Abstract:

For the WOW! Programme (Wonder.Observe.Weave!) in TJC, I was fortunate to be attached to my ideal choice — TEDxS book launch team! It was a fun month together with our two curators — Mr.Lim and Ms.Lim. As seen from the project name, our main task was to finalise the TEDxS 10-year-anniversary book. Throughout this one month we did presentations on book layout designs, design tips, marketing ideas etc. It was an amazing and fulfilling journey, and I really look forward to our official book launch!

Our Project!!!

I was a member of the second TEDx team, which mainly worked for the launch of the TEDxS book in 2020. We aimed to finalise proofreading the content and book layout design, plan publishing and complete marketing plans. The TEDx book is launched to settle ideas from spotlighted TEDx stage onto papers and sheets, and to reveal to readers a lesser-known yet brilliant side of Singapore and humans of Singapore. The curators had invited professional designers and literary critics to plan and review the book content and our designs. We started from proofreading all the chapters, and continued to help with the write-ups of book introduction, back cover text and front flap text, as well as designs of the book layout, summarised tips and marketing ideas. Our works cultivated our skills in almost every area relevant to a book launch, while providing our curators with new perspectives regarding the book content and layout design. It is worth mentioning that you will ultimately see our write-ups in the end product!!! This really renders our days of online&field research even more valuable and meaningful! And, you know, I feel super proud to be “a tangible part” of the book! :)

Record of the Activities We've Done！

• Our working schedule is as below:
• Week 1: proofreading the book
• Week 2: proofreading&art salon prep
• Week 3: designing of book covers&writing the introduction
• Week 4: finalising designs(front and back covers, spine, front flap, complete layouts), introduction, back cover text and front flap text + delivering presentations on design tips and book marketing ideas

We started our programme with proofreading the TEDx book. The book has 26 chapters and tasks were allocated among the three of us. At first I thought proofreading would be pretty hard and time-consuming(especially since the proofreading guidelines are long enough haha) As a result, every sentence seemed like an insurmountable mountain and it was hard to build passion. however, as I delved into each of the speakers’ life stories, I was captivated by the content, and all incongruities just naturally popped up. My perspective successfully switched from “proofreading the book” to “creating better narratives.” I learnt from proofreading the book that if you can align things you need to do with your passion and interest, nothing is unconquerable and you can certainly grow through the process.

Next, we double checked the book content and moved on to our salon preparation. The TEDx art salon was held on 18th Jan in the National Gallery. We felt super honoured and excited to be invited as part of the organising team. We arrived at the NGS early and helped with the lanyards and poster allocation. The number of guests was larger than my expectation, and most of them were from the middle-age group. I joined one group and shared my thoughts on arts with four ladies from different ethnic backgrounds. All of my group members, one of whom was a French artist, offered their unique opinions. I took down a lot of notes and definitely had a better comprehension of arts. After the group discussion came the panel talk. Our external tutor, also the curator of TEDxS, Mr.Lim, invited five experts working in art-related fields to talk about their insights. The events went on until late afternoon, and all of us felt exhausted yet satisfied. That was my first time to be involved in organising this type of events. I felt grateful for this precious opportunity to upgrade my organising skills.

Personally, the most exhilarating part of this month was designing the book layout&writing book texts. I had never done digital design before, so this task firstly appeared pretty challenging. I started with research on book cover design. Various interesting designs became my source of inspirations. I firstly worked on the back-cover, then the front cover and the spine. Hours spent and plenty harvested.

As for the write-ups —- I’ve always been a writing lover, after all. More importantly, words could not express my feeling when Mr.Lim told us our works would be selected into the book! It felt like being an author, which has always been my dream!

Aside from the aforementioned, we did some presentations and group discussions with feedbacks as well. Everything was step by step, and I never regretted my choice. :)

Record of Results / Deliverables

• a proofread book; book layout designs; write-ups on introduction, front flap text, and back cover text; presentations about book cover design research, design tips and marketing ideas.

3 Content Knowledge / Skills Learnt:

1. Out-of-the-box thinking: TEDx itself is a platform that requires advanced thinking-out-of-the-box skill. For our first group, the curators always asked them to suggest speakers in a creative manner, for instance, inviting an artist to talk about climate change. For our second group, this skill was mainly applied in book cover designs and the write-ups. In an extremely competitive book market, we have to get our way through with unique and eye-catchy designs. Colours, title design and the pictorial components are some factors to be taken into consideration. Besides, the out-of-the-box thinking also works in life. Solving problems in unexpected ways can help with both our life quality and career path. I felt grateful that I learnt more about this skill during this one month.
2. Design thinking: this point should be obvious since one of our tasks was to design the book cover layout. The term “design thinking” itself refers to a thinking mode in design process that focuses on human need, human action, and feasibility in the market. This thinking mode was crucial for our task, and would directly affect the marketing. Similar to the first point, design thinking can be quite beneficial in life.
3. Team work: team work is required everywhere, be it a school project or an international competition. We worked as a team, and hence team spirit and awareness were indispensable. I learnt how to tackle different viewpoints, resolve conflicts, and coordinate task allocation in this one month.

2 Interesting Aspects of Our Learning!!!

Firstly, experts were invited to discuss our tasks with us along the way. It was a special “bonus” from TEDx, and we were extremely honoured to meet all these amazing and open-minded people. For the presentation of book layout design, Dave invited an experienced publisher to TJ to give us insights from a crucial angle —— the need of customers. This not only helped with our cover designs, but inspired us in marketing ideas.

Secondly, we had timely feedbacks for our every presentation from every listener. Curators, one of our two teams and the invited expert(if applicable) would offer suggestions from different perspectives. The presentation group would also do self assessment and reflection. This feedback loop of TEDx was meaningful in helping us learn and grow fast. It also emphasised the importance of listening to others and looking at your mistakes in the face.

1 Takeaway For Life

When there is a will, there is a way. I have always been a crazy TED fan, and I added “giving a TED talk” to my life resolutions list long ago. This year, I met TEDx for school programme. Decisions made instantly, I clicked TEDx as my first and second choices so that I would get in no matter what. Everything turned out so worth my passion and my love all along. My goal still looks far, but now I know I’m one step closer, maybe more than one. Tons of sincere thanks to my school TJC, TEDxS and many others for this amazing experience that proved to me passion can be practical, and once again, when there is a will, there is a way. :)