Creative Weekly: Connect@Changi's Atas Interior, The Triumphant Arrival of Disney+, A New Budget Identity

In this creative weekly, we explore the no-quarantine business travel exchange Connect@Changi, Disney+’s extravagant launch here and the Budget’s new look.

Connect@Changi Flexes Singapore's Luxury Design Muscle

In an era of video conferencing, Singapore is betting on high income businesspersons who prefer face-to-face meetings to meet at Changi’s newest - and probably cleanest - facility.

Located at the Singapore Expo, Connect@Changi is effectively a bubble for business travellers to Singapore - they are not allowed to leave the facility and meetings between them and the Singapore side are powered by two ventilation systems separated by a transparent glass border. Instead of quarantine orders, Connect@Changi travellers only need to take a swab test before they are allowed to move around the facility.

Photographs and videos of Connect@Changi reveal a posh, upscale enclave, featuring many local art pieces such as plates inspired by Peranakan motifs. Developed in part by local hospitality firm The Ascott, it likely played a part in designing the facility, showcasing the best of Singapore luxury.

Disney+65

The grand arrival of Disney+ in Singapore was well publicised and expensive - few companies have the budget to use the entire Marina Bay skyline as a backdrop.

Before the “Night of Disney+” event, six teaser videos were broadcasted on social media, outdoor billboards and on TV to highlight the six different content hubs on Disney+. Shot by Moving Bits, these videos integrated iconic brand characters with Singapore landmarks such as the CBD, hawker centres and HDBs - a brilliant attempt at celebrating the streaming service’s launch here. Here are my favourites:

A New-ish Budget Logo and Identity

The Budget has a new identity, after using the previous logo from 2016 to 2020.

Singaporeans saw the previous logo more times last year, due to the supplementary budgets. Perhaps the new logo signifies a fresh start after a historic year of budget deficits.

The new logo consists of three stick human figures which form a heart, with one of the figures having an outstretched hand. This time, the logo was designed by a team of Temasek Polytechnic students.

Here are some applications of the new identity.

Budget Booklet:

Animated logo:

Additionally, the budget trivia page included a handy poster which compiled Budget covers from 1980 to 2015. My favorite is FY1980’s cover, which managed to capture the country’s aspirations of industrialisation tastefully through the use of illustrations and a geometric font.

Plus: Johor-Singapore RTS Station Design Revealed

Come 2026, a new train terminus would greet travellers who arrive in Johor from Singapore on the Rapid Transit System.

Designed by Johorean architect Chin Yee Chong of SM Architects, the “Integration of Two” proposal was selected from a pool of 91 submissions for the Facade Design Ideas Competition.

The four-storey building is wrapped in an intertwining swirl facade to signify Johor and Singapore’s history and relationship, said to be made stronger upon completion of this transport project.

Just five minutes away from Woodlands North station, this terminus would make Johor getaways a more aesthetically-pleasing experience.

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Creative Weekly is a roundup of local news stories from a design angle. Explore Singapore’s design scene with us on Facebook and Instagram.