The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU)'s School of Design Annual Show was kicked off on 29 May at the InnoCentre. Officiating at the Opening Ceremony were Mr John Tsang Chun-wah, Financial Secretary of the HKSAR, Prof. Ko Jan-ming, Acting President of PolyU, and Prof. Lorraine Justice, Director of the School.
The Annual Show displayed the final year projects of the students from the School's Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Design, Higher Diploma in Multimedia Design and Technology, and Higher Diploma in Product Innovation Technologies, covering a range of specialisms including advertising, digital media, environment and interior, industrial and product, or visual communication design.
Speaking at the ceremony, Prof. Justice said, "The Show displays our students' creative works which demonstrate their innovation and passion for design. But modern design is no longer a one-way street. This year, we have selected 'Response' as the theme of the Show, emphasizing the importance of communication and interaction in the making of good design."
"We hope that the Annual Show will provide a platform for our students and industry partners, as well as members of the public, to interact with each other, share their views on design and give their response to make the world better by design."
The ceremony also saw the presentation of seven awards and scholarships, namely, award for the East Asian Games 2009 Poster Design Competition, Philips Design Talent Award, Steve Leung Travelling Scholarship, Hong Kong Interior Design Association (HKIDA) Scholarship for Best Environment & Interior Graduate, School of Design Alumni Association (SDAA) Zaha Hadid Scholarship, SDAA Alex Fung Scholarship and SDAA 2009 Outstanding Graduate.
After the Opening Ceremony, a special "Industry Sneak Peek" session was arranged for industry partners to appreciate the works of the design students, and to meet or interview the students on site. Sharing sessions were also held for practitioners to share their experience with the graduating students. Topics included "Future practices of designers" and "Alternative practices for design graduates".
12 selected projects were also highlighted as the "Best of Show" projects. Among them included the work of a student from the advertising discipline, Miss Kaki Lo. She has derived a great creative idea and managed an integrated and interactive advertising campaign about "Healthy Breakfast for Kids". With the facts that breakfast is an important meal and most kids are picky eaters, her message for kids in the campaign is: "Your nutritionally loaded Breakfast Sandwiches are just like Fearful Monsters. They bite you if you don't bite them first. So, fight them for it."
Other outstanding projects included "Kaleidoscopic Twist" - an image consulting centre by Miss Rachel Kwok; "Synerqi" - a Taoist health & well-being retreat by Miss Tracy Leung; "The Mixatales" - story scrabble talking dolls by Mr Lai Wai-lok; "Green Power" - fashion accessories design in green by Miss Stella Ng; "Closer" - a thematic advertising campaign for MTR by Miss Iris Luk; and projects in Visual Communication named "White Lie Stories" and "Transformation of Zero" by Miss Chan Wai-ying and Miss Lin Hiu-yin respectively.
Over 200 projects will be displayed at the Annual Show, which is free and open to members of the public. Details are as follows:
Dates and Hours:
29 May :
3.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m.
30 May - 13 June :
11.30 a.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mon - Sat)
11.30 a.m. - 7.00 p.m. (Sun)
Exhibition venue: InnoCentre (Ground Floor, 72 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong)
More information on the PolyU Design Annual Show can be found at http://www.sd.polyu.edu.hk/annualshow2009/
Being the sole provider of design education at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels in Hong Kong, the School of Design has been an important hub of design education and research since 1964. The School, ranked as one of the top design schools in Asia and in the world by BusinessWeek, is poised to play a key role in nurturing new generations of designers and driving the design industry in the region.
To further drive the development of Hong Kong as a design hub in Asia, and provide additional space to facilitate multidisciplinary collaboration, a new complex will be built on campus. The complex, tentatively named "Innovation Tower", will be the first permanent architectural work in Hong Kong of Ms Zaha Hadid, one of the most influential figures in the world of modern architecture. It is targeted for completion by mid 2012.
Famous designers who graduated from PolyU's School of Design include world-renowned fashion designer Ms Vivienne Tam, Oscar-winner and Supervising Animator for Shrek Mr Raman Hui, founder of international luxury jewellery brand Qeelin Mr Dennis Chan, designer of the Saab Aero-X concept car Mr Anthony Lo, and Partner of Kan & Lau Design Consultants Mr Freeman Lau, amongst others.
