SCAD Industrial Design Hong Kong’s blog

Understanding the process…

Waking up to catch the 9:30am bus, we met with Cathy, our translator/guide. She sweetly checked to make sure we were all on the bus and we sped away. Some highway traveling exposed open rice fields to our left and right with draped huts over fences and trees. All the open land reminded me a bit of the corn fields close to Waterville, Ohio, where I grew up. Knowing that they were providing the produce some were surviving on, my appreciate for their humble lifestyle was sustained.

Professor Fossick told us stories about last year’s trip and their traveling time to factories as well as all of the circles that they went in trying to find them. The Chinese city changes very often, new buildings go up but street signs may not making it very hard to navigate. We began to understand when within the first 5 minutes we  had to turn around. Tom Gattis noticed that Cathy pulled out the GPS and mentioned that she was prepared reciting the boyscout’s motto with the greatest of ease. The hills grew thicker as we traveled on and more cyclists emerged commuting to their daily destinations.

After turning around at one factory, we reversed into the plant’s parking lot across the street arriving at Golden Power Rubber Products LTD. The reality of China has hit; The smells, the sounds, the people, the imagery and the today the raw manufacturing. We headed upstairs to take a tour of their warehouse to learn a little bit about their process.

Silicone rubber arrives in blocks. They mix in the color and the catalysts rolling it to remove all of the air bubbles over and over again with the worker’s nimble hands. It was a shock to see how small the work force was, and since I have no personal experience I compared it to what I’d seen on TV. These factories were nothing like that. Inside and outside were both sweltering and humid. We relocated back onto the bus following Sashi (owner) and Brian (design manager) of Casemate to the Shenzhen Daidea Precise Revertex Company. We reviewed some hand soldering and assembly lights for toys. Mouses and accessories for small computers were main products. There were seldom smiles but many curious faces and the man who took us around mentioned that he hired more women than men because they make less trouble and are better with handling smaller parts. With the economic downturn effecting the global marketplace they’ve had to shift from 300 to 150 workers by creating and dayshift and a nightshift. They still put out a large production.

Next we had a short trip to DAIDEA Design for Life! They use a similar design process as we do, with making a drawing and then moving that to 3D to analyze if it could actually be produced for the market or not. The molds that they make including the mold trial takes 30 days. Then they are ready for plastic injection and then off to the assembly line. The material and mixture of plastic being put into a specific mold defines the strength and final perception of the quality and durability of the final product. All assembly is done by hand and machine. When designing you have to think about every component being produced as well as the way it needs to be assembled as well as how much it needs to cost. Color is not added at this particular factory. It is sent off to be painted somewhere else with a particular finish and texture.

We arrived back at the Goodview Hotel all ready for a nap, or a workout. The Goodview provides a large amount of activities whether it be a spa treatment, sports facilities or exploration of the surrounding area, there’s always something to do! I look at it as a community, with a gated entry way with multiple buildings, well groomed with unified architecture and design language. Tommi, Nour, Alex, Adam Green and I headed down to go lift and run and then take a swim. Lauren scheduled a spa treatment and Heather went exploring, barefoot of course! Later the others met us at the pools- my favorite part of the Goodview! We had options of which body of water we wanted to enjoy-

There was a lap pool for keeping cool
And of course I went in there- don’t be a fool!
One you could wade waist deep in
Where little fishies would nibble off your dead skin (seriously
A warm one to sit in the bubbles and play
It seems we’d stay in there all night and day
With jets and streams to massage our body
We lounged around singing ladee dadee!
Such an experience like never before
We hopped in to bed and closed our doors.

Stay tuned!

