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Esquire redesign
A proposed redesign of the Malaysian edition of Esquire. The aesthetic is cleaner and mature, with less need to shout. This allows the content, photography and illustrations to speak for themselves. The result looks a lot calmer, less ADHD and more modern. The design is confident without trying too hard to appear masculine, setting its tone and voice apart from other commercial men's magazines.


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Selected covers
Art direction, design, lettering and illustrations for the cover.


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March 2012
Art direction for a travel themed product spread. Every prop and image was constructed from paper.
Paper craft by Joshua Lam
Photographs by Azrul Abdullah



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October 2011
Art direction for a feature story on Malaysians of different backgrounds creating a better country, for the present and the future. The sprawling, organic illustrations are designed to represent the spark of ideas that are conjured in the mind. The subjects are placed within these large scale chalk drawings and then photographed to show how the subjects are surrounded by ideas and creativity.
Illustrations by Shahril Nizam
Photographs by Azrul Abdullah



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September 2011
Art direction, illustration and design for “Looks Like Rain”, an article on plastic surgery among men. “Rain” refers to a Korean popstar, one of the many Korean faces referenced in the offices of plastic surgeons across Asia. The layout and illustrations were created on a photocopy machine to convey the desire of looking like somebody else.




June 2011
Art direction and design for a how-to guide in using Italian hand gestures.
Illustrations by Koh Hong Teng


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April 2011
Art direction and new template design for the Malaysian edition of Esquire.
Columnist profile illustrations by Koh Hong Teng


May 2012: Bread mold
Organic bread lettering for the meaning of life issue, featuring Rhizopus stolonifer, Penicillium and Aspergillus. Wished they had more time to grow, though.
Photographs by Marcus Wong
(Animation might take a while to load on slower connections.)


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April 2012: Finger puppets
Puppets for the funny bone issue, featuring Charlie Chaplin, Warren Beatty and Pharrell Williams.
Photographs by Azrul Abdullah


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March 2012: Printed planes
For the globetrotting issue, paper planes were created with fabric prints and designs from the featured spring fashion spreads. They are, in order:
1. Yellow and black scarf and silk shirt with matching pants and royal blue cashmere overcoat by Versace
2. Plaid cotton shirt by Louis Vuitton
3. Black and white hound's-tooth checked trousers and a blue with black and white graphic scarf printed silk shirt by Versace
4. Black and white knit sweater by Bottega Veneta
Photographs by Studio 807


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February 2012: Election posters
Décollage for the state of the vision issue, an issue that attempts to explore the shape of politics in the country and what this means for its citizens. Parts of faces are joined to create new faces, with calls to vote sandwiched in between. The torn posters are inspired by how posters of political candidates are pasted over one another nearing election, each cannibalizing the next for wall space and attention. The décollages are also obviously inspired by Jacques Villeglé and Mimmo Rotella. Featured faces include Robert Mugabe, Bashar al-Assad and The Terminator.
Photographs by Azrul Abdullah


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January 2012: End of the world
Cheery cakes and icing created for the end of the world issue. Charlie the Skull courtesy of the photographer.
Photographs by Azrul Abdullah


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December 2011: Dubious awards
Medals and trophies for the dubious achievements issue.
Photographs by Azrul Abdullah


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October 2011: Brain puzzles
Puzzles created for the brain gain issue.
Photographs by Azrul Abdullah
Instagram by Rachel Chew



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September 2011: Embroidery
For the fashion issue, photographs are embroidered to create patterns, transforming images into something more tactile like clothes.


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August 2011: A self-made table
Readers were invited to create an origami table for the self-reliance issue. The final result is shown on the last page of the magazine. Readers were then asked to submit their paper tables in an online contest.
Photograph by Azrul Abdullah


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July 2011: The meaning of life
Tarot card readings with faces that appear in the issue.
Photographs by Azrul Abdullah


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June 2011: Women
For the women issue, featuring food and the kitchen.
Photographs by Rachel Chew


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May 2011: Stackable body parts
Illustrations for the music issue featuring CD jewel cases. Photographs by Azrul Abdullah


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April 2011: Face weaving
The illustrations are inspired by the Malaysian craft called 'anyaman', aka weaving.
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May 2012: Garden state
The Esquire logo is created with tiny rolled pieces of Play-doh and plasticine to form a verdant and lively garden. Flowers were added because there's nothing wrong with men embracing their feminine side.


