Enrich Publishing, Kowloon, Hong Kong, 2012, Chinese
Nonfiction, Graphic Design
ISBN: 9789881680617

From posters that criticize cultural politics to branding and artworks faithful to his own beliefs, Freeman Lau devoted his creativity to the marketplace and society for over 30 years, winning more than 300 awards. His unconventional approaches have included reshaping the Watsons Water bottle, giving it a streamlined shape and making the lid a cup, which won him the Bottled Water World Design Award; he rebranded Chinese companies such as Wing Wah Mooncake and Li-Ning. His series of sculptural chairs, “Chairplay” is a reflection on the man-woman relationship and the accompanying power struggle. He also initiated a 12-year-long project asking designers and artists to reinterpret the traditional 12 signs of the zodiac using contemporary design techniques and materials, which is another example of applying creativity to industry.

CMYK is a record of how Freeman Lau’s design has evolved over the past 30 years and how design has transformed in Hong Kong during the period. It also describes how Freeman Lau, together with Xin Jiqiang and Gao Shaokang, have worked to push design culture forward in Asia. The title “CMYK,” which refers to the era of four-color printing in which Freeman Lau grew up (C, Cyan; M, Magenta; Y, Yellow; K, Black), has been given new meaning by Lau, who titles his chapters “C" for “Culture"; “M" for “Market"; “Y" for “Youth" and “K" for “Key" (the “creative core").

With an exciting future on the horizon, designers and practitioners will need to broaden their vision. As Freeman Lau says, design is not a way of expression, but also a way of thinking.

 

由批判文化政治的海報,到定位業品牌,再到忠於自己的藝術創作,劉小康三十年來忘我執著,以創意回應市場、時代和社會,獲奬逾三百項。他顛覆常規,將屈臣氏水瓶變

得流線形,將瓶蓋巧變成水杯,終獲「瓶裝水世界」全球設計大奬;他為榮華餅家、李寧等品牌「破舊立新」,成功重塑產品形象;他創出「椅子戲」藝術作品,反思男女和權力關係,更將「十二生肖」等藝術品變成產品,將創意銳變成文化產業。

《設入點》不但是劉小康創作變化的全紀錄,還展現香港設計業三十年來的變化與機遇,詳述劉小康如何與靳埭强、高少康等名設計師,聯手在亞洲推動傳承設計文化及人才的故事。

未來,將會是更令人激動的年代,設計人因而要想得更深、看得更遠。正如劉小康所言︰「設計不只是表達手後,更是思考方法,願這本書能讓你讀到這一點

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