The Art of Design
- 香港总商会会员编号 :
- HKA0620
The Art of Design
Samuel Yeung has a job which every young woman would envy: he spends two hours a day strolling around the streets and shopping malls of Hong Kong.
However, the Design Director of Archinno Design Studio never buys anything in his constant search for something priceless -- inspiration.
"My inspiration for design comes mainly from observation, not only from interior designs, but also from art and fashions in shops," he explained, as we walked into a little coffee shop in Causeway Bay for a chat.
A graduate in Electronic Engineering, Mr Yeung didn't learn much about art and design in university, but his passion for painting, music and photography led him to change his career path from engineering to interior design. "Design is a more practical way to present art," he said.
He started out as a freelance interior designer doing ad hoc projects, and then set up his own company, Archinno Design Studio Ltd, in 2006. Over the years, he has developed his own philosophy on interior design: "simple and special, harmonious and human." He believes that as space is where people communicate, interior design should facilitate this purpose.
"I think interior design is basically the design of space. The designer's mission is to make the space more comfortable," Mr Yeung said. "For example, we spend at least eight hours every day in the office. If the design provides a harmonious and pleasant environment in which to work, then employees would feel comfortable and enjoy their work."
Moreover, he believes that good design will not only enhance communication within an organization, but also help to build and improve a company's brand. "Offices, shops and restaurants are places where you meet your customers. The message that you are trying to deliver to them is reflected and transmitted through the atmosphere created by its interior design," he explained.
He cited a project that he undertook for Sakae Sushi, a Singapore-based Japanese restaurant, as an example. As part of the design brief, the company also wanted to position itself as an upmarket restaurant to build the company's brand. Sakae Sushi decided to open in Wanchai, and aimed to attract high-end customers. A customer survey by Archinno, however, showed that diners did not expect to spend much when eating out in Wanchai. To appeal to the restaurant's targeted demographics, Mr Yeung "packaged" the restaurant by carefully choosing the colour scheme and materials.
He explained that psychologically, the darker the tone, the more sophisticated atmosphere it creates. So he designed dark tables and seats with white cushions to create a strong contrast. The ambiance turned out to be in tune with the restaurant's target cliental and helped to build its brand.
Another example was a design that Mr Yeung was commissioned to do for an IT company in Guangzhou, which wanted to have a modern, cyber-look. By using elements from science and mathematics, he was able to portray the company's high-tech and creative nature.
"Software developers quite like that design," Mr Yeung said. "They say it inspires their imagination and innovation."
However, delivering a winning design is not easy. Mr Yeung said he has to try and understand a client's requirements and also study their customers. This can be difficult because people do not always clearly know what they want, or what is actually best for their organization.
"You have to digest their requirements, which you then have to blend with your own creativity, and present them a few options to choose from," he said. "If a client rejects my proposals, I would just walk away, because I don't want to compromise my design philosophy and style."
Hong Kong, in Mr Yeung's opinion, is not the ideal place for designers to be creative. "I think that's because the pace of life in Hong Kong is too fast. People don't have the time or patience to wait for a special and intricate design, so they tend to turn to fast, general designs, which is a pity," he said. "In the Mainland, however, people are more open to new ideas. They are actually quite diversified culturally and want innovative designs."
"I am confident that the Mainland market possesses huge demand," Mr Yeung said as he bid me farewell. "Well, I am not going back to my office. I will just have a walk down the street to get some fresh ideas. Bye!"
