Singa Numbers
Walking the city through its numbers and surfaces
In Singapore, disciplined grids and a deep culture of order shape the city. The urban landscape is often described as sterile. Too controlled. Too planned.
But if you walk the streets slowly and pay attention, different layers begin to appear. Small details start to speak. Among them, house and shop numbers stand out.
These numbers are more than just markers. They are part of a larger visual rhythm. You can see it unfold across walls, gates, tiles and signboards. They bring life to HDB blocks. They guide you through hawker centres. Some are quiet and standard. Others are bold, expressive or strange.
A few numbers even reflect the city’s multicultural layers. The influence of Peranakan design shows up in the colours, borders or tile work behind them. These touches add warmth and personality to the spaces they occupy.
Some numbers are painted by hand. Others are cut from vinyl. Some are fading. Some are crooked. All of them are part of the street.
As a visitor, I know I am only scratching the surface. But that process of looking, of noticing small design choices, is at the heart of my work with the Street Type Archive. Typography is never just about type. It is about people, history and place.
This collection of photographs are a way in. A way to begin seeing. A way to read the city not through its skyline but through the quiet signs on everyday walls.
Singapore is not sterile. You just have to look a little closer.