Lizzie Harr, senior ID student

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Across the border

The class packs the night before. We were at the lobby at the Salisbury at 9:30am ready to embark on a journey to the mainland. After last minute check-outs, coffee and currency exchange we head to the subway to leave Hong Kong. Fossick reminds the class of all the precautions we need to mind after crossing the border in to China. After a long train ride on the MTR we finally make it. Paperwork, passports and forms must be ready to go for customs. After the second checkpoint one member of the group is pulled aside, ME! I had an abnormally high temperature. I am taken into a room with Tom Gattis close behind (thank goodness), all five people in that room were wearing surgical masks and gloves. I was immediately handed a mask and told to take a seat. A woman approached me and carefully puts on a set of rubber gloves. I was getting nervous. She picks up the thermometer and immediately I seem to fear the worst. Fortunately she asks me to lift up my arms and she puts it under one of them. After a few minutes my temp drops and I’m thankfully let go. I am released! I kept the mask as a souvenir. Everyone makes it across the border in one piece and almost instantly we begin to feel the difference between Hong Kong and China.

First off it’s at least 15 degrees hotter. Secondly, very very few people speak English which makes it much harder to communicate. We notice that we are also getting a lot more looks than ordinary. It’s the first time a lot of us are foreigners in such a different country. After a 15 minute walk from the checkpoint, we stop at Shangri La Hotel to wait for our buses. Our destination is the Goodview Hotel in Shenzhen. The hotel is huge with beautiful marble everywhere. We’re so happy we all made it safely, and congratulate ourselves for a successful travel with a huge celebration splash in one of the many pools.

Rising with our luggage on the MTR
We all wished we had AC in that car
Lauren got a sweltering bug bite (she’s fine)
And that was not our only fright
Mike had a temp and got taken away
We thought we’d be quarantined for days and days
Luckily that was not the case
There was a huge sign of relief on his face
Passing over the China border
A nice hotel took our lunch order (barely)
The fast cab drivers took a que
So we quickly found our way to the fancy Goodview!

Stay tuned!

Michael Slabon, senior ID student

Lizzie Harr, senior ID student

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ahhh….Sunday!

Ahh Sunday.  The day of rest.  Us students spent the night and early morning out on the town; meeting up with Ish, Jesse and their crew.  After a long night, a nice long sleep and a late breakfast, we decide to embark on a journey to the beach.  We take a mini bus from the Heng Fa Chuen MTR Station to get there for a white knuckle ride along the windy coast of HK to a small sea side community at Shek O beach.  Almost immediately upon arrival we got a feeling of belonging.  There is a sense of familiarity in this place, like a village in the Cape, or in neighborhood at Tybee.  The locals are a bunch of nice, friendly, laid back beach-goers.  We walk through the narrow streets, stopping at a local store for a cold drink.  After a little distance is traveled, we arrive at the coast.  The balcony of stone we stand upon overlooks a jagged coast of rocky shores, mountainous hills, small beaches, and a giant rock island out cropping the inlet shore.  We venture down a long staircase towards a small bridge that spans over a field of large rocks.  Once on the other side, we begin our hike up a long windy path.  Leading to the peak of the giant cluster of mountainous boulders.

The day we spent with our former classmates was priceless and much needed after 6 weeks of work and a full week of visits to some of the top design companies in the world.

With water shooting up off the steep rock
The aerial view stunned us with fantastic shocks
Sea splashed gently up our sides
We rode waves in on rolling tides
Holding our breath we made memories dear
Wishing we could all have our families near
We played on the beach with a soccer ball
The beauty of nature encompassed us all
On this special day we dedicate to our mother
We’re thinking of you and taking care of each other
So please smile for we’ll call you soon
Maybe during your morning and our afternoon!

Happy Mother’s Day and stay tuned!

Michael Slabon, senior ID student

Lizzie Harr, senior ID student

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Being a tourist

Waking up this Saturday, I literally popped out of bed. With some good rest last night, I was ready and excited to see the new SCAD Hong Kong building for the first time. We would be the very first students to walk on the potential space for SCAD HK’s new campus. Prepared and ready to go we filed into a line on our mini-bus. Bobbing along the landscape skipped across as reflections on our windows. We quickly climbed up and down the hills of Tsim Sha Tsui. “Just look at that,” I exclaimed at the height of the old magistracy building that could be SCAD’s new home in North Kowloon. It stood tall with blue tiled adorned windows that matched in their length. I spoke to my roommates tonight, Lauren and Heather, and we agreed that the building looked very SCAD and we’re surprised and delighted at how large it is for an international campus. Although we weren’t able to venture inside, we still got to run up the front steps to see the giant front doors. The entrance was massive with a heavy bolted frame. We took a lot of group photos capturing our smiles and excitement in our eyes for future generations passing through SCAD.

