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We collect graphic design and document visual cultures from Singapore.

The archives was originally founded in 2011 as the Singapore Visual Archive by design writer and researcher Justin Zhuang. It was rebranded in 2016 as the Singapore Graphic Archives to reflect its focus on graphic design. Our collection dates as far as the 1950s, when Singapore began marching towards independence from British colonial rule. A desire to construct a modern nation-state led to the roll out of an ambitious industrialisation drive from which a design industry was born.

We hope the archives can encourage a critical appreciation of graphic design and visual culture from Singapore and aid research on this subject matter. We are independently funded.

The current website is the third iteration of our archives and was kindly designed by Pettycache and Practice Theory, and typeset in Rima by Omnitype.

Over the years, we have been assisted by the likes of Yin Shanyang, Catherine Kusama and Anastasia Lara.

Archival process

We strive to maintain the accuracy of our images and contents, but our process has limitations. The colours are imprecise because many of the images are photocopies, scans and photographs from printed matter. The write-ups are based on materials discovered at publishing, and may be updated as and when new information emerges. As much as possible, we share our references for independent verification and to encourage further research.

Add to our collection

Are you a graphic designer or a collector of visual materials from Singapore? We like to work with you to archive and document them for the archives. Please contact us to start a discussion.

Copyright

We do not own copyright over any of the materials in the archives unless otherwise stated. They are displayed here for educational and research purposes only. Please seek the permission of the respective owners if you intend to use them in other ways.