Real Talk // Finding Your Own Voice

The creative community is a very small one. Recently, there have been stirrings amongst our designer/creative friends about the growing number of copycats within the community. There is a fine line between being inspired and taking someone's ideas as yours. 

With an increase of creatives in the field these days and paired with the abundance of gorgeous designs throughout history, it is pretty difficult to come up with a completely 100% original idea. That is why it is very important to be able to infuse your own personality and style into your work as it makes the work you do truly yours. 

After conversations with our friends about imitators and the possibilities of someone copying us and in turn, us copying someone unintentionally, we decided to reflect on our business and design voices. How do we stay true to ourselves, and most importantly, how does it reflect in our work? 

About honey&gazelle Design Studio's business voice
Min: Rome was not built in a day. Before honey&gazelle Design Studio became reality, Jia and I were deep in our knees in the corporate world. I was managing a school and Jia was in marketing and corporate communications. We were both climbing fast and furious on the corporate ladder but eventually gave it up to chase our dreams and follow the path that God had planned for us. Truth be told, it was definitely not an easy decision to make. We would not have started our studio without God being the centre of our friendship and business. With Him in control, we know we are in the best care. 

One good reason for success, other than pure hard work, is to have the ability to see to the needs of a growing company. Though leading companies boast of their successful business strategies and models, there is no cookie cutter business model. Reading business related books and articles have taught us a lot but creating a structure that is truly unique to our company was our main goal. 

We planned for an steady and organic growth for honey&gazelle Design Studio simply because we are not keen on creating an explosive business boom that is merely here today and gone tomorrow. We are here for the long haul and we are not going to pit ourselves against others just to prove a point. The past year has taught us a lot and we are determined to stay true to our beliefs while we work towards moulding honey&gazelle Design Studio to be a complete dream come true.

About honey&gazelle Design Studio's design voice
Jia: Min and I have very different personal styles when it comes to design. She loves the refined, clean, and sleek aesthetic while I am obsessive over details and textures, and sometimes my taste borders on bombastic and tacky. Min would be totally overjoyed with a simple minuscule zen dot on a huge white blank space but I would be dying to splash some paint all over it. And maybe bomb the canvas with glitter and feathers. What can I say? It is always a party with me! If you ever meet us in person, just look at our nails. The designs on our nails say it all. 

​Deciding on the style of honey&gazelle Design Studio’s products took a pretty long and difficult time. It was, and still is a challenge to blend two differing views and personalities into a seamless piece of work that authentically felt like us. But, we did it, love it, and are proud of our work. On a whole, our designs are generally pretty clean and flanked with meticulous details. It is a perfect blend of Min and I. 

With that being said, our design preferences are always evolving because we actively learn, read, and explore. We believe in experimenting and taking a leap out of our comfort zone. If we were to stick to one style forever, we would just become a one-trick pony and that would not do at all. If you are currently confused over which direction to take or are overly influenced by trends or your favourite designer, I would urge you to research and explore beyond the popular. You will find your own personal voice eventually!

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Do you think it is important to stand out from the crowd?

With Love, Min+Jia.