It was destiny in the making. Four ordinary guys of Singaporean Chinese descent who had an immense passion for Art and Design, ‘Rock and Roll’ music, anime, pulp fiction and ‘Kung Fu’ movies. Nothing out of the ordinary – until their worlds collided. This happened when Alvin Tan, Melvin Chee, Jackson Tan and William Chan met at LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts. The four came together to form :phunk studio, a creative collective based in Singapore in 1994.

:phunk studio’s revolutionary style and cross-disciplinary approach to art and design is prevalent in all their projects which encompass typography, graphic design, illustrations, animation, graffiti, audiovisual design installations and capture the pulsating beat of contemporary design, urban street and pop culture.

Described as ‘The Champion of Singapore’s Graphic Scene’ by Creative Review (UK), ‘Asia’s Hottest Agency’ by Computer Arts (UK) and ‘Iconic Representatives of the New Wave of Young Asian Creators’ by Get it Louder, a publication from China. :phunk studio is Asia’s leading art and design collective.

They have propagated a visual signature that seamlessly blends and re-interprets their diverse influences such as traditional Chinese craft and folklore, Hong Kong pulp fiction, Japanese manga and Otaku sub-culture, Western popular culture, Art and Design movements into a singular creative thought that reflects their multicultural identity, background and environment. The concept of ‘universality’ in the age of modern globalisation is a constant theme in their works.

They constantly challenge the conventional notion and definition of the ‘artist’ and ‘commercial design studio’ by constantly blurring the boundaries between both, mixing Neo-Pop Art ideology with Post-Modernist design sensibilities. Their cross-disciplinary approach is best described as ‘an aesthetic collective consciousness’ focused on experimenting with new approaches to visual expressions. Their expansive scope of projects spans across art, design, publishing, fashion, music, film and interactive.

“You just have to see their work and meet them in person. They are four regular guys who love collecting music, pulp fiction paraphernalia, sneakers and paying homage to music legends such as Bob Marley and The Rolling Stones. But what they do differently is that they draw all these ‘influences’ in their lives to create interesting work, and sustain their practice with not only passion but also dedication,” says Joseph Kalaivanar, Marketing Manager (Industry Relations) at LASALLE College of the Arts.

:phunk studio has collaborated and worked with international brands such as Nike, Nokia, MTV, Daimler Chrysler, Comme des Garcons, Levis, Tiger Beer and Salem. Their works are featured in many international publications and they have exhibited and lectured extensively around the world with both solo and group exhibitions such as ‘Control Chaos’ at the Reed Space in New York, ‘Baroqracy II’ in Tuami, Ecuador, ‘Split, Nike Spiritroom’ in Berlin, ‘Animamix Biennale: From Modernity to Eternity’ at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Shanghai, China and ‘Todays Art Festival 2007′ in The Hague, Netherlands.

They also represented Singapore at the Gwangju Design Biennale 2005 and the showcased their works at the ’20/20 Movement Singapore Design Tour’ at London Design Festival in 2006. The Singapore History Museum hosted their 10-year retrospective exhibition titled ‘A Decade of Decadence’ in 2005.

For the past decade, :phunk studio has bagged numerous award recognitions such as Finalist, Macromedia International Type Design (1998), Finalist, Apple Design Competition (1998), Selected, American Center of Design – The 100 Show (2000), Finalist, D&AD (2001), Finalist, One Show (2001), Finalist, Creative Circle Awards (2002), Merit, Singapore Design Awards (2002), Best of Show, Singapore Design Awards (2004), Best Visual Arts & Best Of Show, Singapore StreetStyle Awards (2005). Phunk Studio has been repeatedly awarded by PROMAX ASIA several times and received Gold and Silver medals in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006.

They’ve certainly come a long way from days of designing t-shirts and print publications. Jackson recalls how he used to design his own magazine in school from the pages of his classroom books. “It all started from Star Wars, comic and album covers! What could be more rewarding than having a career that pays us for doing what we are most happy doing.”