Young design explorers gathered at PolyU Design for a jam-packed Taster Programme

The recent WHAT DESIGN? PolyU Taster Programme on 15 April 2023 welcomed a group of Form 4 to 5 secondary school students for a 1-day experience, fleeting but rammed with enlightening moments.   Served as a fun, social and creative outlet, the class of aspiring design explorers transformed into a 1-day university student at the world’s renowned design school, working alongside companions with similar passions. Creative ideas just keep flowing within the 30 mins intensive activity of the ‘Blow Water’ workshop as they came up with various human (and non-human) centered ideas, fascinating products as well as quirky catchphrases. These experience and knowledge learnt will continue to inspire thus encourage students to explore proactively!   Contact us at sdmktg@polyu.edu.hk if you would like to arrange design learning opportunities for secondary schools.

PolyU Design academic staff and student won merits from DigiCon6 ASIA Awards 2023

Teaching Fellow Step Cheung and Digital Media graduate Ho Tsz-ching won merits from DigiCon6 ASIA Awards 2023,  a prestigious digital content competition in Asia. The outstanding animation work by Step Cheung and Point Five Creations “Everywhere” won the Silver Award and That’s Entertainment—the award which does not guarantee a winner every year. Another exceptional winning animation project was Ho Tsz-ching’s “White”. The animated short film depicting a deer’s adventure won one of the Digital Creativity Awards.   This year, The 24th DigiCon6 ASIA Awards - Hong Kong attracted 79 applications. the Regional Gold Award, Silver Awards and Next Generation Award will be nominated to further compete for the highest awards in the Grand Final, which involved participation of 16 Asian countries/regions. Co-organized by The Hong Kong Digital Entertainment Association (HKDEA) and Tokyo Broadcasting System Television, Inc (TBS) for years, the award aims to identify and support potential creative talents in Hong Kong through promotions and recognition of their creative digital content.

PolyU Design to team with NVIDIA for the establishment of research centre on culture and art technology

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is collaborating with NVIDIA to establish a joint research center for the innovation of culture, art technology and interactive media with the goal of nurturing talents and conducting collaborative research. The School of Design of PolyU (PolyU Design) will team with NVIDIA for the establishment of CAT, which aims to become a leading research center in culture and art technology.   The joint Research Centre on Culture and Art Technology (CAT) is to be set up by PolyU and NVIDIA. It is NVIDIA’s leading global research center partnered with an education institution to facilitate art, design and media innovation.   Leveraging Hong Kong’s position in China’s Greater Bay Area (GBA) with vibrant art and creative activities, CAT intends to become the hub of culture and art technology research internationally, driving creative innovation in the art-tech field. This academia-industry collaboration combines the strengths of NVIDIA technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics and high-performance computing, and PolyU’s expertise in cross-disciplinary research and education, to promote and create impactful and creative research on art technology. CAT will provide a various training courses and sharing by NVIDIA for School of Design students and researchers to develop their technical skills and gain hands-on experience with state-of-the-art technologies, with the hardware and technical support from NVIDIA. Opportunities to connect and collaborate with industry professionals and experts from both PolyU and NVIDIA can be expected.   Prof. Henry DUH from PolyU Design and Dr Charles CHEUNG from NVIDIA AI Technology Center are appointed as  Co-Directors of the joint research centre to fosters knowledge exchange and potential industry partnerships, enhancing students' understanding of real-world challenges.    “PolyU always seeks for strong community engagement to produce timely and cutting-edge industry relevant research. By leveraging NVIDIA’s expertise in artificial intelligence, we will provide a collaborative platform for GBA culture groups and art communities to create new forms of arts,” said Prof. Henry DUH.

