Luo Songsong

    songsongluo@126.com

    AN octopus is swimming on the wall while hundreds of marine organisms crawl on a flat, white board. It’s not a scene from a horror movie, but a sculpture installation inspired by the prolific career of Hong Kong designer Tommy Li, who is holding a solo exhibition at OCT Art and Design Gallery.

    “The shape and form of the octopus varies from time to time and place to place. They are constantly changing every second, just like my career over the past 20 years,” said the acclaimed designer-turned-branding consultant at the exhibition’s opening ceremony Saturday.

    After graduating from Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Li tried his hand at various jobs. He was a columnist for a Japanese magazine, established the first magazine about original posters in Asia and started an Internet radio station called “radio dada” to share information about design, advertising, books, music and comics in 2008.

    Known for his black humor and audacious visual designs, Li founded his own design company two decades ago, which created a large number of classic works. Japanese best-selling design magazine “Agosto” once cited Li as a designer with the potential to impact the next generation in Hong Kong.

    Before his focus squarely shifted from posters to retail branding, Li used to be a prolific graphic designer in both Hong Kong and Japan. “Not many in the market had seen our posters. No matter how good our designs were, how many people were talking about them or how many awards we won, the designs had no influence on the market whatsoever,” said Li.

    For the past decade, Li has been striving to create successful retail brands so that people will notice the power of design with his more memorable projects, including those for Chow Sang Sang, Hang Seng Bank, Honeymoon Dessert, Shanghai Watch and more.

    Under his brand diagnosis, many enterprises create myths, and he insists that the designs are for commerce. “We are not artists, and we must think more about business. An idea should meet the needs of the customer,” Li said. “It is important to have a clear position as a designer. If he has a clear position and target, a lot of ideas will naturally be created.”

    “Designers should look forward,” says Li, who stresses the importance of contemporary design and expresses his reservations about nostalgic trends. “No matter how good your design is, if you stick to today’s standards, you will be left behind very soon. The world moves on.”

    Honeymoon Dessert established its first home-style shop in Sai Kung, Hong Kong in 1995. Initially, Li added a nostalgic feeling in the brand image and recently created “Sweet Monster” to enrich its uniqueness and add value to the brand. As a result, the brand has opened more than 400 shops in China and other Asian countries, creating a stunning business story in the industry. “Building a brand is not simply to design a visual or corporate image. A successful brand needs to know who their customers are and what they like,” said Li.

    The brand “Prosays’” stands for “Professional Says,” which targets professional and high-end customers. In order to stand out from numerous other cosmetic brands, Li intended to adopt an extraordinary color tone and unusual typography. He employed black humor on packaging by using stick insects that hide in branches to represent concealer products; for hydrating water, he used a dried octopus to reflect the importance of keeping the skin hydrated.

    “Style shouldn’t be the only pursuit of a designer when what is most essential is whether your clients and audience can benefit from your designs. A successful design should take both the market and your skills into consideration,” said Li.

    The exhibition comprehensively showcases and re-examines trademarks, brands, packages, posters, publications, advertisements and personal creations by Li over the last two decades in the hope of building a “visual dialogue” with the audience.

    Time: Until Feb. 28

    Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Closed Mondays

    Venue: OCT Art & Design Gallery, Shennan Boulevard, Nanshan District (南山区深南大道华·美术馆)

    Metro: Luobao Line, OCT Station (华侨城站), Exit C