Where’s Gut favours “human-centric” design (despite being named after its studio cat)

The creative force behind Where’s Gut studio is Magdalene Wong, a designer with a rampant curiosity. Though Magdalene would be nowhere without her trusty sidekick Gut – the studio cat who’s not only got a staff bio on Where’s Gut’s website, but also gives her name to the creative outfit. This unconventional approach to staffing is mirrored in the work Where’s Gut does – working across identities, print, and packaging design, Magdalene enjoys taking on a variety of projects, collaborating with different people and bridging gaps between mediums.

In one project, the studio used the tomato plant as inspiration for a card and angpow (red envelope) set, using Chinese embroidery aesthetics alongside contemporary illustrative shapes. Chinese culture, philosophies and symbols serve as a great influence to Magdalene, a fact she owes to her “culturally diverse upbringing”.

At the heart of Where’s Gut’s personal projects is a “human-centric” approach, investigating topics that dictate a sustainable future, such as mental wellbeing, urbanisation, animal rights, multiculturalism and environmental preservation. In 2021 Magdalene produced a typographic zine that explored the impact of Covid-19 on mental health, created with surveys and conversations in collaboration with the rest of the Where’s Gut studio.