How far does brand-guide affect us, the designers?

Brand guide was created to give a solid composure in design creation, to allow a strict system in design. In programmer’s case, they had build Content Management System (CMS) to ensure smooth content management, where clients or user would not have to worry about how the content will look like, as they already program to appear in right places. However, for a designer, CMS had made us become less creative.



Now back to branding, some branding guide helps us, designer to work at ease, get more efficient and decidable on what content we are going to design and align. For instance, Hewlett Packard (HP) branding. As far as I experience working with HP few years back, I found HP had one of the most impressive brand guide that I can easily understand and follow. Although in terms of designing on the web, like product updates and web page maintenance, there’s always limitation. However, being a designer doesn’t mean that we have to follow exactly 100% what brand guide had set for us. We can always explore, to make a product sell and inspiring.



I had been observing HP’s campaign and I rather say HP knows what they are doing. Their product, promotion and campaigns extensively lead to success in sales. In terms of advertisement, there had been major force of design and ad houses who had achieve a great quality of design to help promote HP campaign. In my opinion, I like the 2004-05 campaign, where they had commission my all-time favorite design guru’s, Mike Young and Mike Cina of WeWorkForThem. Their design for HP had been an outstanding inspiration to reflect not only the freedom of brand identity, but to create a perspective of visual and understanding of the product that they had promoted.



But how far does that adoption would be able reflect in Malaysia creative scene?
Why do we have to keep on following what the clients want rather than we ourselves decide what is best for the clients?
Why can we give solution without expecting client to be creative?
Why we don’t want to take the risk to inspire them?
Why designers intend to hold-back and wait for their Art Directors or client to comment on their work, rather giving something extraordinary?

We definitely need to step forward. A good designer not only knows how to see, compare, and analyze, yet knows how to be smart, consistent and will be able to take the risk rather than just to play safe the entire time. Playing safe is not recommended if you doing it for your entire career. You need to grow, increase as much skill set, become more versatile, and believe that your creativity can set a benchmark and guide to others, to inspire and appreciate creativity. Besides empowering the creative awareness, there’s always a way we can make simple things looks brilliant, and amazing.

I kindly welcome your POV (Point of View) regarding this article.

Note: I might use the wrong terms of the word branding so do correct me if you found me using false terms.

Seasons Greetings!

I would still like to express my belated greetings to all my Muslim a happy Eid Mubarak and to my Hindi friends, a happy Deepavali celebration. May all fulfill with the best of love, wealth, passion and success in life. I know that today, Monday is a great start for fasting. I will start fasting this week.

What’s with Raya? It’s always good to see family gathering in large groups, helping each other out, preparing food and decorating houses. It’s always been nice. To me, when it comes to Raya, I’m always glad to spend most of my times with my family and relatives. It’s the only time I can see and talk together. Surprisingly, a guy at the age of 26, it's embarrassing to still receive ang paws although I am also giving angpau's to the kids (“,). I remember when we went Raya to Istana Raja Di-Hilir, we got a very nice amount of ang pau's there.



We went in Ipoh, Batu Gajah and my kampung Seluboh, Parit on 25th - 27th October. I like Ipoh very much. I’ve been really closed with my father's relative compared to my Kelantan relatives. I mean I really love Ipoh because it's the only place I can remember growing up. I've been to Cator Avenue in my primaries and Anderson during my junior high. Ipoh, gives such a great memories. A place where I first started scouting (scout boys), playing cricket, a place where I start my X-Men comics collections and start wearing bell bottom pants with sizes up to 22" inch and hang out at Yik Foong Plaza. Oh my, those days! Talk about X-Men, unexpectedly, I was so happy that my cousin brought us to two (2) Novelhut store in Ipoh. What I manage to find off the back-dated comic was the #1 issue of WILDC.A.T.S, #1 issue of Cyber Force, and 15 copies of X-Factor, X-Force & X-Men comics that features X-Cutioner's Song Saga. I even manage to get Generation X 97's annual. Have anyone got the chance to watch the upcoming NBC's HEROES? This show is freaking cool, it's almost like X-Men & Mutant X, only the plot is very dramatic, very great scriptwriting and of course, great cinematography. Now that I’m a big fan of Oldtown Kopitiam, when me, Abby and my cousin Ijan passed by some shops next to Ipoh Garden, there’s no way that we don’t want to miss that great white coffee. It’s nice. In fact, recently, in Cyberjaya, Oldtown also open up their café at the new food court opposite Dell building. You might want to see me regularly over there (“,)

Being Pisces

I found an interesting zodiac reading / astrology / sign for Pisces, which was given by a nice new friend who studied on product design, yesterday. Some of the reads are true, otherwise not. I will select what most fits my personality and character ;-)

He is very emotional and always allows himself to be very emotional. He can have a good night sleep and be in a good mood, and less than few hours at work he can be very moody. He does not understand things or try to understand things easily. If you notice him carefully, you will notice what kind of moods he is in.

He is a thinker and able to do well at work and always succeed. His normal gestures mean he always looks at other people faults, but he will not talk about it. He has the ability to know your thought and able to tell you what you are thinking about.

He can mostly memorize all his anger, his loves. They are his important secrets and he will keep them to himself and will never let you know.

He is kind and slightly lazy, but it is his cute character. He hates rules and regulations. He will never look down on people. He is a polite guy and can be very aggressive when he is mad. He loves to think that he lives in a beautiful world and surround by nice people, so if he finds his world is cruel and not what he expects, he will live in his world instead.

His other charm is that he is a funny guy, and it is his real weapon. He can tease you and yet make it looks like one of his joke. Even when he is sad, he still has that funny face, so you could hardly tell if he is mad or depress. He likes to hide his feeling and help other people especially those who need friend or lonely.

