Match Chan, Jacky Yik | See the Design Essence from Scratch

Match Chan, from the KaCaMa Design Lab, the Ma in the team name derived from the first two letters of his English name. As a product designer, his style values sustainability, making him instantly compatible with our Centre. His team took a little over a years’ time to design a brand image for the Centre.

Match: From the first time I stepped in here, I could feel the potential of the Centre: it had potential, it had story, it had details—it’s just wasn’t yet clear and uniform enough.

This time we designed a series of signages. In the past when we designed for commercial organizations, price, speed and efficiency are inevitably the main areas of considerations. Yet this time the Centre gave us a lot of freedom, and I chose CLP Power’s retired electric poles as the base. It’s not actually cheaper, placing them in the outdoors also requires extra maintenance; but it truly connects the people, the architecture, and nature. For the signs to be long-lasting, metal is used to display the information. We especially used a matt finish for the metal, allowing visitors to comfortably read under the glare of the sun.

My favorite in the whole project is the orange signage at the fork of the road. It became my favorite as it was clear that after the change of signages, many hikers who didn’t notice the Centre before came to visit. Seeing them discuss about the herbs and birds, all the effort put in are worthwhile.

---

Jacky Yik is a friend of Match’s, invited to design the centre’s logo and image. To design for an organization jointly established by the government and a university is no easy job, full of bumps on the way, yet a product satisfying everyone was eventually produced.

Jacky: In the beginning I spent a lot of time observing the environment and brainstorming. I feel the architecture here blends in the natural environment very well, so I wanted to highlight the “harmony”, choosing colors that match the nature instead of designing something that stands out.

Lung Fu Shan is actually made up of two hills, which the logo visually presented. Each peak in the logo also resembles the word “human” in Chinese, the small loop between is where two people hold hands—representing the centre. The large circle outside represents the surrounding environment, showcasing the harmony between humans, hills, and the environment. This place has stood for over 100 years, I hope it stands for another century or more.

I also take a particular liking to the small signages in the garden. Tall people like me often find it difficult to bend down to read information in country parks. This card have a spring and people of all heights can easily read the information. It also does not take up much space. I hope everyone can feel the consideration gone in behind the designs.