Royston Tan – Old Places, Old Romances, Old Friends

Royston Tan – Old Places, Old Romances, Old Friends

2010 - 2015

Discipline

Graphic Design, Packaging

Client

Royston Tan

Industry

Art, Media & Entertainment

Royston Tan’s Old Places trilogy documented disappearing places, memories and food in Singapore. Across Old Places, Old Romances and Old Friends, the packaging was treated as a collection of things kept and passed on: envelopes, postcards, stamps, familiar tiles and food references. Each edition drew from everyday Singapore, turning the DVDs into small archives of the stories they carried.

Old Places

For the DVD packaging of “Old Places 老地方”, a film directed by Eva Tang, Victric Thng and Royston Tan, we designed the cover to resemble an envelope with an old postbox as the key image.

Inside were 9 postcards showcasing images of different locations captured in the film. The intention was for the recipient to feel as though he had received nostalgic fragments from the past. When pieced together, the cards make up the film’s title. White ink with overprint finishing was used to render a faded, worn-out effect. To enhance the packaging’s local flavour, we took inspiration from the conventional “zi char” hawker stall takeaway box for its packaging structure. Grey cardboard, similar to the cheap, recycled ones of the olden days, was used to construct the package.

Royston Tan's film first aired on the okto channel on 8 August 2010. It was later produced as DVDs for sale at Books Kinokuniya, BooksActually & Objectifs.

Old Places

For the DVD packaging of “Old Places 老地方”, a film directed by Eva Tang, Victric Thng and Royston Tan, we designed the cover to resemble an envelope with an old postbox as the key image.

Inside were 9 postcards showcasing images of different locations captured in the film. The intention was for the recipient to feel as though he had received nostalgic fragments from the past. When pieced together, the cards make up the film’s title. White ink with overprint finishing was used to render a faded, worn-out effect. To enhance the packaging’s local flavour, we took inspiration from the conventional “zi char” hawker stall takeaway box for its packaging structure. Grey cardboard, similar to the cheap, recycled ones of the olden days, was used to construct the package.

Royston Tan's film first aired on the okto channel on 8 August 2010. It was later produced as DVDs for sale at Books Kinokuniya, BooksActually & Objectifs.

Old Romances

A sequel to Old Places, Old Romances is a collective documentary of personal stories voiced by fellow Singaporeans about the nostalgic places in their hearts.

The DVD packaging follows the same format as Old Places. We designed a logo for the Chinese title "老情人" that was reminiscent of a traditional Chinese stamp. Images of floor tiles found in heritage shops are featured on both the cover and postcard designs. When tiled together, the postcards form the title "Old Romances", printed in turquoise to give it a faded, worn-out effect. Turquoise was chosen as the main colour for the packaging to complement the colourful Peranakan-inspired tiles.

Old Friends

‘Old Friends’ is the final instalment of Royston Tan’s trilogy of films documenting different aspects of Singapore’s heritage. Directed by Royston Tan, Alvin Lee, Boi Kwing and Debe Hoo, the film focuses on the strong connections between Singaporeans and their beloved local delights from homegrown hawker stalls and eateries.

For the DVD packaging, &Larry has designed it around the main image of ‘Ang Ku Kueh’ or ‘red tortoise cake’, a traditional Chinese pastry that is popularly eaten during important festivals such as Chinese New Year. Included inside are 9 postcards showing various old-time hawkers, dishes and eateries featured in the film. When assembled, the cards make up the film’s title, overlaying the images in an auspicious shade of pink.

Old Friends

‘Old Friends’ is the final instalment of Royston Tan’s trilogy of films documenting different aspects of Singapore’s heritage. Directed by Royston Tan, Alvin Lee, Boi Kwing and Debe Hoo, the film focuses on the strong connections between Singaporeans and their beloved local delights from homegrown hawker stalls and eateries.

For the DVD packaging, &Larry has designed it around the main image of ‘Ang Ku Kueh’ or ‘red tortoise cake’, a traditional Chinese pastry that is popularly eaten during important festivals such as Chinese New Year. Included inside are 9 postcards showing various old-time hawkers, dishes and eateries featured in the film. When assembled, the cards make up the film’s title, overlaying the images in an auspicious shade of pink.