Soul Brothers
Phunk's award winning art and design collective marks its 25th year.
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Tay Suan Chiang
DESIGNERS ALVIN TAN, Melvin Chee, Jackson Tan and William Chan could be brothers if they didn't have different mothers. They finish each other's sentences, understand what each is thinking about when coming up with design ideas, and see each other almost day in day out. It has been this way for the last 25 years, since they formed Phunk in 1994, when they were still graphic design students at Lasalle College of the Arts.
Driven by a common love for popular subculture and rock music, the four got together and wanted to form a band. But they soon gave up that idea, when they realised that they had little musical talent. "We traded electric guitars for the Mac, which we were better at," says Jackson.
William says they still pretty much function like a band. "We have the passion to create, to work together, but we jam with our iMacs."
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