Vanishing Crafts Book

Vanishing Crafts Book

Vanishing Crafts Book is a groundbreaking cultural preservation project that combines a children's storybook with a comprehensive archival companion, designed to document and celebrate traditional craftsmanship in Singapore. Created by designers Jesvin Yeo and Alvin Ng, this innovative publication features a unique dual-format approach: an accordion-fold storybook with bilingual capabilities in English and Chinese, accompanied by a parent companion archive that documents artisanal masters and their crafts. The publication, measuring 225mm x 255mm x 28mm, exemplifies exceptional craftsmanship in its physical construction, particularly evident in its manually folded and precision-cut edges that symbolize the perfection inherent in traditional craftwork. The design incorporates sophisticated elements such as an open spine with five distinct colors representing the multifaceted life experiences of craftsmen - sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty. This Silver A' Design Award-winning work in the Print and Published Media Design category stands out for its innovative approach to cultural documentation and intergenerational knowledge transfer. The project, which was developed between October 2014 and May 2016, emerged from extensive research involving 20 traditional artisans and addresses the critical challenge of preserving vanishing trades in an increasingly modernized society. The publication's interactive design encourages readers to become co-creators by providing space for personal documentation, photographs, and memories, effectively transforming it into a living document of cultural heritage. Its unique feature of combining parent-child reading experiences with comprehensive cultural documentation makes it the first of its kind in Singapore's publishing landscape.

traditional crafts preservation, cultural heritage documentation, bilingual children's literature, artisanal craftsmanship, interactive book design, intergenerational learning

— Adam Dawson

CITATION : "Adam Dawson. 'Vanishing Crafts Book.' Design+Encyclopedia. https://design-encyclopedia.com/define/vanishing-crafts-book?E=442015 (Accessed on October 14, 2026)"