Takon Product Development Limited
- HKGCC Membership No. :
- HKT0709
Exquisite Paper Art
People who say young Hongkongers are not as entrepreneurial as older generations have obviously never met Jerry Lee (right) and Joe Wong (left). The two buddies decided to set up their own business one year after graduating from university, and named their new venture Takon Product Development Limited in 2011.
They planned to sow their ideas and talents into their own brand POSTalk. While they had an abundance of enthusiasm and ideas, like so many start-ups, they lacked capital and business savvy. Initially, they worked as graphic designers and applied for subsidies to save enough capital to get their dream off the ground. Despite limited resources and manpower, they managed to produce some cool paper cut-out pop-up cards, which they tried to sell to boutiques and bookstores going from door to door.
The turning point for their business came when they participated in a tradeshow. Their products were spotted by HKTDC management, who invited them to display and sell the products in the HKTDC’s Design Gallery.
Lee said being given a platform to showcase and sell their designs enabled them to attract buyers from Mainland China, Taiwan and Japan.
“Our brand name, ‘POSTalk,’ is composed of ‘POST’ and ‘TALK,’ which allows people to share messages by posting our pop-up greeting cards around the world,” he added.
Exquisite and Innovative Paper Art
Although based on traditional Chinese paper crafts, which tend to be red and feature lucky words or festivals, Wong said their designs have reinterpreted this traditional paper art form using modern technology, ideas and local culture.
“We grew up in Hong Kong and think there are lots of daily elements that although common to us, are viewed as special in the eyes of others,” he said. “For example, we have produced a series of colourful pop-up greeting cards celebrating traditional Hong Kong elements and culture, such as the “Hong Kong Bamboo Theatre,” “Roast Goose” and “Door Gods.”
Diversifying Innovation
Lee believes that the only way to keep the business growing is to keep innovating and creating new products. So apart from its initial line, Lee and Wong experimented with various papers and material to come up with “Light Model.”
“While pop-up cards emphasize details of the craft, ‘Light Model’ helps to magnify all these details,” said Wong. The idea is simple, but effective. A micro USB light module is placed inside a paper model to project shadows which dance on the walls. The project further inspired them to work on installation designs measuring up to three meters.
“We think these will appeal to people holding exhibitions, or even as large art installation pieces in homes,” said Wong.
Tailor Made Gifts
Many companies struggle to find unique yet affordable gifts to give their clients and visitors, so the two entrepreneurs started offering tailor-made designs for corporations. They design and produce the gifts according to individuals’ needs to produce unique paper art gifts.
“It might be easy to just print a corporate logo on a memory stick or on a cup as a gift, but it doesn’t reflect the respect you have for your clients or how much you appreciate them. I believe people are always more touched when they receive our tailor made gifts, rather than some mass-produced premium item,” Lee said.
Made in Hong Kong
While many products that we buy are produced or assembled in Mainland factories, Lee and Wong insist on doing the final assembly in Hong Kong to make it a proud “Made in Hong Kong” brand. They collaborate with local work shelters and employ workers with disabilities to produce its range of products.
“The idea to cooperate with work shelters is to contribute to Hong Kong’s manufacturing legacy, and also give the opportunity to people who may be physically or mentally challenged in some way to use their abilities to earn a living,” Wong said.
Training workers with disabilities can sometimes take longer than factory workers, but Lee and Wong said it is heart-warming to see the sense of pride on the faces of the shelter workers’faces when they do the job well. More importantly, Wong added, “I want to prove that people with disabilities are perfectly able to make high quality premium gifts that can be sold internationally.”
Company: Takon Product Development Limited
HKGCC Membership No.: HKT0709
Established: 2011
Website: http://www.takon.hk
Telephone: (852) 3124 2707
