acoustika

[acoustika]

Reflections

WEEK 15

It has definitely been an experience having to come up with ideas for a business while collaborating with other artists. Not only did I learn more about the intricacies of a business but it has also brought me more exposure into the arts scene. I would say that Acoustika is definitely an inspired project that already has current competitors and the feasibility of it would realistically vary if this was a real start-up but nonetheless filling up the missing market is always an interesting concept. Finding and fixing a missing market is also a gamble on whether that market is purposely left missing or unfound yet. I also find myself enjoying the marketing of the company rather than building the business itself due to the artistic freedom rather than doing the paperwork and backend. Overall, I prefer the learning of how to market a company rather than creating the company itself and would definitely owe that to the more creative side of me rather than a systematic one. I hope one day that I could start a business or maybe expand my skillset to marketing.

[acoustika]

Funding

WEEK 14

In terms of funding for this company, we can either have a solid capital or look at funding from crowdfunding platforms or even receive government aid. Through some research, I have found various crowdfunding platforms such as Kickstarter, EquityNet, RocketHub and Seedvest and if we aren't able to achieve a the goal amount from there, we can also look at the various initiatives from the government or even local community.

In terms on investments by other companies, we can even look into larger companies to be investors in exchange for a small percentage of our equity. This would be a more feasible idea in Singapore's context as opposed to crowdfunding platforms as we can reach out to established art or sound companies that would buy into this.  

Looking into getting government funding would be the best idea before using bank loans with big interest fees. Since the government is quite supportive of the arts scene, there are current grants and initiatives in place that Acoustika might benefit from. Grants such as Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG), Market Readiness Assistance (MRA) Grant, PACT and Enterprise Development Grant (EDG) are all viable options for Acoustika to take up.

A community initiative would be the Sustain the Arts (stART) by National Arts Council (NAC) and the private sector to boost the long-term sustainability of smaller arts organisations and to nurture a culture of giving to the arts.

[acoustika]

Company Values

WEEK 13

A company needs to be align to to the changing values of society. Therefore its important for our business model, product or operational process to be eco friendly. We need to be very stern and careful with our approach and keep it align with our brand to our beliefs. We want to ultimately shape the culture and inspire our employees. Plus, values that speak to the public is definitely a competitive advantage.

"Acoustika strives to go towards a eco - decorative approach. Acoustic panels have the capability to act as the visual centrepiece of a space much like an accent wall or large-format artwork but with the added benefit of functionality. A collaboration between professionals of designers and acousticians, we aim to brighten up a room with art and also simultaneously soundproofing it."

Leadership

Collaboration

Integrity

Accountability

Passion

Diversity

Quality

[acoustika]

Problems & Possibilities

WEEK 12

Problems are bound to happen. Be it in creating the business or running the operations on the daily. It is then definitely important for one to be equipped with skills that would eliminate the problem with ease. Problem-solving skills will help transform even seemingly intractable problems into interesting opportunities. Having the best problem-solving tools, strategies and skills on hand prepares a business leader to act quickly, efficiently and, perhaps most importantly, creatively. It is also important to be able to identify and expect the possible problems. A business should always have contingency plans for any problems that may arise during the running of the operations. This would minimise any damage that would happen to the business during that problem or even stop any further problems from arising. Hence, it would be essential to have a team to do the risk assessment and contingency plans in a business. 

One of the biggest possible problem for Acoustika might be the rapid changes in technology which may lead to the business being left behind in the industry. As there is constant upgrading in technology, Acoustika needs to find ways to stay current so that we are in demand as well. Some companies might find us redundant at some point of time and drop as us a collaborator and hence, we would definitely need to innovate stay relevant.

[acoustika]

Potential Clients

WEEK 11

Getting to know about  potential customers is crucial for a new business like Acoustika. A well made survey would be the cheapest start to have a rough idea. The survey should be done by those who show interest in our products or services.  This would include valuable insights on the things that interest the customers such as products to customer support. Targeting venues can also help to gauge the possible audiences.

Residence - Home studio, new-build residential schemes, conversions or listed prop

Office - meeting rooms, conference room and retail spaces

Hospitals - support healing with enhancing quiet courtesy

Places of worship - church installation

Education - drama theatre, auditorium, music room etc

Professional Studio - recording studio, dance studio, ktv, etc

Sponsoring local events according to their venues are ideal for getting to know your potential customers. After surveying the market to see who’s most likely to use your products or services, similar types of events that your target audience will most like will most likely want to be sponsored. This is great for the brand exposure.

