Presenting the work to the group produced some initial thoughts on the development the theme. Taking film photos on shophouses is proving to be an influential factor in dictating the publication's look and production. The film quality and the photo subject lends itself to the production of a more hand crafted or bespoke publication. This is because the intricacies of a crafted book reflect the characteristics of the shophouses, creating informed publication design. There was a general feeling that having these pictures in a modern publication that would detract from the film's quality and take the shophouses out of context.
The way the shophouses have been categorised into its respective areas are also an influential factor. Because each area is so characteristic, there is an opportunity to differentiate and stylize each section of the publication to reflect the area and to carry the culture across to the reader. Taking this concept further, the overall publication could be split into the 5 smaller ones just like Stefan Sagmeister's 'Things I have learned in my life so far'.
There is also the question of the publication's intended audience. Photographing shophouses lends itself to a broad range of readers. The subject covers areas of appeal such as culture, typography, architecture, tourism and photography. It could be made for designers as a reference guide to understand signage/type in other cultures, a city guide for an audience who is disinterested with the touristy attractions, general tourists and locals who may not be entirely familiar with the history of shophouses.
Appealing for people who are unfamiliar with Singapore is centered around the unique architecture and character of shophouses. This appeal can be created by emphasising the characteristic architecture of shophouses themselves. Forming the construction of the publication that is influenced by the shophouses recognisable traits, such as narrow height, two parallel columns on either side, 3 French windows and others. The diverse culture of Singapore could also be a driving theme that draws reader's appeal. Immersing the reader through each section reflecting those distinct cultures. Another potential appeal is to accentuate the film photography of shophouses and Singapore. To showcase the island in a perspective rarely seen. This could also be appealing to those already familiar with Singapore as shophouses are rarely celebrated.
For the locals of Singapore, shophouses are already a common sighting. To appeal to them would have to draw on the more unseen and overlooked aspects of the shophouse. For example explaining the history or capturing the shophouses in a new perspective much like how photographer Nguan showed a different side of Singapore to me through his photos.
Appealing to a younger demographic would be challenging. The younger generation prefer topics that are current and forward thinking. Creating a publication on the typefaces used on shophouses would appeal to a very specific audience. The language of the publication would have to be simplified and engaging. The photos and the layout of the publication have to make the reading experience enjoyable yet informative for this reader.
The shophouses and the film photography are aspects that the older generation would be familiar with, hence the appeal. Furthermore, commenting on a unorthodox attribute of the shophouses is an interesting subject that probably goes overlooked in Singapore. This publication could also serve as a way to demonstrate how shophouses have changed over the years.
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