Have you ever been inspired by a box of mints? Brendan Terng gives his brand a whole new look to bring this hit of inspiration to life.


When it comes to understanding design, Brendan Terng is the man to see. We caught up with him to talk about his work and understanding his new design agency, Mint Bureau.

His new design agency, Mint Bureau is off to a clean start with fresh start.

Can you share with us the origins of Bees & Titans (now Mint Bureau) and your background?

As a matter of fact, the origin of the name “Bees & Titans” is rather uninspiring. It was incepted as we needed to incorporate our business as soon as possible to start serving our clients. I thought that if we were to combine two mismatched words, our SEO ranking should be pretty awesome. And what better way to start my own business than using my name initial of ‘B’ and ‘T’. I think there were ideas like “The Bonafide Totem”, “Brand Theorem”, “Brilliant Tilt”, “The Bold Tendency” … you get the idea. We finally decided on Bees & Titans as it just felt right.

Fast forward 3 years, we began to develop a DNA based on our work processes, the projects we took on, and the feedback we received from our clients. With this DNA, I feel that there is a need to reposition our brand promise and mission, and a new name is necessary for realignment.

What inspired this new change?

A box of mint candies. Seriously. With the need for a rebranding at the back of my mind, I was appreciating the design of a mint packaging from Japan and it came to me like a eureka moment. It stuck with me for weeks and I knew that this identity will remain fresh and minty to us for a very, very long time.

What do you hope to see on this new mission?

A fresh start to invigorate our business, fresh minds to join the team, and a commitment to creating fresh ideas for every project that we take on. We’d like to be someone in the industry who truly cares about our client’s problem, providing them with creative solutions from the heart and not someone who treats their brands as baits for awards. And when the time is right, maybe a design agency with our very own café. Mint macchiato anyone?

As a graphic designer, do you have any advice for someone starting in this industry?

Despite us being known as the “Visual Communicators”, we should always:

1. Listen- pay close attention to a client’s verbal brief.
2. Think- understand thoroughly the objective of your task.
3. Feel- there is a reason why we call it the “look and feel” of a design. Have a better sense of what a client wish to express through your design.
4. See- have an eye for good design and execute with your best abilities.
5. Smell. Nah, just kidding.

Remember, designers are problem solvers. Not just someone who make things look beautiful. And most importantly, stay humble.

 

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