The Top Five

Get your SG50 tees at all dENIZEN stores at S$13.90 each with a minimum purchase of two pieces (usual price: S$19.90 each). Remember to wear your tees to the Celebrate SG50 Countdown Show at The Float at Marina Bay on Dec 31, 7.30pm.

MAKAN TILL SHIOK (above)
Lim Hang Kwong, 31, freelance concept designer

• Food paradise: I initially wanted to draw 50 food varieties that can be found in Singapore to commemorate SG50, but I realised that 50 were not enough. Singapore has so much yummy food I ended up squeezing as many dishes as I could.
•  The SG50 element: The food theme highlights Singapore’s diverse food culture. I chose a cheeky way to spell Singapore as ‘5’ingap‘0’re to showcase SG50 and included the years of Singapore’s independence from 1965 to 2015.
• The local touch: Makan Till Shiok! is a Singlish slang that Singaporeans can relate to, while the dialect names of the dishes give it a local feel.

LET'S RIDE THE NEXT WAVE
Alvin Mah, 31, designer

• Two-in-one: I incorporated two visuals into the design so people would do a double take. The Lion is a symbol of our forefathers' contributions to Singapore in the past 50 years. The skateboarder represents our young, vibrant generation that will capture our imagination and take us into the future. Skateboarding showcases how daring and adventurous this generation is. Regardless of what comes their way, they will ride those waves.
• The lion head: The Merlion best captures the character and identity of Singapore. It’s a visual which all Singaporeans can identify with.

CALENDAR COUNTDOWN
Sharon Goh, 35, associate creative director

• Save the date: It is a “walking” calendar reminder that can be worn from the beginning of the year to create awareness for the celebration of SG50 on August 9, 2015.
• The inspiration: I was inspired by an old-school calendar that many Singaporeans are familiar with. Red is typically used in such calendars to emphasise the importance of the day. In this case, the colour is especially apt to mark our National Day. I’ve incorporated SG50 logos into the borders as well as within the typography, celebration messages and the date of the nation’s 50th birthday.

OUR LITTLE RED DOT
Carin Leong, 17, Shawn Chia, 18 and Chia Lin, 43

OUR VIBRANT CULTURE
Lim Ing, 15, student

Produced by the TODAY Special Projects Team