“I needed to travel regularly to do research before I started designing, as the hair saloon was located in Alor Setar, and at the same time, I also needed to attend classes and complete my assignments,” she said.

“Thanks to social media; I was able to keep in touch with my clients,” added Wei Chuin.

Meanwhile, in order to allocate the budget effectively, a good planning and intensive effort are essential to avoid a waste of resources.

“I needed to ensure that my design was perfect before I print it out, so that I didn’t have to do any reprint,” stated Wei Chuin. 

Driven by her interest in arts since she was young, Wei Chuin decided to enhance her knowledge and skills in the field of arts by pursuing a degree in Universiti Sains Malaysia. 

She explained, “To create an impactful design, one must have good knowledge and technical skills as well as must be creative."

“I have acquired both from my lecturers who were truly concerned about our research work even before we start designing.”

She further added, “A detailed and informative research is the foundation of a strong design”.

Pursuing her dream of creating satisfying artworks for branding purposes, she aimed to partner with some friends and work together to create a successful brand for clients.

“I would always feel unsatisfied with the existing design, and I would want to create an even better one; I would give my best to make every brand successful,” she said. 

Text & Photos: Elezise Oh Ming Han (USM Internship Student)