[acoustika]

Acoustician Scouting

WEEK 10

The backbone of the company has to be the Acousticians. They are the most knowledgable in the product and the technical aspects. They need to handle acoustic designs that provides effective and efficient solution for client’s requirement. Coordinate drawings and technical specifications to enable competitive bids. Finding the right people and developing the right skills and competencies is the key to a sustainable future. Bringing in a consultant with the expertise to find exactly the workers you need would be a wise investment.

More tasks would be to attend to the site, consultant, design meetings and they determine which softwares and hardware. Having to prepare many acoustic test reports, they have to be equipped with good schedule planning. It's key to hire reliable acousticians that are passionate in bringing more to the table; more so with having a background in retail or arts. Scouting fresh graduates and offering internships to institutes such as Lasalle, SOTA and SIT, will ensure a strong foundation of technicalities. It's also important to recruit a team of acousticians to be the pioneers of the company. To have a partnership with an acoustic team will ensure the company to be more secure in the long run.

Major in Audio Production in Lasalle of the Arts

"With a background in mixing for live bands, I'm able to tackle challenging exteriors for your soundproofing  and acoustic treatment needs" - Fariz Junaidi

"Able to consider psychoacoustics along with other factors, for more immersive user experience" - Tan Yan Hao

"Ability to convert customer needs and requirements into system descriptions and bills of material." - Joshua Ho

[acoustika]

Acoustic problems comes with acoustic solutions

WEEK 9

There are alot of challenging factors, but the main objective for the sound design of space remains simple and straightforward. To create an excellent acoustic identity based on bespoke acoustic advice. To ensure that we providing viable acoustic design that is strong and thorough; leaving no room for errors. Accurate measurements and knowledge about acoustics are key factors to ensure realistic results. The numbers from the measurements will be the foundation for each project.

RT60

Absorption Coefficient

Schroeder

Critical Distance

Tangential, Axial, Oblique Modes

Harmonic Series

[acoustika]

Product - Materials

WEEK 8

The tricky part about preserving the perfection of the product heads into manufacturing. Ideally, i wanted to use the most premium material but its antithetical to the goals of product design. its important to put in the factor of cost, manufacturing timelines, material performance. These are just a few points to take into consideration. But the idea is to balance the it to practical use. It is good to have a rough background of the materials for the manufacturer and the company to be on the same page.

Having a good partnership with the manufacturer will help in collecting data, specs, ideas, and troubleshooting. This is especially true when working with innovative products or unfamiliar materials. They can also serve as consultants to find the flaws during the product development, testing phase before the debut. It's important that I'll get to chose materials in the context of the end user's priorities.

Timbre

reduce echoes by trapping and diffracting sound in the grooves and perforation found on the surface. The sound that passes through the perforation is further absorbed by an acoustic substrate such as fibreglass or mineral wool, which reduces reverberation of the space.

Polyester

made by a process of tumbling, needle-punching, and baking low and high melting-point polyester fibres. The high-density fibrous network absorbs sounds and reduces reverberation.

Polymer

A modular acoustic panel that can be arrayed together to form a feature. The panels are installed using propriety polymer clips affixed to the wall. The thermo-compressed panel is made with an eco-friendly polyester board and felt finishing.

Absorber

Acoustic foam is one of the most common absorber used in acoustical treatment to reduce echoes and reverberations. The fire-rated foam density is engineered based on airflow resistive data.

Wood

The wood fibres are sound absorbent, and the cement matrix has high moisture diffusion and air permeability. This allows the wood wool panel to even out the relative humidity (RH) in the environment.

[acoustika]

Manufacturing / Supply Companies

WEEK 7

Local manufacturing can have increased sustainable outcomes with a reduction in transportation and logistics. International suppliers, on the other hand can reduce costs through efficiencies of scale. Its important to weight the pros and cons of the options.

Being in the same local time zone, common speaking language, will allow us to pick up the phone and communicate with our supplier easily. This will save us from confusion around landing times and production updates. Visiting the factory or warehouse and having a conversation about design can greatly speed up the development process allowing faster turn-around time.

