INVENT YOUR OWN DONUTS!

The recent craze with our Singapore Kripsy Kreme donuts inspired me very much. This easy and delicious donut recipe is the perfect weekend holiday breakfast! Whether you're giving your kids a treat or hosting a party, it is the perfect snack for all occasions.

So if you are addicted to Krispy Kreme donuts, but do not have one near you and want to try something innovative, you are going to love this recipe. It is simple, yet it tastes delicious! 

Picture courtesy of :   http://news.asiaone.com

Right now, I am about to reveal the most exciting and simple method to make your very own Krispy Kreme donuts at home, which could make you the most popular person in your neighbourhood...

Before I go on, you have to say goodbye to your diet as I assure you that you are gonna be hooked as soon as you try them.

This recipe makes 3 baker's dozen donuts (that's 39!).  You can scale it down - or up - as you need!

Donuts

3 (1/4 ounce / 7g) packages yeast (3/4 oz / 21g total) - I used "Rapid Rise" but traditional is fine too - it just affects the rising times

1/2 cup (120ml) water  (105-115F / 40-46C)

2 1/4 cups (530ml) milk, scalded, then cooled

3/4 cup (169g) sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 eggs

1/2 cup (113g) shortening

7 1/2 cups (940g) all-purpose flour

canola oil for frying

Glaze

1/2 cup (113g) butter

3 cups (375g) powdered sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla

6 -9 tablespoons (90-135ml) evaporated milk (can substitute regular milk or water for milder flavor)

http://www.instructables.com/id/Krispy-Kreme-Donut-Doughnut-Recipe/

 Picture courtesy of: www.the305.com

Picture courtesy of :  www.budgetsavvydiva.com

Now that you have this awesome recipe, it’s time to make some donuts in time for the festive season! And what’s a festive season without some fun and games?

Everyone’s favourite holiday, Christmas, has been created with some popular brand logos for each alphabet. How well do you know your brands? Show off your depth of knowledge in the comments section. 

Hint: To get your started, Krispy Kreme is somewhere in there…

Have fun everyone & Merry Christmas!

Kelyn Tor, Finance Manager

BEAUTY VENDING MACHINES

Ever been caught without your makeup bag while rushing for work or a date? With the new concept of beauty vending machines, days of being makeup-less could be no more.

The first ever beauty vending machine was launched earlier this year in Harvey Nichols BeautyMART boutique, selling bags filled with girly treats from face cream and nail varnish to makeup kits and emergency beauty supplies. There are 32 bags to choose from; there's a Love and Peace bag, a Fashion Emergency bag, and even a Clubbing kit, depending on your needs.

Picture courtesy of: www.getthegloss.com

To keep up with the hectic pace of their consumers' lives, L’Oréal Paris have launched make-up vending machines in NYC Subway, the first-ever intelligent shopping experience. All you need to do is to step in front of a full-length mirror and digital animations featuring potential makeup combinations will pop up next to your image and offer you products that you can buy on the spot.  The choices either “Match” or “Clash” with whatever you’re wearing. The machines feature various eye, lip, and nail products from L’Oréal’s Colour Riche collection as well as the brand’s newly launched Voluminous Butterfly mascara. 

Pictures courtesy of : http://www.brandingmagazine.com

For busy working mums like me, always rushing to and from work, these innovations cannot come soon enough. Let's hope they roll out to Asia soon.

Zonna Ong, Designer

SHANGHAI - THE PARIS OF THE EAST ONCE MORE?

My kids are attending an international school here in Shanghai, and I have been in numerous “heated discussions” with the school over why they have to study French. My logic is simple – I would prefer them to spend all their time studying only Mandarin, the language of the future, and not wasting time on French, a language that is slowly becoming provincial from an international perspective.

But whilst I feel justified from a rational standpoint, I hate the fact that globalization and borderless commerce are fast eroding and making extinct the beautiful traditions of national cultures - whether it be language or any other aspect of a country that cannot stand up to the onslaught of homogenization.

It’s already happening to packaging design in China. A simple commercial equation is ensuring that category after category of Chinese brands is beginning to bend to the standard “globalized template”. The equation goes something like this:

1. Developing-market consumers desire international brands;

2. International brands command premium and category leading positions;

3. Local brands copy international brands for a slice of the higher-margin pie;

4. Developing markets become Developed, and are left with fewer brands that all play by the same/international design rules.

Of course there are exceptions - brands that, for example in China, win by leveraging their local provenance and national resonance – but they are the exception not the rule.

Take the Beauty category for example.  A quick glance (which is all consumers give a brand as they shop) at the Chinese beauty brands below would suggest they are international. They play by the design rules popularised by Parisian beauty brands: monochromatic colour palettes,  centralised or right/left-hand justified typography, minimalism. They’re intended to “fool” the consumer, and they do it extremely well, at a masstige level.