PolyU Design and Royal College of Art (UK) co-organised workshop on future shared autonomous vehicle experiences

On 23 April, the Research Centre for Future (Caring) Mobility (RC-FCM) of PolyU collaborated with the Intelligent Mobility Design Centre (IMDC) from the Royal College of Art (RCA) to hold the Co-creation Workshop, guiding design students to come up with joyful, inclusive and intuitive shared autonomous vehicle experiences in the context of 2040’s city.    Led by Prof. Stephen J. Wang, Director of Research Centre for Future (Caring) Mobility of PolyU, Dr. Cyriel Diels, Deputy Director of Intelligent Mobility Design Centre, RCA, Ms Herin Haramoto, Mr Yichen Shu, Research Associates of IMDC, and Ms Yaqi Zhang, PhD Student, SD, PolyU, the workshop was designed to allow students to freely explore the possibilities of building novel relationship between a person and an autonomous vehicle.    Prof Stephen J. Wang emphasised that “One of the key themes of the workshop was the importance of designing for human-vehicle interactions and user experience. this workshop was well aligned with our Research Center (RC-FCM)’s vision ‘to tackle on the ‘wicked’ real-world challenges such as the future caring in transportation, transit UX, communication and integration of personal information in mobility, automobile cybersecurity, and UX in emerging transport modes, and wellbeing aspects in connected and autonomous vehicles.’   Multifaceted exercises and activities including bodystorming, user-journey plotting, and design evaluation were involved in the workshop. Students were fully engaged in the thinking process, from brainstorming to performing their results from bodystorming.   The workshop is part of a research project co-conducted by PolyU and RCA entitled ‘Design for Autonomous Mobility’. Funded by AiDlab, the project aims to explore the experience of future autonomous vehicles, which are in the absence of steering wheels and pedals and will be driven by themselves. The workshop has provided a valuable platform for participants to share knowledge, exchange ideas, and collaborate on innovative design solutions for autonomous mobility. By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration between the two world-leading human-centred Research Centres, the workshop has evidenced how such international collaboration could drive forward new approaches to designing for autonomous mobility and create a more user-friendly and efficient transportation system for the future.    

Communication Design student won Gold Award at The Muse Creative Awards 2023

Our Communication Design student Jina Ham has won the Gold Award from The MUSE Creative Awards for her packaging design titled “ATMO: Inclusive Barrier for All” (Tutor: Clive Ng & Edmund Chan).     To identify its skincare features, ATMO conveys the efficacy of its serum series through visual patterns and colors based on the user perception tests. The function, orientation and usage instructions are encoded in the embossed graphics. Together with the vibrant colours, the brand welcomes everyone, including the visually impaired, to enjoy the wholesome consumption experience.    To learn more about the design and award: https://bit.ly/3LgZrjp

PolyU Design and Thammasat University signed Memorandum of Understanding on academic collaboration

  The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing ceremony to mark our renewed academic collaboration with Thammasat University (TU) was successfully held on 11 April 2023. Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Planning, Prof. Asan Suwanarit, and our Dean, Prof. Kun-Pyo Lee, signed the MOU, witnessed by Leader and faculty of TU's Design, Business & Technology Management (DBTM), Dr Archan Boonyanan, Dr Surapit Promsit, and Dr Jitiporn Wongwatcharapaiboon, and Innovative Business Design (IBD) programmes, Dr Sylvia Liu and Mr Benny Leong, joined by the visiting DBTM students, our IBD students and our alum who attended the exchange programme at TU back in 2020. "This is precisely what I wanted to see, Thai students getting to meet Hong Kong and other students from different nationalities through our collaboration," said Prof. Suwanarit. "We had a fruitful discussion with our partner institution and would like to extend the collaboration between DBTM and IBD to other programmes and levels," said Prof. Lee. The partnership will strengthen areas of collaboration in the exchange of knowledge, staff and students, and joint research and projects, aiming to nurture capable talent, transfer knowledge and steer research on topics relevant to the development of the "Belt and Road" area.

