Spoon Creative, located along Tanjong Pagar Road, is a design house that does ad and creative work across a variety of media - the description on its Website states that it "provides integrated solutions for print, motion, and digital media". The agency's range of work encompasses new economy-type media work such as Web site design, motion design and graphics as well as more traditional work like print ads, design, publishing and TVCs.

Founded in 2000 by Creative Director Kevin Lee and Senior Designer Mariani Manja, the agency now has a staff strength of 11. Marketing Director Felix Fong was roped in soon after to help with business development and promotion initiatives.

And they've come far in the one odd year since the agency was founded – their present client list runs across a whole gamut of businesses. Some of Spoon's customers include TCS Channel 5, the former Sportscity channel (now City TV), SingTel, outdoor channel TV Mobile, Hong Kong-based alternative lifestyle Web site Fridae.com, photographic production house Stone Camera Management and youth lifestyle brand Hotrockit.TV, which will be launching next month in the U.S.

Spoon also handles interactive initiatives for regional clients of Euro RSCG - in the partnership, Euro works on the more traditional-type promotions work. Both agencies have worked together on interactive consultation and development for clients such as Philips Asia, Dell Computers, Standard Chartered Bank, Volvo Asia and Ricola Asia.

So what sets Spoon apart from the rest of the pack? The guys count their wide range of experience as their main selling point. "All of us here at the agency are cross-trained," says Lee. "We've done both on- and off-line work before. We feel that with the contributing of views from different points, we're able to offer more value in the work we do."

"We're also more personal with our clients." He says. Lee feels that their passion and youth also contributes to their driving force.

The guys are pretty modest too. Sitting in on a presentation of some of their work was pretty impressive (read fast-cut-type MTV images, bright colours and bold typefaces and fonts for Web design work), but apparently this is just a taste of things to come.

And what of their views on the local ad industry, with the shadow of recession looming ominously? Lee holds an upbeat view. "We believe that the local creative industry as a whole is heading in the right direction," he says. "There are new prospects emerging all the time, and there's also new, homegrown blood which is doing a lot of good work."

"With a whole bunch of small hothouses opening nowadays, the market is getting to be quite saturated," adds Fong. "But it's good for the industry because the fierce competition will weed out the weaker companies." He feels that the agencies that are left can only add to the raising of the local ad and creative industry bar.

Taking a peak into Spoon's crystal ball reveals plans to work on marketing themselves as an agency at present, and later spreading their wings further beyond these shores. "We want to establish ourselves regionally, but still be able to work as a small, compact and agile team," says Lee. "And of course, we do want to be recognized for good work too."

Taking a peak into Spoon's crystal ball reveals plans to work on marketing themselves as an agency at present, and later spreading their wings further beyond these shores. "We want to establish ourselves regionally, but still be able to work as a small, compact and agile team,"

And now, the question that all of you are probably dying to ask - OK, I'll take the words right out of your mouth: "Why choose a name like Spoon?"

Lee laughs when posed this question. "We were just sitting around one day, feeling hungry, and trying to think of a name for the agency," he says. The guys decided that they would use the first word that popped into someone's head. Lee thought of the word 'spoon', no doubt thanks in large part to this hunger, and the rest, as they say, is history. But lest you go "Huh?" and scratch your head in bemusement, Lee qualifies, "We also decided to go with 'spoon' because it's short and sharp ... there's a sense of mystique to it."

No problem guys. Take the restaurants and eating places in Tanjong Pagar, add a sprinkling of diligence, and you'll never go hungry again.