In times of the pandemic, it is important to support our local business. At the same time , manufacturers can boost our brand’s image by showing support  to the local economy. Other businesses nearby can also help increase customer loyalty and retention rates. 

https://www.howeasy.space

Due to inconsistencies in currency value, cost of living and other factors, some international countries have lower wages and material costs. In return, this leads to a reduction in the cost of a final product and increased margins for the company. Larger factory spaces with more equipment, a greater number of employees and longer operating hours allow overseas manufacturers to complete orders more quickly than their domestic counterparts.

https://www.iqsdirectory.com/acoustic-foam/acoustic-foam-2/

[acoustika]

Existing Competitors

WEEK 6

Knowing our competitors and what they are offering can help to make our products, services and marketing stand out. To avoid being redundant we can look into local business directories, exhibition, trade fairs to gather information. These initiatives can help  avoid mistakes and mishaps that will most probably cause a loss for the company. This can also help us to set prices competitively and help respond to rival marketing campaigns with our own initiatives. We can take advantage of our competitors weaknesses to improve our performance. To be knowledgable can help us have a better grasp of our position to create realistic goals and implement strategies more thoroughly.

Soundzipper is one of our strongest competitor. They are very similar in terms of their business model that t target the same kind of audience. Giving them a visit on their website and media activities, we are able to know the the products or services they provide, how they market them to customers and their brand and design values.

With the information gathered, we can pick on details that we might left out or have missed. In this way we can improve our company tremendously by being constantly current and above our competitors.

https://soundzipper.com/portfolio/

[acoustika]

Potential Collaborators

WEEK 5

Collaborating with companies is the best way to increase exposure for a new company like Acoustika. At the same time, it enables our employees to be quicker and more effective in their work, as compared to people who work on projects on their own. Collaborating also makes employees and the team more responsible, which goes a long way in raising their motivation levels, especially when teams work virtually in the times of the pandemic. Collaborating can also force us to determine what we can bring to the table and why it’s worth for a large company to take time to discuss a partnership with us.

At the end of the day, we strive to build authentic relationships to ensure that we are placing bets with people who have our best interests at heart. The constant learning, improving efficiency, and solving business problems will definitely help us to scale to larger heights. 

https://www.renostics.com.sg/

"Over here in Renostics, we offer a wide range of acoustic products and solutions to best fit your needs. Flaunt your creativity by mixing and matching acoustics products to form multiple unconventional designs to achieve both acoustics performance and designer’s interior aesthetics!"

https://kpacoustics.com/team

"Our dynamic team of consultants offers specialised, bespoke advice in acoustics, noise and vibration for a wide range of scenarios and industries, worldwide. Our thorough understanding of acoustics and high level of expertise in acoustic measurements enables us to offer solutions that are as clear and robust, as they are targeted and inspired.Combined with an intuitive feel for our Clients’ aspirations, our expertise and solutions form the foundation on which our company operates."

https://auralaid.com/

"The first application of architectural acoustics was carried out by Wallace Sabine in the Fogg Museum lecture room, who designed the Symphony Hall in Boston. Since then, good acoustics has been implemented in many buildings. Aural-Aid is an acoustics company headquartered in Singapore since 2013. We build cinemas, auditoriums, and home theatres fulfilling ISO and ASTM standards. We believe good acoustics is important to improving our daily lives. What do you believe in?"

https://jdacoustic.com/

"Our acoustic specialists strive to create functional and aesthetically-pleasing designs to suit your purpose, applying their years of knowledge and experience to create the most comfortable acoustic environments."

https://www.midviewcity.com/directory/alpha-acoustics-engineering-pte-ltd/

“focus is to work together with clients in a coordinated effort to provide accurate and concise measurements of noise and vibration to guide them to a cost effective resolution. With detailed design, the sounds of the everyday environment can be controlled to acceptable levels and provide everyone a pleasing environment soothing them in mind and soul.”

[acoustika]

An Inside, Resident Artist

WEEK 4

With this interesting collaboration of sound and the arts, I am given this opportunity to explore the possibilities of various expressions that can be found in sound. Not only will my art be pleasing to the eyes but also to the ears. Looking to create a visual representation of your music but can’t really find the right medium? Adriana Gan can do it for you with her myriad of textured artworks on our acoustic panels. Here in Acoustika, we associate textures with the way that things look or feel. We believe that everything has some type of texture, even music; the silky feel to a voice or heart-thumping beats. Adriana uses visual and implied texture to stimulate the expressions your sound omits and creates beautiful artworks to represent your own unique sound. Not only will our acoustic panels be pleasing for our ears but also to the eyes of creatives. Find out more about how you can work with Adriana and Acoustika to curate your own individualised panels for the perfect creative environment by dropping us an enquiry!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-nKd80eGKo

[acoustika]

Artist Scouting

"With this interesting collaboration of sound and the arts, I am given this opportunity to explore the possibilities of various expressions that can be found in sound. Not only will my art be pleasing to the eyes but also to the ears. "WEEK 3