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April 2012: Woody Allen
Logotype created for a cover story on Woody Allen.
Photograph from Corbis




January 2012: Zee Avi
Ink lettering.


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January 2012: Occupy
Lettering and illustration for an article on the Occupy movement.
Photograph by Sam Coleman




October 2011: Ideas
Illustrative drop caps for a feature story about Malaysians on the opposite flow of the brain drain.


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September 2011: King John
Paper cut-out lettering.
Photograph from Getty


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September 2011: Guantanamo
Paper stabbing with pencil for a piece about the prisoners of Guantanamo Bay detention camp. The slow, repetitive work of bruising paper attempts to represent the physical and psychological torture endured by the inmates.


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September 2011: Rosie
Paper cut lettering.




September 2011: Alpha male
Paper cut-out lettering and illustration for a fashion spread.


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September 2011: Various fashion spreads
Paper cut-out lettering.


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September 2011: Martians
Paper cut-out lettering (unpublished).


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August 2011: Daniel Craig is a blah, blah, blah
Ink lettering.
Photographs by Nigel Parry


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August 2011: P. Ramlee
Ink lettering.


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August 2011: Ida Nerina
Ink lettering and custom drop caps.


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August 2011: Various fashion spreads
Ink lettering.
Photographs by Chuan Looi, Chintoo and Marcus Wong




July 2011: Battle for Libya
Custom drop caps for a feature story on the war in Libya, featuring colors of the Libyan flag.




July 2011: Maggie Q


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June 2011: The issue with women
Ink lettering.
Photograph by Bernice Chauly


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June 2011: Freak/Fraud
Ink lettering.
Photographs by Peter Robinson and Corbis
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April 2012
A killed illustration for an article about Twitter's intention to censor tweets that breach the law in certain countries. The article also examines how Twitter accounts are flagged because of DMCA violations. The illustration features the classic Nintendo game, Duck Hunt.


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April 2012
1 - 4. Illustrations and design for a story on the development of 'tongkat ali', a traditional Malay herb used to boost testosterone levels and enhance libido.
5 - 6. Illustrations for a story on the comedy scene of Malaysia.


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February 2012
1. For an article about how Siri could be a rather silly personal assistant on the iPhone.
2. For an article on dictators.
3. For an article weighing the Kindle against a stack of tomes.
4. For an article about being caught in the web of constant social networking.




January 2012
An unpublished/unpublishable illustration for a piece of short fiction by Fadzlishah Johanabas titled 'Kiss From A Rose', edited by Amir Muhammad. The story is about a man who collects the hijab of every Muslim girl he sleeps with, just to prove a point to his ex-girlfriend.


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December 2011
1 - 2. Ribbon medals for a feature piece.
Photographs by Azrul Abdullah
3. A miniature replica of a Penguin classic created for an article on writers writing for the sake of money.
Photograph by Azrul Abdullah


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November 2011
Spray-paint illustrations and letting for a feature story.


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June 2011
1 - 10: Art direction and lino ink illustrations for 'Esquire 10', a monthly section of the magazine that attempts to unsettle the idea of commercial product shots by juxtaposing art with consumer items.
Photographs by Tate Mario Ghazi
11. Cherry pop.
12 - 16. Ways to keep in shape for a marathon.


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May 2011
1. Art direction for a photo-illustration to accompany a review of Just Kids, a memoir by Patti Smith on her relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. Review by Umapagan Ampikaipakan.
Photograph by Azrul Abdullah
2. Illustrations on how to photograph her nude and how to photograph your dog.
3. Guitar pick.


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April 2011
1. Killing the music.
2. Pashing.
3. Sexy food.
4. Mustache illustration and photo art direction for a book review of Michael Chabon's Manhood for Amateurs by Umapagan Ampikaipakan.
Photograph by Joss de Groot
5. Soap design and photo art direction for a sex column.
Soap made by Magdoline Hammad
Photograph by Joss de Groot

6. Illustration for a photo spread about practical jokes.
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July 2010
Design and illustrations for ‘Joining the Dots’ by Jo Kukathas, about remembering the childlike sense of creativity and wonder (unpublished).