Associate Professor Brian Kwok's new book “Fading Neon Lights: An Archive of Hong Kong’s Visual Culture” is published

Our Associate Professor Brian Kwok’s new book “Fading Neon Lights: An Archive of Hong Kong’s Visual Culture” is published both in print and e-book versions.  The book is available for purchase online for a more detailed view of the collection of neon signs and the insights behind them. Click here: https://bit.ly/40mhcTw //Suspended above us with intricate patterns and flamboyant colours, the neon signs of Hong Kong easily guide us to local businesses, Chinese restaurants, bars, and department stores. Apart from marketing and advertising, these neon signs actually convey much more — and mean much more to those who view the signs as a part of their home. This book documents Hong Kong’s neon signs whilst taking on a historical, socio-cultural, and contextual study of visual culture around the city. It explores the inter-related components of neon signs, including each sign’s unique visual aesthetic and design, the history of craftsmanship and training, and how the streetscape relates to Hong Kong’s consumer culture. With an underlying theme of photographic conservation and an array of vibrant images, the author brings the everyday signage of Hong Kong to life.//  

Call for Nomination: PolyU Design Outstanding Alumni Awards 2023

  The PolyU Design Outstanding Alumni Awards aim to give recognition to outstanding graduates of PolyU Design for their professional achievements, active support to their alma mater, as well as impactful contributions to the wider community.  Since 2022, achievement categories have been established to celebrate considerable accomplishments of our alumni in specific areas included: Four award categories Professional achievement Entrepreneurial achievement Scholarly achievement Community service achievement Recognition is now also given to outstanding young alumni. Nominees under the age of 40* will be eligible for the Outstanding Young Alumni Award. (*Any nominees aged 40 or below on 31 December 2023.) All awardees may be further nominated by the School for the Outstanding PolyU Alumni Awards in July 2023, an overall selection of nominees among all other PolyU faculties/schools.   Tentative Nomination and Selection Schedule      Nomination Period: from 1 April 2023 to 30 April 2023 (Deadline: 30 April 2023, 11:59pm HKT)     Judging: late May 2023 (Tentative)     Result Announcement: June 2023 (Tentative)     Award Presentation: June 2023 (Tentative)   Eligibility The nominated candidate must be a graduate who has successfully completed full-time or part-time programme offered by PolyU School of Design (or the design department of forerunners: Hong Kong Government Trade School, Hong Kong Technical College, and Hong Kong Polytechnic) which led to academic award accredited by the respective Institution. The proposer can be a PolyU graduate, Honorary Graduate, University Fellow, PolyU staff, current PolyU Council and Court members and current Advisory Committee members. There is no limit to the number of nominations to be submitted by each proposer. However, the proposer cannot be the candidate himself/ herself.   Award Categories and Selection Criteria The selection is based on the nominee’s accomplishments in his/her personal achievements in the field, contributions to the community, and support and contributions to PolyU. The selection criteria for each category are listed below. Award Category Description Professional Achievement This category recognises alumni who have attained distinguished achievements, demonstrated exemplary leadership, and made a strong impact on their profession/ industry/ society. Entrepreneurial Achievement This category recognises alumni who have demonstrated outstanding innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as founded or advanced business or technology ventures with impact. Scholarly Achievement This category recognises alumni scholars who have made notable scholarly or research contributions in their disciplines, with proven track record and excellent reputation in the field. Community Service Achievement This category recognises alumni who have made impactful contributions to the communities, or demonstrated an extraordinary level of commitment, volunteerism and/or philanthropy for promoting the wellbeing of the communities. Special recognition to outstanding young alumni awardees is added. Candidates aged 40 or under at the award year can be considered for the Outstanding PolyU Young Alumni stream. Notes: The bestowal of the award shall be subject to the individual merits of the nomination. There may be no awardee for a category if no candidate is found suitable.   Panel of Judges  Panel of Judges will be formed to examine the nominations and assess candidates’ qualifications and performance for the awards.    Submission of Nomination  Nomination form: Online version | Word file version Here is a list of the items to prepare the necessary materials for the nomination form. 1. Candidate’s Personal Particulars: Educational Background, Professional Qualifications, Honour(s) and Award(s), Career History and Current Job information 2. Candidate’s Support and Contribution to PolyU in written format 3. Nomination for Award Categories: Professional Achievement/ Entrepreneurial Achievement/ Scholarly Achievement/ Community Service Achievement 4. Candidate’s Achievements/ Accomplishments in profession and industry/ entrepreneurship and technology venture/ scholarly research and impact/ community service and impact, in written format 5. A downloadable drive link included these files: - Candidate’s Professional Portfolio of 30 pages ( - Candidate’s passport photo - Photocopy of certificate(s), award(s), a portfolio and other supplementary documents, if any, with nomination form 6. Proposer’s Particulars and Signature for attestation   Enquiries School of Design Email: sd.aln@polyu.edu.hk Tel: +852 3400 8260