 Image courtesy of www.meifubao.com

 Image courtesy of en.shxiafei.com/

 Image courtesy of www.longliqi.com

Image courtesy of brand.yoka.com/cosmetics/chando

So what happened to the Chinese aesthetic, the Chinese notion of beauty? Where is the grace, poise, elegance and intricacy that for 5000 years has been the hallmark of the Chinese beauty aesthetic? It is still here in a small pool of local Beauty brands - but a pool that still the same is reducing.

Images courtesy of www.herborist.com.cn

Isn’t it a sad horizon that in 5 years from now, in Tier 1 cities, Chinese consumers may be forced to choose from the same array of brands as their American/European/South American counterparts, with a only few niche brands able to occupy the narrowing shelf space left for a commercially viable Chinese “positioning”?

Hopefully the double whammy of a retro renaissance will come sooner rather than later…..before its too late, and globalization’s perverse Darwinism forces the survival of the conformist. 

Addison James, CEO Asia

HEY! KIDULT!

"Kidult. No it is not a new soft drink brand but instead refers to an adult (a "Kid-Adult") who has a deep interest in perceived childhood activities like computer games and children's cartoons, forming a subculture of social outcasts. In Japan, a similar term for such subculture is popularly known as "Otaku".

It seems that this type of person seeks comfort in the ever sweet nostalgia of their childhood days. We can see around in everyday life, from having a "Kidult" sitting next to you on a train, extremely engrossed in completing the next stage of his game and missing his stop, to the craziness over "Hello Kitty" plush toys where they would queue up for days to buy them.

There is an established trend in the visual arts, product and graphic design industries where designers are heavy influenced by this trend of mixing the cuteness of child-associated toys and characters with their products.

Take a look at some examples below of cross collaboration and see how creative industries and childhood memories are a good match!

1. Zebra Watch from Marc Jacobs
2. Mickey mouse shoes by Jeremey Scott
3 &4 . Wallet & Bag from Tsumori Chisato Collection 
5. Horse shoes & bag from Japanese Fashion Brand “Ne net”
6. London base chinese fashion designer “Yang Du” collection
7. Lego block Clutch from Chanel



Toy & game is not only for children anymore 

1. Be@rbrick & Ironman, Be@rbrick & Chanel collaboration
2. Toy figures by James Jarvis
3. Keep watch grip 7 labbit by Frank Kozic
4  NIke Stickers by Borsmind Studio
5  Momot & MCM collaboration
6 Figure & Puzzle game "Fix Pix" by E-Boy



In Packaging Industries is not an exception.

1.Tohato's Caramel Corn, 
2. Hello Kitty Limited Edition From Mac
3. Japanese Doll Lip Balm from Mad beauty
4  El Caga ner by Bros mind

Jay Sunwoo, Designer

Images from
http://www.marcjacobs.com/, http://www.chanel.com/
http://www.jeremyscott.com/
http://ne-net.net/ http://www.tsumorichisato.com/
http://www.yangdu-duyang.com/
http://www.bearbrick.com/
http://www.studiojarvis.com/
http://www.frankkozik.net/
http://www.brosmind.com
http://momot.co.kr/
http://hello.eboy.com/
http://tohato.jp/

DANCING PAPER

PAPER! One of life’s most integrated materials. Take a look around you, there is probably some right next to you. As a designer, I know I have tons! 

Paper is used every day. As consumers, it is constantly used to send us information; from newspapers to product packaging. It is a versatile material which can have many cool uses. Paper when put together can create all sorts of wanders, for example, origami.

(Brust by Jen stark)

Paper Automation (or paper automata) can be seen as more advanced form of origami. It uses paper to create movements with different mechanisms, like levers and gears. One of my favorite paper engineers is a Japanese designer, Keisuke Saka. His paper creations are very interesting, and come to life through very simple movements like his “maternal dilemma” and “doomed”. 

(material dilemma)

(doomed) 

Each piece of work has a story to tell. Saka pulls his inspiration from social topics and brings them to life through paper creations. His creations amuse the consumer; capturing the hearts of children and adults through keeping it simple and fun.  He appeals to crafty people, offering the option to purchase and self create in the comfort of your own home.

(climate change) 

(hesitation) 

Visit his website at http://www.zuko.to/kobo/english/e-index.html

Audrey Lee, Designer

Thanks for the pictures :

http://www.paperanimations.com/saka.html,http://naldzgraphics.net/inspirations/origami-art-designs/,http://wanelo.com/p/5051837/chestnut-origami-hanging-paper-lamp-shade-pendant-light-gold-yellow