There are stores you visit already knowing what you'll buy, and there are stores you enter just to browse. Then there is Don Don Donki, which I’m convinced is a black hole. There’s no such thing as a “quick trip” to the Japanese retailer – not when their distinct point-of-purchase (POP) signage captures your attention even before you step into the store.
Most retail stores in Singapore have functional POP signs with minimalist design: There’s the product name, promotional price and a simple call-to-action. But every sign in Don Don Donki feels like a personalised card from a friend, equally educational, entertaining and endearing. And this is intentional, thanks to a team of full-time artists, known as POP writers.
“We create handwritten, hand-drawn POP signage for the store. This includes promotional materials and displays, and (the signs) are strategically placed to encourage last-minute purchases,” shared Yasirah Yusoff, a POP writer with Don Don Donki for two years. “The meaning behind having handwritten POPs is they are like love letters to our customers through our own creativity,” said the 27-year-old, who’s stationed at the Paya Lebar Quarter (PLQ) Mall outlet.
Senior POP writer at the Orchard Central outlet Brenda Chan added that most customers “don’t know the signs are done backend”, specifically at an artist workspace within each Don Don Donki store. “Maybe they think it’s done in Japan. They don’t know that Singapore has such a team.
” 90 PER CENT OF SIGNS ARE HAND-DRAWN With a team of 17 POP writers, most being Singaporean, every Don Don Donki outlet has at least one in-store writer. Every writer is both art director and copywriter. They are responsible for their entire outlet’s signage, from deciding which products to beautify or promote with a quirky call-out, to conceptualising and drawing the final design, and even coming up with all the catchy phrases.
Importantly, “about 90 per cent of the display signs are hand-drawn”, highlighted Brenda, who has worked at Don Don Donki for almost six years. “Everybody thinks the signs are done digitally.” You read that right.
They still work mainly with markers and paper. And no, the insane pressure of getting a sign right on the first try doesn't faze them. Still, to make sure less unfinished work is wasted, each new hire undergoes three months of one-to-one training with a senior POP writer at the start.
During this time, “we use rough paper and markers and we train them from the numbers, then letters, and bubble letters,” added Brenda. “And we teach them when to use Photoshop – and when not to use Photoshop.” As most of the signs “must” be handwritten, Photoshop is used for price tags, for example.
Even then, only minimally. “We draw the bubble letters onto A4 paper then scan it into Photoshop and assemble it,” she said. Likewise for signs A3 and bigger, while writers draw entire designs by hand, they may use Photoshop to enhance the colours before sending it to print.
10 TO 30 SIGNS PER DAY Bigger signs usually include Don Don Donki's official mascots – Donpen and Donko, the blue and pink penguin respectively – often found in the most amusing depictions for the most ordinary products. Like an exhilarated Donpen with a cabbage wrapped around its head leaping into thin air to promote, you guessed it, cabbage rolls. Or a grinning, toothy Donpen alongside block letters “GREAT TEETH MEANS GREATER CONFIDENCE~!!” that almost convinced me I needed the whole rack of toothbrushes.
Generally, the lesser-known pink Donko is used for non-food products, like those under the health and beauty aisles, even though there are exceptions, like having Donpen promote men’s socks. And I swear I remember once seeing Donpen in luscious, Rapunzel-type locks promoting a shampoo or conditioner. Donko is also featured more prominently at a recently revamped corner in the Orchard Central outlet in collaboration with Japanese company Sanrio, home to Hello Kitty.
“Because Donko is more girlish, the colour choices we use are more on the pastel, pinky side, which match the theme of Sanrio. But Donko is actually very low-key compared to Donpen. She has more of the mystery, shy vibe,” Brenda advised, inadvertently answering one of life's greatest mysteries.
Specifically, why dear Donko only has a single-line description on Don Don Donki's website – “mostly shrouded by a veil of mystery” – while Donpen, her presumably male counterpart, gets an extensive writeup. On the other hand, what would be considered a “simpler sign” by POP writers is typically A6 with just text: The product name, pricing and a “catchphrase” to promote the item. An easier sign takes at most 30 minutes to complete, while a sign that’s A4 or bigger that could be “more complicated or a shout-out for a new product” takes anywhere from an hour to half-a-day, as the signs have to be designed “according to a theme”, shared Brenda.
For example, the PLQ Mall outlet is train-themed, while the Jewel Changi outlet is airport-themed and Tiong Bahru’s outlet follows a “rustic, vintage vibe”. While each outlet’s overall theme is approved by Don Don Donki’s upper management, each POP writer has free reign to design their store’s daily signage, including non-POP signs like information stickers on chiller doors or at the check-out counters. T his autonomy is crucial, as every writer is expected to complete “10 to 30 signs per day”, depending on the size of the signs, Brenda said.