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June 2010
Illustrations for ‘Returning to Carthage’, a short story by Ben Sharafski.




May 2010
An illustration bidding farewell to the Boh Cameronian Arts Awards.




May 2010
Design and illustration for ‘Kaki Lang’ by the late Benjamin McKay, about the loss of KakiSeni, a website fostering the discussion of the arts in Malaysia.


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May and June 2010
Sequential spot illustrations for ‘Cocktails Will Be Served' by RogueArt, about how art goes around and how the industry works.


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April 2010
Illustrations for ‘Shining a Light on Business and Politics’ by Transparency International Malaysia.


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April 2010
Design and illustrations for ‘Majulah Singapura’ by Lim Cheng Tju.




April 2010
Cover design and lettering.




March 2010
Illustration for a poetry feature, ‘Merujuk Pada Takdir’ by Affendi Salleh.




March 2010
Design and illustration for ‘Sons & Daughters: Female Circumcision, Male Domination and the Rights of Women in Islam’ by Mojgan Shavarebi.




March 2010
Spot illustration for an article on music, ‘Welcome to the Global Buffet’ by CH Loh.


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March 2010
Design and illustration for 'Twitter' by Lena PH Lie, a review of 'Conference of The Birds', a modern opera based on the 12th century Persian poetry by Farid ud-Din Attar of the same name.




March 2010
Illustration for ‘The Subversive Sign-Language Switch of 1998’, short story by Amir Muhammad.


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February 2010
Design and illustrations for a series of articles on the state of politics in Malaysia:
1. ‘The Confidence Game’ by Clive Kessler
2. ‘Issues in Malaysian Politics’ by Abdullah Ahmad
3. ‘Peace In Our Time’ by Carmen Nge




January 2010
Illustration of Alexander McQueen’s Men’s F/W 2010 collection for a fashion commentary, ‘Cross Bones Style’ by Jun Kit.


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December 2009
Design and illustrations for a series of articles exploring cultural and anthropological aspects of the things we ingest:
1. ‘We Are What We Eat’ by Gaik Cheng Khoo
2. 'Cosmological Pork’ by David Butterworth
3. ‘Eating As A Total Social Fact’ by Gillian G. Tan
4. ‘Eating One’s Way Through Fieldwork’ by Liana Chua
5. ‘Feasting With Spirits In Isan’ by Richard Sutcliffe
6. ‘Durian and Wine’ by Julian CH Lee
7. ‘Durian and Wine… and Beer!’ by Roger Just


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December 2009
Art direction and design for a commentary on fashion, 'The New Well-Heeled' by Jun Kit.
Illustrations by Jun Kit


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December 2009
Art direction and a redesign of Off The Edge magazine.




October 2009
Spot illustrations for ‘Cat Lady’, a short story by Lim Ai Leen about a woman who fills dumplings with cat food.




September 2009
Illustration for ‘An Elephant in the Room’ by Hanif Merican, about the flawed and often problematic education system and how it affects the younger generation.


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August 2009
Design and illustrations for ‘I Am Clark Kent’, a short story by Stefan Mesch that re-imagines the alien superhero's life from childhood to adulthood.




April 2009
Design, illustration and lettering for ‘The Emperor’s Old Clothes’ by Hanif Merican, about the challenges faced by educators in Malaysia.




March 2009
Lettering and design for the cover.




October 2008
Design and illustrations for ‘Divided We Stand’ by Wong Chin Huat, about how the current Malaysian electoral system make ethnic politics viable.


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October 2008
Lettering and illustration for ‘The Oil in the Multicultural Machine’ by Yeoh Seng Guan, a piece about cursing in a different languages and dialects.




September 2008
An illustrated portrait of John Esposito for ‘Of Reform and Reformists’ by Carmen Nge.




August 2008
Illustration for ‘Intelligent Life’ by Patrick Teoh.