MScMET alumni's project received PolyU POC Funding Scheme 2022

The Master of Science in Multimedia and Entertainment Technology (*MScMET) programme alumni’s project “Codename: Apocalypse” has been awarded PolyU Student Entrepreneurial Proof-of-concept (POC) Funding Scheme 2022 and participated in INDIE Live Expo 2022 (an online broadcast event).  Codename: Apocalypse, a rogue-like deck-building game that combines role-playing and deck-building elements as one, won POC Fund 2022 for its innovative gameplay design. The Fund offered the production team HKD 5000 scholarship and the POC Bootcamp with Dedicated Team Coach.  POC Funding Scheme is one of the key entrepreneurship education components at PolyU aiming to instil a problem-driven innovation mindset into young talents through experiential learning and student-initiated research and development.   “The Fund offered us financial support and encouragement as well as the opportunity to get advice from professionals, which has helped us to consolidate our idea for improvements and further development. We really appreciate having the opportunity to participate in the POC Fund,” said Rank B, the production team.    In May 2022, Codename: Apocalypse entered INDIE Live Expo 2022—a biannual live digital showcase connecting global indie fans with more than 57.5 million views—to broadcast a 15-second promotion video of the creation to international audiences on an online live stream. The event was broadcasted in 3 languages (English, Chinese, and Japanese), featuring a large number of Indie games.  The gameplay project was launched as a game demo on itch.io in August 2022, providing a short version of the full game to deliver the core ideas to players. Although the team has not had a concrete plan to launch the full game by far, they will continue the developing progress and explore possibilities to launch the game in full.  “Game development will always be our passion despite the tough journey taken on,” said the team.    Apart from being a POC awardee, the project is also a semi-finalist of PolyU Micro Fund and is shortlisted at Cyberport Creative Micro Fund – Hong Kong Young Entrepreneur Programme.    (*MscMET offers four constantly adapting streams: Game Media; Media Design Psychology; Social, Mobile and Internet Media; and Media Art Technology.)    Team members of Rank B: Ronald Wu, Anthony Sze, Nicole Ho, Kenis Lee, Borease He Supervisors: Chou Ka Seng, Lam Wai Man Watch the game’s full trailer here. 

PolyU Design to invite non-design students to join the newly launched Toy Invention Programme

Have you dreamed of making a toy of your own? PolyU School of Design newly presents the Toy Invention Programme(TIP), which offers a multi-disciplinary learning experience, co-learning with design students, and industry toy design input. Partnered with leading global children’s entertainment company SPIN MASTER LTD, students will learn creative design skills and business processes of top invention from industry experts.  TIP is now open for non-design students to join the programme as a non-credit-bearing course. Year 2 or above full-time undergraduates with good communication and writing skills, who are good team players, proactive and open-minded are welcome.  The programme will be conducted in 2023/2024 Semesters 1 & 2. The application will be closed on 6 June 2023. And the first interview shortlist will be announced during the week of 10 June 2023.  For interested candidates, please submit your application by filling out the form.