By scouting the local artists through social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, I have chanced upon various talents that are currently active in the art scene. After reviewing their portfolio and artworks that have been displayed in public areas such as Scape as well as Ngee Ann Kongsi Gallery, I have decided to pick 4 designers to collaborate with. Each designer has their own unique medium and style to cater to different creative styles of each customer. I believe in only getting the best of artists to complement our well-designed acoustic panels. First up we have, Adriana Gan who specializes in textured art to represent the flow of your music choice. Next, we have Ezra Iskandar who has a knack for street-style designs and can seamlessly fit your creative thoughts onto our panels. Athirah Annissa bring to the table, portraits and poetry on panels with her own flair with photography and writings that caters to those with quirkier taste. I reached every single artist via email and they have written back promptly, showing their interest in this collaboration. Their outreach through social media will surely gain a larger exposure which would be great for the company.

Anam Musta’ein is a Singapore-based interactive artist whose works revolve around self-expression and catharsis. As a child, he draws and paints as a form of escape from troubling thoughts, living a thousand lives in reimagined spaces. With a background in illustrations and animation, he hopes to tell stories through alternative media with themes that explore kin, romance, and companionship.

https://anammustaein.com/portfolio/commissioned-works/

BA IN INTERACTIVE MEDIA, NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

"With this interesting collaboration of sound and the arts, I am given this opportunity to explore the possibilities of various expressions that can be found in sound. Not only will my art be pleasing to the eyes but also to the ears."

BA IN FINE ARTS, LASALLE COLLEGE OF THE ARTS 

Athirah Annissa is a Singaporean artist with works revolving around the phenomenon of spaces and human behaviour. The narratives that are put together in her works reflects a conversation between the underlying social tension that is present in life and how does one then navigate through such isolating experiences. The artist incorporates her own sensitivities towards the mundane and aspires to encapsulate her contemplations with existence and nature through photography, installation and photo-books.

www.athrh.squarespace.com

BFA IN MEDIA ART [PHOTOGRAPHY] IN SCHOOL OF ART DESIGN AND MEDIA, NTU

I’m Ezra, 22 and currently serving the country. It was really a rough time for me and I resulted to put my emotions onto paper. I experimented with different form of medium and eventually an inked pen was enough for me. I fell in love with pointillism, it was a form of calm and relaxation for me. I started reading on the concept of ‘Wabi-Sabi’ and the acceptance of imperfection in everything. That made me realise, art is subjective and I love everything about it.

https://instagram.com/doodl.ez

DIPLOMA IN ENGINEERING DESIGN WITH BIZ, REPUBLIC POLYTECHNIC

[acoustika]

PES of the Consumer and Seller

WEEK 2

One of the main reasons as to why people shop is the underlying psychology behind why shopping is extremely fascinating. It is essentially an increasingly modern hobby and evaluating why people began shopping for exclusive items will help us better understand this psychological impulse. The key to achieving sales is mainly focusing on the fact that our audience is going to want to bring home a unique set of our products. This will also lift our profit margin as we not only put ourselves in the manufacturing category but also the aesthetic category of sales. But we don't want to just sell and limit ourselves to solely gain sales. Getting the volume of sales is not the problem, we want to sell out. We want to be “woke” in producing art that is political, current, relatable to the youths. In turn making it the centrepiece of the room, a conversation starter and definitely a thought provoking art work.

To remain current, we have to keep up with the times. The new wave is to be environmentally conscious as we move along by incorporating eco friendly materials. We plan to assess accordingly and treat the acoustic creatively. Our sound treating goal is to make life sound better, and make the world better too.

[acoustika]

If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.

WEEK 1

The timeline for the whole project would take approximately 8 - 12 working months. However the trial should be done within the first 6 months and getting reliable results for the trial run. First step is to collate and scout all local artists by advertisement through social media. At the same time to scout for acoustics companies and to propose collaboration perhaps investors. From there, source a main manufacturer for all the supplies. As a company, we plan to do all our pre planning in-house to save cost, the approach of the following would be a “demo” style from a publisher's perspective. We are ultimately looking to hire a marketing, and advertising company later on in the project.

To get there, it's important to test on real people and setting to prepare assumptions based on their behaviours. This approach requires arranging test people, preparing various interview questions and providing testing equipment. To further prepare the team in ensuring a stable foundation by following these steps.

Define Your Target Audience (know Your Community)

Develop Growth Strategy Based on Your UsersUse 

Minimal and Simple Social Network Design

Promote Your Social Network Effectively.