Creative Director of Darling Visual Communications, Chin Yuan Hong, shares one of his most mentally & physically challenging experiences and his reflection on it now. We hear the 'official story' and the 'real story' behind how the studio name came about, and Chin stresses the importance of a good attitude in potential interns.
Whats the worst design job you’ve ever had and how does that make you a better designer?
When I first started out, the studio I worked in had extremely long hours. It was both mentally and physically challenging. The directors were demanding and there was a lot of work to be done. In retrospect, those years were well spent. It has taught me a lot. From how to use short cut keys, to conceptualising within a short time frame, professional practises and print production. Basically, it accelerated my growth as a designer.
How did you name your practice and what does the name represent to you?
The official story — We named our studio Darling with the objective to have close relationships with our clients (just like that of a lover). We believe that the success of each and every project was built on these close-knitted relationships, which helps us to create works with depth. Also, we felt that creating artworks is akin to having relationships — being overly attached marbles the judgment of what is achievable while being detached leads to sub-standard works.
The real story — it took us a while thinking of a name for our studio and while browsing through a book — “Never Use White Type On A Black Background”, we played “Russian roulette” and pointed to the word, “Darling”. That became our first challenge as a branding studio, we adopted the name and built a brand story around it.
What are some of the best and worse parts of your job, day-to-day.
It always great to have our works selected, designed and realised. To see them freshly printed and produced gives us a sense of pride and definitely perks us up. On the other hand, losing a pitch is devastating.
Who are your top five design crushes globally right now?
and the list goes on…
We named our studio Darling with the objective to have close relationships with our clients (just like that of a lover)
What’s your take on internships? (do you take interns now?)
Rule 1: A good attitude
Rule 2: A good attitude
Rule 3: A good attitude
Yes, we do take interns.
Whats the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
The best piece of advice I’ve got was from my creative director when I first started out as a designer - “Are you sure you’re a designer? Do you know your works are shit?”
Where to find Darling Visual Communications online.
Website: darling.sg
Instagram: @darling_studio
