Pamela Ang is a designer of all sorts who enjoys creating with purpose and crafting thoughtful designs. A full time graphic designer visualising the voice of brands at OuterEdit, she is also a part-time baker and avid collector of lucky cats.
Tell us about this project you worked on!
I helped Apex Harmony with a series of 4 illustrated social media posts on the theme of ‘Debunking Dementia Myths’. Why did you choose to volunteer for this?
I feel that dementia is quite a common syndrome that increases with age, and it’s not a widely discussed topic, as a result there’s a lot of misconceptions going on. Personally, as my grandmother has Dementia too, I wanted to immerse myself in the subject and learn more about it as well.
How was your experience working on the project?
I enjoyed working on this project as the client was very clear in their brief and even the feedbacks that were sent over. During the designing process, they were also very open to suggestions and working together to craft the posts.
The difficulty for me working on this project is to work on my full time job and this project at the same time. However they were very understanding regarding this, and were very willing to push the timelines so that I get to have a more comfortable timeframe. At the end of the project, I was touched when they sent over a card in appreciation for my work.
What did you learn or discover through this process, and what would your key takeaway be?
That it’s important to do meaningful projects from time to time, to remind yourself that design can do more than just beautify. Also, there’s so many non-profit organisations out there wanting to make a difference, and this is where we as designers can come in to help.
Are there any key differences working with a non-profit client vs a commercial client?
The client that I worked with was very open for me to suggest any art directions that I felt like exploring and much more easy going in that aspect.
They were also much more receptive to ideas and suggestions put across and much more appreciative and grateful for my time spent helping them with the designs. If you could give a piece of advice to another creative who’d like to volunteer, what would it be?
Just take some time out of your schedule and put yourself out there, the feeling of being able to use your design ability for a good cause is always very rewarding.
What opportunities do you have at work to create meaningful design? We understand that not every project is possible to do so, so most of the time it comes from within ourselves to try and push for or see if there’s any possibilities to be able to make the solution to the brief meaningful. Sometimes we also try to make meaningful matter through our own company-led initiatives.
Do you have any other suggestions on how creatives as a community do more work that inspires change? It would be nice to have a closer-knit creative community where we can share more with one another about initiatives like Making Meaning and encourage each other to help.
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Check out Pamela, her collection of cats, and the good work Apex Harmony Lodge is doing to help those with Dementia!