With AI tools and templates everywhere, anyone can make something that looks good. But design that’s usable, repeatable, and clear across different audiences — that still takes time, logic, and a sense of purpose.
Recently, I came across Singapore’s new MRT wayfinding system, led by designer Samuel Lim. On the surface, it looks clean and minimal. But what I interpreted, as a designer who works across packaging and digital visuals, is a system shaped by thoughtful choices — the kind of decisions I constantly aim to make in my own work.
Even when something is effective, people may resist it. Some commuters might prefer alphabet-based exits simply because that’s what they’re used to. But good design isn’t always about familiarity — sometimes it’s about making unfamiliar things easier.
I don’t just design for how something looks — I think about how it’s used, who’s reading it, what they expect, and how to remove friction from their experience. Whether it’s a packaging label, a social media visual, or a landing page asset, I try to make the complex quietly obvious.
Design like this MRT system shows how simplicity is often the result of strategy. And that’s the kind of thinking I bring into my own work — not just visuals, but logic, intention, and user context behind every layout.
Reducing unnecessary language, or designing with semantic clarity, benefits people from all backgrounds. When something is visual-first, the message crosses barriers faster.
In my digital designs, I often choose simpler headlines, modular content blocks, or icon systems — because sometimes the most respectful design is one that doesn’t overwhelm.
Yellow is used here not for aesthetics, but for function.
In packaging, I often consider these pre-attached meanings. If a color already signals something important in the real world, I use that to make communication faster.
The symbol beside exit numbers looks like a gate — and that’s the point.
When designing for marketing visuals or digital banners, I follow the same idea — use shapes and symbols only when they make comprehension faster, not when they just look nice.
Even when something is effective, people may resist it. Some commuters might prefer alphabet-based exits simply because that’s what they’re used to. But good design isn’t always about familiarity — sometimes it’s about making unfamiliar things easier.
I don’t just design for how something looks — I think about how it’s used, who’s reading it, what they expect, and how to remove friction from their experience. Whether it’s a packaging label, a social media visual, or a landing page asset, I try to make the complex quietly obvious.
Design like this MRT system shows how simplicity is often the result of strategy. And that’s the kind of thinking I bring into my own work — not just visuals, but logic, intention, and user context behind every layout.