July 2008
Illustration and lettering for Toni Kasim’s obituary by Julian CH Lee. Toni Kasim was an outspoken human rights activist and the chart attempts to illustrate the many causes in which she contributed to.




June 2008
An illustration of a zong zi (粽子) or rice dumpling (unpublished).




June 2008
Illustration for ‘Out of the Shadows’, a music article by CH Loh.




May 2008
An illustration of Rabindranath Tagore and Okakyra Tenshin for a book review by Sumit Mandal.




April 2008
Art direction, design and illustration for the cover of the post-election issue, featuring a member of the opposition party.




March 2008
Art direction, design and lettering for the general elections 2008 issue. The cover was conceptualized as a simple and succinct call to vote written in the three major languages of Malaysia, namely Malay, Chinese and Tamil, and in the Jawi script.




February 2008
Illustration for 'How Come, Lah?' by Julian CH Lee.


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February 2008
Lettering and illustrations for ‘The Trouble with Malaysia’ by Brian Yap.


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November 2007
Design and illustrations using cut-out stencils and the photocopy machine for ‘The Toll of the Sea’, a short fiction by Pham Thi Hoai.




November 2007
Spot illustrations of Tash Aw and Tan Tuan Eng about their then-new books.


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October 2007
Design and illustrations for 'Remembering Biafra' by Olu Oguibe about the Nigerian Civil War that caused the death of about one million of its people while the United Nations folded its arms, refusing intervention by the denial of genocide.


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September 2007
Design and illustrations for 'No Place for Martyrs' by Bilal Khbeiz about the imagery of war and death and how they affect us.


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August 2007
Lettering and spot illustrations for a fiction piece.


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Nyonyahood
Various spot illustrations for a monthly column by Alice Chee about the culture of the Peranakan Chinese.
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September - December 2010
Art direction, design and infographics for a weekly newsletter published by CARI (CIMB Asean Research Institute), a regional think tank based in Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta.


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September - December 2010
Art direction, design, illustrations and infographics for a monthly newsletter published by CARI (CIMB Asean Research Institute), a regional think tank based in Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta.
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Notebook covers, part 2
A series of illustrations for notebook covers that resemble old textbooks. Each cover is meant to illustrate a subject. In order:
1. Computing & I.T.
2. Biology
3. Chemistry
4. Physics
5. Geography
6. History
7. Maths
8. Music
9. Physical Education
Made in collaboration with Kyoorius magazine. Lino ink on newsprint.


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Jelly bling
Jelly experiment for an editorial project that involves embedding objects into jelly.


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Clumsy desserts
A series of quick paintings done after poring over mom's cookbooks from the 70s and 80s, featuring a generous use of cream and voluptuous portions. This series is also a response to current cookbook styling where pretty food placidly dangle and drip in a coordinated mess.


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Notebook covers
A series of illustrations for notebook covers that resemble old textbooks. Each cover is meant to illustrate a subject. In order:
1. English
2. Science
3. Arts
Made in collaboration with Kyoorius magazine. Lino ink on newsprint.




Diving into chai
Illustration for Kyoorius magazine to accompany an article about expats joining the workforce in India and the assimilation of culture. Kyoorius magazine is a design periodical based in India.


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P + D
Design and illustration for a wedding invite. Inked rubber stamps on recycled card stock.


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Re-imagined book covers
Design and illustration for a series of books on the rack.


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Missed opportunities
Illustrations based on a couple of ads on Craigslist.


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Testosterone kitty and other drawings
Snippets from notebooks, discarded papers, bootleg CD artwork, something about eating marmite crabs, and other relevant issues.




London Trade Fair
Illustration for the opening page of a feature story in Haven, an interior design magazine.




Warren Buffett
Illustration of Warren Buffett in Personal Money magazine about smart investing.




To the fore
Illustration for Financial Daily, a business and finance broadsheet.


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About Malaysia
A series of spot illustrations for travel magazine Zero Degrees, about Malaysia from its multiethnic composition to its national anthem that is apparently adapted from a Hawaiian tune.


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Friendly beasts
A series of creatures spray-painted onto cross-stitch cloth.


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Animal Farm
A series of graffiti with words from the George Orwell classic.
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Japan




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China




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Asia




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America