Singapore Writers’ Festival 2018

Singapore Writers’ Festival (SWF) is a multilingual literary festival that sees writers from around the world gather in Singapore for a week of lectures, performances and exchange.

Following the festival’s theme of the Malay word ‘Sayang’ (meaning “love” or “loss”) in 2016, and the Tamil word ‘Aram’ (meaning “goodness”) in 2017, the theme of the 21st edition in 2018 was centred around a Chinese character referring to the different world(s) we live in – 界 (jiè). The word itself is nuanced with multiple meanings, expressing the idea of endless worlds which range from one’s imagination and virtual reality to geographical borders and man-made boundaries.

The key visual for the festival was developed around an interpretation of the theme 界 (jiè, world in Mandarin). Key objectives included a focus on typography, particularly on the Chinese script; and to encourage festival-goers to explore the worlds of possibility that are afforded by reading, writing, and living.

We devised a series of icons that symbolise the very objects and ideals that make us human, each carrying an array of unique meanings and relationships we ascribe to the world around us. When imprinted onto a canvas, the icons leave a negative space in the silhouette of the 界 character, signifying our shared place as citizens of the world despite our differences. This key visual was subsequently adapted for the cover of the SWF 2018 festival booklet. Inside, a three-grid layout was applied to maximise space efficiency, while a thoughtful use of colour enhanced visual flow and distinguished between the various days of programming.