Cheryl Chia
“Be passionate, be obsessive, be humble and work damn hard.”
That is home-grown creative agency Asylum’s, founder and creative director, Mr Chris Lee’s advice to all budding designers out there.
With this mantra, he has become 1 of 4 recipients of the Designer of the Year award at the President’s Design Award 2009.
He’s the brain behind the iconic Frolick buttons with cheeky slogans such as “We stay hard longer…than ice-cream”. He also gave life to gourmet chocolate boutique Chocolate Research Facility by dressing up the chocolate bars in psychedelic colours and making chocolate ooze down their walls.
Mr Lee says of the popular Frolick buttons: “We wanted to create a brand with an edgy attitude to resonate with our young consumers. We designed 40 buttons with naughty and funny messages that became a hit with consumers. The brand has since grown from a hole in the wall at Holland Village to five shops around the island.”
Although his job keeps him busy, he’s loving every second of it: “It’s a great career. I get to travel regularly and see the most amazing things in life… It’s a dream job.”
He told UrbanWire in an email interview that he was “very honoured” to be bestowed with this highly coveted design accolade.
Mr Lee added modestly: “It’s a pat on the shoulder and an encouragement for my team and I [making us feel] that we’re doing something right. [But] we’re still striving to be better.”
He also gives some exciting news for 2010: “We’re launching our monograph in March and having our 10th anniversary party as well!”
Mr Lee will also be off to Berlin in 2010 for 6 months to explore an off-site workshop.
Other winners of the Designer of The Year award include Mr Koichiro Ikebuchi, director of Atelier Ikebuchi, Mr Look Boon Gee, managing director of LOOK Architects and Mr Tham Kai Meng, the worldwide creative director of Ogilvy and Mather.
The President’s Design Award that began in 2006, is a yearly affair that honours the crème de la crème of the design world. It’s conferred by The President of the Republic of Singapore, and is jointly administered by the DesignSingapore Council and the Urban Redevelopment Authority.
Full List of Award Recipients For 2009
Designer of the Year
1) Koichiro Ikebuchi
Director
Atelier Ikebuchi Pte Ltd
2) Chris Lee
Founder and Creative Director
Asylum Creative Pte Ltd
3) Look Boon Gee
Managing Director
LOOK Architects Pte Ltd
4) Tham Kai Meng
Worldwide Creative Director
Ogilvy and Mather
Design of the Year
1) Genexis Theatre, Fusionopolis
Arup and WOHA
2) Henderson Waves
RSP Architects Planners and Engineers (Pte) Ltd
3) Paper Fold
Exit Design
4) Republic Polytechnic
DP Architects in association with Maki & Associates
5) The Met (Bangkok)
WOHA
6) Urband Origami
Nanyang Optical Co Pte Ltd
7) X-halo Breath Thermometer
Philips Design