What Our Designers are Reading and Watching.

Image Credits: @m.a.r.c.c.o.s.t.a via Instagram

Whether it be books, movies, or TV shows, our love for great narratives spills over from our design work into entertaining our daily lives. As such, we’ve compiled a list of what our team has been raving about (and spoiling) during lunch. 

To Watch… 👀

The Boys

Created by Eric Kripke (2019 - Present)

With Season 3 having just premiered this summer, our designers have been thriving on this darkly humorous, anti-superhero universe that takes Marvel’s Captain America for a spin. Spun into a bloody tapestry of patriotic fascism and power-exploiting MNCs, the evils of this universe are uncomfortably familiar, and our team loves them for it. 

Big Mouth

Dir. Oh Choong-Hwan (2022 - present)

For the crime and mystery fanatics in our agency, this noir thriller hits the spot. Captivating audiences with a plot of betrayals, murders, and shocking revelations, this Korean drama keeps us in suspense with its classic yet gripping case of mistaken identity. As one member of our team begrudgingly puts it, “I appreciate the screenwriters who deliberately try to confuse me.”

The Handmaiden

Dir. Park Chan Wook, (2016)

Masterminded by legendary filmmaker Park Chan Wook, director of ‘Oldboy’, The Handmaiden is a gothic meditation on sapphic power and desire, endowed with a wildly unpredictable plot that explores themes of class, gender, and sexuality. Widely praised for its cinematography and use of symbolism, our designers draw inspiration from Wook’s disarmingly ordered storytelling, unearthing new interpretations upon each rewatch.

To Read… 📚

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982

By Cho Nam-Joo (2016)

Described as “a wake-up call” by our designers, this novel was one of the best-selling titles of the century that helped spark the #MeToo movement in South Korea. Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 highlights the sinister normalcy of social conditioning as we follow our protagonist from her life as a young girl, in school, in the workplace, and then as a wife and mother. Nam-Joo’s highly informative and minimalistic writing makes for an accessible read on the harmful consequences of gender roles, a lacerating reminder of the narratives we have yet to include. 

Building Art: The Life and Work of Frank Gehry

By Paul Goldberger (2015)

For many in design and architecture, Frank Gehry is a universally renowned figure whose style and practice has been extensively documented and celebrated. But for those searching for more, ‘Building Art…’ has brought both perspective and empathy into our career successes, as we delve deep into the trials and tribulations and design processes of the illustrious but ultimately human, Gehry.  

Weird to Exist: Simple Comics About Complex Emotions

By Alison Zai (2022)

This collection of Zai’s comics is a dark, yet colourful take on the absurdity of life. Parallel juxtapositions of both heartwarming moments and existential spirals provide a reassuring confidence that these paradoxes are always intrinsic to the human condition. Zai gives voice to emotional complexities and unpredictable predicaments that deeply resonate with people, but nevertheless asks us to find the fun and good in the chaos of life. 

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