He will be everything that you want and everything you do not want. He has a chance to make it as much as a chance to fail. He can determine to make it work and can do it well, except he tends to lost his energy with other important things, that's how he miss many of his good opportunity.

He can be happy and content by himself. What he think is important is not "Love”, but firm status and stability. He has plenty of love for you.

He is a good speaker, as much as he is a good listener. When he is with you, he wants to be happy. He understands his partner's emotional. He likes to take a long rest and sometimes being alone. If he needs to be alone, try not to disturb him.

He is a sensitive, quiet, shy and easily hurt. He wants to feel worthy. He can be mad and noisy, but once he calm down, he will be that happy person again.

When he is lonely or feeling sad, be close to comfort him. He does not like to take advice, so if you want him to listen or to follow your advice; you have to act as a good sample for him first. If you treat him like he is your special person, then he will be that special person for you. He will trust you if he is in love but try not to over doing it and spoil him too much. You have to know yourself worth all the time too.

Postmortem: Lunch Date

I finally get to watch Open Season with my love. Although B watched it before, it would be more interesting to watch with the one u love. I think Open Season quite interesting, looking at the storyline, It’s not really too typical for an animation film. I like the scene in the jungle where the the bear start screw things up, but at the end, he decided to stay in the valley to learn about friendship and love. This movie, however, can’t beat Disney 3D animation, Monster House nor Shrek. I can give C+ for the cute bear. I can't wait to watch three other movies; The Fountain starring Hugh Jackman, long awaited 'Step Up', a cool dance inspirational movie like Center Stage and Honey, and last but not least, Happy Feet. With amazing voice overs by top Hollywood celebrities, I’m sure this movie is worth seeing. Of course, along others like Michael Bay’s Transformers, Spider man 3 & 300! Have anyone watched Science of Sleep? I couldn’t see any promo here in Malaysia.

Jane Doe asked me 'Muid, how do you want to achieve a good relationship?

I said; 'Like marriage, relationship helps to create a board of motivation in life. It will keep on showing how well we progress in life, and see how we can contribute to both positively. There will always be the ups and down. People will find happiness through analysis, comparing from past, learning the mistakes we did and give the best commitment as possible. Most important, in our heart, we must do anything we can to ensure our love, and give the best of secure in our relationship.

For the past two months, I learn a lot about relationship. I understand that as a person, we must clarify and know exactly what we want in a relationship, do whats best for both, try to acknowledge both sacrifices, try to take control of myself, my anger and my affection. I want to be loved and to love someone as much as I can, despite that, I forget about some of the things I do, that leave a heart hurt. I realized that I turn into a selfish person that wanted my lover to dedicate the love and relationship just for me, but I was wrong, so bloody wrong. I lead jealousy, fear and doubt clouded over my affection and wasn't able to think straight and I had realized I was wrong all the way. It's like both of us saw the light but I was stuck in a huge wave and fighting myself hard. It's so black and white that I couldn't see any colors reside with me. I want to paint it as beautiful as possible, so I can find ways to fix it, to repair it, although I know the cost will be dry and impossible. But I already know what must be done, because I can't afraid to of loosing my lover. I love my lover dearly and I still need to to learn and do a lot of things in this relationship. It's a long way ahead and I just started. As I can close my eyes and recall, I never found someone who can stood up for me, for a ten dollar note that had been rejected or times where my love lies on my shoulder. It was so purify, so genuine. The love I had experience right now, had definitely affected my life in general. It had made me realize what kind of person I am. I can see the most uglies side of person, and I have the privilege to learn what brings the best of my personality, trough my lovers eye. I have to deal not only problems that I encounter, but also my alter-ego. I must learn how to love myself in order for me to see my mistakes, and from there, I will start building my confident and positivity up. We can't get away with argument. There are no such things as perfect relationship because there will always be obstacle and it's up to us to choose to surrender, or fight to our death to push away to wave, rather than running away from problems and try to think we can move on cruelly. This far, I want to learn how to be strong, and control of my own feelings and emotions. I know now I don't need to run away from my problem, and face like a man to bring the best solution as possible. Some people said in relationship, it takes two to tango, therefore in a relationship, both must give the best of their affection, and try to be psychically together, hold each other, try to stay close, learn to know each other, forgive and forget and both treat with fair and respect.

I just want to tell the people here it's not easy, and its not perfect to build a good and strong relationship. Everyone makes mistake and both must forgive each other and forget in order to survive and work it out. I let all my hatred aside, to my ex who had hurt my heart over and over again, and forgive them and welcome them as friends, not enemies.

If both of us will continue to stay on, to fight shoulder to shoulder, stay strong with to one another, I know that in my heart and mind, it will work. Most important, we must not allow others to spoiled what we belief, because those people will always get in your way, to break a happy home, a happy relationship. If I am to become more wiser, I know that I must allow myself, my lover and others to give chances, commit and to try to understand each other, takes things not too personal and be steady to achieve a long-lasting relationship so to both of us lead into a happier, healthier positivity in our lives.

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Yamyum, can't stop thinking about you. I’m too silly and naive that I let my emotions clouded my affection towards you, but that is because I felt hurt seeing you abandon me. Sometimes, there are things we do we never know we hurt each other both. I am sorry for the cause, and I'm sorry that I can't be perfect and intelligent as u expected, I can't change as fast as u want me to be. I make mistakes we all do and I learn to change for the better, for me, and for you. If u think I don't love you, it's not true. I do anything for u. I will continue to learn and fix where ever and whenever I can and you know that I do.