The Hong Kong Design Centre is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a series of celebratory events under the theme of “Designing and Building Sustainable Communities.” The “Design Spectrum” is currently hosting the “常行” Design Exhibition at the Central Street Market, showcasing over 50 design exhibits that can be seen in everyday life, including publications, posters, clothing, and signage, allowing everyone to rediscover the various design aesthetics in the city.
More than 50 design projects are showcased in this exhibition, with the majority coming from Hong Kong. They span across generations and spaces, catering to different social classes. Whether it’s the various street signs, neon lights, promotional posters seen on the streets, or meticulously designed books, clothing, and lifestyle accessories, they all showcase the intangible value behind design. Here are some selected highlights of the exhibition for everyone to enjoy!
“Hong Kong’s Legacy of Beauty: A Record of Old Shops in Hong Kong”
“The design of the book ‘Hong Kong’s Legacy – Records of Old Shops’ goes beyond just the layout of images and text, typefaces, and color schemes. The Die-Cut of the old shop shutters, the intentionally ‘half-naked’ book spines of the bound books, and various printing techniques all reflect the nostalgic sentiment of ‘legacy beauty,’ allowing readers to immerse themselves in the world of the author and designer’s legacy beauty.”
Author Lin Xiaomin is a local history enthusiast. During the period from 2020 to 2021, she personally visited 25 old shops in Hong Kong to interview and document the stories of the craftsmen, capturing the history through words and photography.
“Urban Typography Studies”
The city of Hong Kong hides an endless number of fonts, like tiny insects silently residing in a corner, using their unique beauty to tell stories that may soon disappear.
“Urban Typography Study” captures the traces of fonts through daily observations on the streets, documenting and sharing them on social media. With a simple desire to pass on the essence of typography, the process of collecting fonts has led to a realization of the diversity of the world.
Poster exhibition
The poster exhibition has selected 21 poster works from 12 different generations of senior Hong Kong designers, which are displayed in the “常行” exhibition. They span from the 1970s to the millennium, showcasing the designers’ unique insights, with design themes including responses to pollution, resource scarcity, and other social issues. In the second part of the exhibition at PMQ, the new generation of designers will join in and showcase their poster works, witnessing how the seeds of the past continue to grow and spread.
“Tree Bark Bookend”
Tree Bark Bookend is a new attempt that prioritizes materials and production processes, challenging the traditional user-centered design approach. The bookend design uses discarded wood by-products – tree bark – as a base, creating a clever and aesthetically pleasing wooden book stand that allows people to see the beauty of recycling from a different perspective.
“Redress Design Competition”
“Redress Design Competition” is the world’s largest sustainable fashion design competition, delving into sustainable discussions and practices. Prior to the competition, designers are educated on the environmental impact of fashion and encouraged to use core sustainable design techniques such as zero waste, upcycling, and reconstruction to reduce fashion waste.
In addition to sustainable propositions, designers also need to showcase their creativity, originality, and beliefs in the competition, with the hope of leading the fashion industry into a healthy cycle.
After the first part of the exhibition is displayed in Central Street Market, it will move to PMQ. Everyone remember to seize the opportunity to come and visit!
“常行” Exhibition Part 1
Date: From now until December 12th
Time: 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM
Location: Ground floor event space at Central Street Market
“常行” Exhibition Part 2
Date: December 15, 2022 to January 29, 2023
Time: 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM
Location: PMQ, Central, HG10-HG12 & HG19
Image source and learn more: “Design Spectrum”
