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S'porean man on reservist, 40, redesigns Nee Soon Camp canteen stall sign for free
The sign had been deteriorating over the years, and Loo thought he needed to do something about it.
November 15, 2025, 04:50 PM
During his reservist training at Nee Soon Camp in late September, 40-year-old Loo Yong Ping decided to embark on a creative project to refresh the signage of one of its canteen stalls for free.
Loo, who has been in advertising for over 10 years, is currently an executive creative director at TBWA Singapore.
"It's an occupational hazard to notice good and poor design all around me," he told Mothership.
He had participated in several in-camp trainings (ICTs) at Nee Soon Camp over the years, and had seen the sign of its snacks and drinks stall gradually fade and deteriorate each time.
"Rather than just thinking about it and sitting on it, I told myself that I needed to do something about it," he said.
It also felt fitting to help the stall owners out, as they have been running a canteen stall in Singapore Armed Forces camps since 1985, the year Loo was born.
Creating the design
Before Loo began any work, he approached one of the stall owners and asked if she was open to having a new signage.
Once he got her approval, he squeezed in some time over the weekend and spent some late nights coming up with a few designs.
To get ideas, he looked at the types of food and drinks the stall served, the age and heritage of the business, as well as the canteen environment, and ultimately decided on a Peranakan style with a green colour scheme.
"The colour combination should age nicely for the stall, and the green also matches the colour of the SAF uniform," Loo explained.
As the stall did not have an existing name, Loo gave it one for his new sign: "Kopi & Snacks".
Over coffee, he showed Teo his draft design options and got her support to go ahead and finalise the design.
A rewarding experience
While the design was done by Loo, the installation of the new sign was a team effort.
Initially, two officers offered to help, and others subsequently chipped in as well.
The entire project ended up costing several hundred dollars, Loo said, but he and his fellow officers willingly paid out of their own pockets.
"We were prepared to spend more," he said.
Their efforts brought smiles to the stall owners and other officers.
"They were very surprised, delighted, and happy that somebody actually took notice and bothered to take action," Loo said. "Especially for something seemingly unimportant for most."
He also earned praise online for the kind and thoughtful gesture after he shared a video about the project on his Instagram.
Rewarding experience
For Loo, the experience reaffirmed his belief that if one wanted something done, they had to do it themselves.
"I had to sacrifice some late nights, which was tiring as we had long hours daily while on ICT, but this was a truly rewarding experience," he said.
As it was possibly his last official ICT at Nee Soon Camp, he was glad to know he has left something meaningful behind.
"I also believe National Service is more than just wearing green," he added. "It’s about giving back to fellow Singaporeans in service or other possible means."
Top images from Loo