“We are trained to do things fast. And our requests can be quite high in demand, so we try to be as quick as possible.” The retail organisation’s “very fast pace” means the ideal Don Don Donki POP writer must be self-motivated and independent, “because we don’t work as a team in one office”, she added, pointing out the qualities she looks for when hiring.
“We’re all in separate stores. So you need to know: What should I do for myself and what should I do today, and how should I get the quality and quantity out at the same time?” POP writers are expected to be “adaptable to how often we change the display”, added Brenda. There is no fixed duration for how long a sign needs to remain up.
The change depends on various factors, such as observing which items customers gravitate towards when they enter a store and collaborating with staff on the ground to “see what signs can attract people to the item”. FROM IDEATION TO CREATION Ideas for a new sign can also come from anyone and for, quite literally, anything. “The brainstorming starts from any department of the store.
And it can be for any product, whether it’s food or non-food item. They’ll tell us they want to promote this product, then we’ll think of a catchphrase to catch the customer’s point-of-view – like something Singlish,” said Yasirah, adding that Don Don Donki’s staff have to fill in a “request form” for new signs. “Mostly (signs are created) upon requests to create awareness of hidden gems, or even to boost sales of low-selling products.
” After the POP writer receives a request, they begin research on the product and pen their own description, summarising the product’s key features and benefits in short, punchy sentences, Yasirah added. And yes, they do sometimes “run out of ideas”. When this happens, they may turn to signage from other outlets for inspiration or ask others in the team about their design methods, she said.
But ultimately getting unstuck from a creative rut boils down to the curiosity each POP writer is expected to have. She recalled that when she first started the job at the Downtown East outlet, her designs were “very simple” and she constantly sought new ways to improve them. “One thing we look out for (in POP writers) is personality.
Of course, all of us come from an art background. Maybe it could be graphics or animation. But what stands out for me is how fun and curious they are,” added Brenda.
If they come with their own Donpen and Donko illustrations, she is instantly impressed. “Every POP writer in our team is unique. Sometimes, their personality traits come out in the work.
For example, even though (my mentee) is quiet and dainty, her work brings out her character – very cool, very mysterious Donko vibes – whereas for me, it’s a wild (vibe), I like adventure.” To sell a peculiar handbag that looked like an actual fish, Brenda once designed “rusty signs” reminiscent of a Japanese fish market to attract customers, while highlighting that the statement piece was “fantastic fashion”. And she saw immediate results – after putting up her signs, “there was an uncle who grabbed one bag and went to pay”, she recalled laughing.
Aside from store requests, POP writers can also choose to promote the products they personally enjoy, or those which they know are popular in other countries but less so in Singapore, said Brenda, reiterating that they are mostly free to design whatever they want. "Of course there are some restrictions, like the do’s and don’t’s. Like colour choices used – food and non-food colours.
Non-food signs can use whatever colours we want. But for food, we have standard base colours like green, neutral tones, yellow, orange,” she explained. “And we can’t use anything that’s copyrighted, like Mickey Mouse ears, or draw anything that’s more R-rated.
” Indeed, a sign promoting juicy peaches once had to be removed after a customer complaint...
because the sign showed Donpen with, well, a juicy booty. PRIDE AND SATISFACTION If that’s not the most unexpected anecdote, Don Don Donki also sees the occasional “POP theft”, Brenda quipped. “Like (we wonder) where does the POP sign disappear to? (Maybe) our work really shouts out to customers that they want to take it,” she said with a laugh.
Admittedly, it sounds like both a hassle and an honour when that happens, but I'm sure there are better ways to show appreciation. "When a visitor comes to our store and takes a picture of our POP signage and posts it on social media, we just feel very proud. It’s the satisfaction that we have.
" After all, POP signs are the "DNA of Donki", she believes. "It’s like the mascot in a way. It’s our store brand.
It’s what makes us unique and it’s our identity." Yasirah also enjoys seeing customers stop in their tracks to read aloud the description on the posters she designed. “Through reading these signs, we're helping customers remember the product.
So when they see the product, they already know how it’s going to be and can visualise using it. And the next time they come to the store, they know they should read the description (on other signs) again,” she said. In particular, customers are tickled by signs when they can relate to the Donpen and Donko drawn, Brenda has noticed.
She recalled a customer’s exceptionally enthusiastic reaction to seeing Donpen, drawn with long nose hair, promoting a nose hair trimmer. “Even though Don Don Donki always seems to customers like it’s very messy, all over the place, like a maze, we hope that with our POP, they will really look through one product at a time,” she added. “From a store that’s very empty and has nothing, to a store that’s full of products on the gondola with our signage.
.. it’s just so satisfying how the POP beautifies the stores.
” But it's not just about beauty, in my view as a Don Don Donki regular. The intentionally hand-drawn signs, each a tangible piece of carefully crafted art, ultimately retain something core to the retail experience that's been lost to the efficiency of e-commerce: Fun..
