Bureau is a design studio driven by the promise of purpose and the pursuit of practicality.
Enquiries. Should we be working together? Drop us a call or an email and someone will be in touch!
The Studio
Bureau was formed in a particularly brash moment—the late noughties. Like the (very) many creative collectives that came up in that time, Bureau was also started by design-educated folks who had cut their teeth (and been properly frustrated) by early-career work in traditional advertising agencies.
Originally called Bureau for Advancement of Lifestyle and Longevity and Success, or B.A.L.L.S. (we did say “brash”), Bureau has, over a decade, changed its premises four times, and evolved with its leadership, shaking off the swagger of early adulthood. Instead, it has found its current way of working: Resisting the thrill of explosion, for the persistence of the slow burn.
As a business we’ve gone on too long without being seen or heard. This way overdue website is a way for ourselves to remember the work we’ve done, our processes and the joy we’ve found in them. We’d like to share as widely as possible the observations and insights we’ve gleaned from the experience of making this work. We want to present our work with enough care and respect that it can then be fairly judged by you, the audience. For our would-be clients, perhaps this peek into our thinking and sensibilities allow you to consider if we might be a good creative fit. And for our own designers, we hope this website serves as a beacon of where good work should be headed and for them to have a platform to be seen.
Located in the Henderson industrial area, this is Bureau's 4th studio. A disparaged collection of sticks and the odd storage box by the door means you're at the right address. Visitors are greeted by a nondescript black framed door. The presence of a hulking black land rover usually signals that someone's in. We don't expect surprise visitors so there are no doorbells.
A studio's workspace is an expression of its values and its ways of working. The main meeting space converts into a war room for discussions and big presentations. At some point it's even been turned into a gallery, clothing store and a tropical jungle. The room was measured out to fit a proper ping pong table which we have yet to design so we can't host a tournament at the moment—watch this space.
We own a Vandercook No.4 proof press—lovingly rebuilt by Steve Robinson of Rising Sun, Indiana. The only other Vandercook that we know of in Singapore is an SP15 from The Gentlemen's Press. This is a piece of graphic design history that reminds us of how far the industry has come from the days where advertising posters were hand carved and you can't hit the UNDO keys.
Wander up the precarous cement steps to the mezzanine floor. Here, be greeted by a supersized California Type Case built by our trusty handy man Richard. He still does not understand why our shelves needed to be arranged in such a precise way. We used it as a partition for our old Tiong Bahru studio. It survived three moves to finally be retired here to hold our design library. An eclectic collection of pictures now sit atop.
We take things seriously.
Most of all the coffee ritual.
Rituals are highly structured and predictable.
We like structure and predictability.
But structure and predictability in our process does not mean that the work has to turn out drab.
About Us
Byline—Bureau is the official website of Bureau Private Limited. Headquartered in Singapore, our work includes, but is not limited to: Brand Identity Design, Packaging Design, Editorial Design, Exhibition and Event Space Design and Strategic Planning. Sometimes we take walks in the jungle to ponder words that rhyme with “orange”.
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