Government Illustration System: So Every Singaporean Sees Themselves
BYOS is an inclusive illustration system that enables any government officer to create culturally representative visuals, no design skills required. We wanted every Singaporean to recognise themselves in any government tool/asset. My favourite project to date.
700+
government officers using BYOS outside our agency
Island-wide
campaigns for ActiveSG, HAS, Redeem, SkillsFuture
Role
Senior Product Designer & Illustrator
Team
2023: 1 designer
2025: 1 designer, 2 engineers, 1 PM
Timeline
Jan 2023 & Jan 2025 (two hackathons)
Context
Stock illustrations often used by government teams were inconsistent and didn't represent Singaporeans
Defaulting to stock libraries
Agencies frequently need visuals for products, collateral, and decks. Without design resources, teams pulled from various stock libraries.
Inconsistent styles
Different stock libraries meant inconsistent visual styles across government communications.
No local representation
None of the stock illustrations represented Singapore's diverse population authentically.
The goal: A modular system anyone could use to create illustrations that look and feel Singaporean.
The goal: A modular system anyone could use to create illustrations that look and feel Singaporean.
Process
Approachable without being quirky: finding the right character personality
We worked with designers who frequently use illustration to establish a personality scale suited to government's tone of voice. I iterated on the base character, then expanded into distinctly Singaporean personas.
Character foundations + personality scale
Singaporean personas
Figma System
Modular Figma system with interchangeable parts
Transformed personas into swappable components: eyes, mouth, upper/lower body, objects, accessories. Multiplied permutations while letting users adjust skin tones and brand colours.
Scenes
Ready-to-use scenes featuring familiar Singaporean moments
Individual characters weren't enough. We created compositions and scenes that officers could drop into any context, from healthcare to sports to community events.
Web Builder
A web builder for non-Figma users
Our Figma system gained traction internally, but marketing and non-design teams couldn't access it. We built a public web tool so any officer could customise and export, no design software needed.
Customise characters in preset compositions
Officers can select from pre-designed scene compositions and customise each character within them.
Adjust colours for skin tone and brand
Full control over skin tones and brand colours ensures every illustration feels representative and on-brand.
Bonus
An interactive map with Easter eggs
For our 2025 hackathon launch, we created an interactive map where users add the characters they built. It features familiar Singaporean sights, plus Easter eggs like the Milo van and uncles sending "Good morning" messages.
Reflection
Authentic representation + smart constraints
The modular system gave people creative freedom within guardrails that ensured quality and consistency. Non-designers were empowered to create.
"That’s me!" validation
Someone showed me a picture of an elderly man posing beside one of our illustrated characters in public, because he felt it looked exactly like him.
Two hackathons, two months total
Still my most fulfilling project. Teams we've never spoken to have adopted our characters across their products and collateral. The best feeling? Randomly spotting our illustrations on public buses around Singapore.
Try it yourself
Growing up, I learnt that a warm bowl of noodles and cut fruits is a language of care. So here's some virtual care from me to you, and thank you for stopping by!
