anatomy of a logo

Just so you don't have to ask, alsoCAN is Singlish, an English dialect from Singapore we are fond of.

English with Malay grammar, with words from the myriad of language groups that reside in Singapore.

Rather than saying yes, no worries or no problem, say "can". To ask whether something is OK, add "can or not", to the end of your sentence.

If you have completed their request, "can already". Or to elaborate further on your brilliance at fulfilling any demands, "alsocan".

So we alsoCAN do that, can or not?

It sums up how we thrive across wide-ranging disciplines; architecture, planning, animation, interactive media, website design, teaching, research, multi-cultural theory, cultural sustainability.

alsoCAN's logo started life as a Chinese chop we designed & had carved; an artists's signature, stamped in red ink.

We wrote the words, drew the fish & it was copied faithfully onto the base of a carved lump of marble; now red stained from years of use.

Kate Beynon, artist, made us a soft sculpture of the alsoCAN logo, proudly displayed in our office.

Over the years, the alsoCAN fish logo has developed a more lean & hungry look, but the chop is the original.

Fish & red bring luck & prosperity. Their fluidity & scaled skin have influenced our designs. Though, we defer to Frank O. Gehry on the subject of fish in architecture.

Wikipedia has pages describing Singaporean language, so if you want to find out more about Singlish & Singapore-English, look at these.

On a lighter note, you'll find this Singlish vocabulary / dictionary much more entertaining and descriptive.