Very Hong Kong Foundation Limited  

Design Brief

Very Hong Kong curates a broad spectrum of placemaking ventures, as it aspires to co-create a liveable and close knit community for all.   From 2022 to 2024, Very Hong Kong is launching the “Space+” programme in the New Territories, Kowloon, and Hong Kong Island. Part of this programme   is the Space+ Academy, which has a 9-week syllabus that equips participants with practical skills to realise placemaking projects within Hong Kong. Very Hong Kong welcomes NGO workers as participants and provides them with exposure to a wide range encompassing urban theory, hands-on mapping and site audit toolkits, and live fieldwork experience.

The students who participated in this design project were tasked with designing a board game for 12- to 18-year-olds that would allow players to acquire skills in observing public space users’ needs, develop a sense of empathy towards other community stakeholders, and collaborate to achieve an inclusive development outcome. The gamified design solution targeted people of a range of ages and occupations to familiarise them with the process of drafting their own placemaking proposals for an ideal community for local users.  

Design Outcome

The student creators designed a board game for 12- to 18-year-olds that involved designing gameplay (game mechanics, rules, and instructions), game pieces and components (communicative elements), packaging (for portability and ease of use), promotional materials (both online and offline), videos (for orientation, demonstration, and presentation purposes), and a production plan (choices of sourcing and fabrication details, such as costs and lead time).

In addition, the student creators designed a logo to create meaning and add value. The logo can be applied in different contexts or combined with other designs on various occasions for communication and promotional purposes.

Moreover, the student creators generated a product series that included character designs, character cards, card stands, character name cards, opportunity cards, the board (map), land-usage indicators, land-ownership pieces, tokens, building pieces, player panels, and a player facilitator panel. They also designed a box with a cover that held the whole game set, namely the game board, the game pieces and panels, and brief instructions.

Most of the design concepts generated by the student creators were licensed to Very Hong Kong Foundation Limited in 2024.

Participating Year 4 BA students include - 

/Communication Design
CHONG Ho Yan
LEUNG Cheuk Kei
SHING Hoi Li
TSUI Ching Man

/Environment and Interior Design
CHAN Wing
WONG Tsz Ching

/Product Design
CHOI Ho Sum Sam
TANG Chi Yin

/Social Design
CHOW Lai Ho
WONG Sin Sze
YIP Hiu Lam

/Project Tutor
Ho Yin FUNG, Visiting Lecturer, School of Design, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University