We then continued on to visit a phenomenal old wonder, the Ten Hau temple.

The courtyard garden was filled with prayer
And incense floating in the air
Most famous in Kowloon and Hong Kong for over 100 year
The tranquility and silence could have brought tears
This temple is managed by Tung Wah hospitals
And donations for poverty that may take falls
We lit our incense and stuck in the dishes
We all left happy after making good wishes

Piled back onto the bus, we headed for a very short trip to see the golden statue of the Bauhinia flower. Once again- the flower of HK. Filled with tourists we knew we were in the right place, it sparkled in the heat of the sun almost blinding with it’s beauty. Wonderful yet brief, we traveled on to the Peak.

Our mini-bus chugged away up the mountain. Victoria Peak supplied us with a Burger King dinner, and I must say that’s the first $45 whopper I’ve ever bought. The tram station had a look out roof, and multiple balconies. Showing off the beautiful city below us and the mountains in the distance. We disbursed exploring the peak and it’s several viewing locations. Taking photos again and dreaming that we could stay forever. reunited as a group, we made our plans for the rest of the day. Some stayed and some left. I took the tram down with the girls to experience the wondrous down hill rush. There were sky-view windows built into the roof, which accentuated the height of the buildings as we arrived closer to the city.

Hopping in a cab, we decided to head back up to the other side of the city to Stanley Market to finish some shopping. Meeting the rest of the class there, we grabbed some grub and then headed home to freshen up. The cab driver we hailed was definitely ready to rock and roll. Turning around in the middle of the road, going 50KM over the speed limit, and stopping so quickly the doors slammed open seemed to be his preferred service. We did however get to the ferry dock safely and floated across the bay to Kowloon.

Goodnight and stay tuned!

Lizzie Harr, senior ID student

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Innocentre

As a class we walked through the underground tunnels to get across the street and down to the harbour area. You know how the U.S. has the hollywood boulevard starwalk with famous hands pressed into the sidewalk? So does Asia! We witnessed all of the tug bouts hauling in their fares and watched as the thick morning smog lifted from the mountain peaks. Taking a lot of photos and talking about things that we’ve encountered and learned while in HK filled up a large portion of the morning. On a side note, I ran around frantically trying to lead the class to find Jackie Chan’s handprints knowing that that’s the closest I’ll probably ever get. Battling for the brass sculptured director’s chair, professor Fossick and Tom Gattis won the grand throne posing for a most royal photo. The class huddled around Tommi Sarkainnen as he mimicked, and mimicked well the deadly kung foo kick of Bruce Lee. As he soared through the air the class was his paparazzi (we all took photos).

Feeling the warm and exotic weather
We were on our way as light as a feather
Professor had a day planned
A kind of retreat
Once on the MTR nothing would stop us
Not even the heat!
We were going to learn about housing programs
At the innovation centre we pulled out our cams
This non-profit business was really quite neat
With designs and book stores we all wanted to eat
A collection of speakers they all shared the mic
A box next to their name?
Of course I’d check ‘like!’

What a refreshing adventure it was. We listened and learned about everything the innovation centre does and provides.

Michael’s post:
Next stop on the agenda is the Hong Kong innovation center. We take the subway to Kowloon Tong, a corporate park where the Hong Kong innovation center is located. We enter the lobby and to our right, there is a coffee shop. The class grabs a bite to eat, some coffee and relaxes. Shortly we travel up to a conference room, and into a large board room. There is an oddly shaped zigzag conference table, and on it are individual packages and water for each of us. We take a seat and shortly afterwards a few presenters enter the room.
A man named William gives a presentation about the Business of Design Week, an organization that advocates all facets of design. After a few presentations about the Hong Kong InnoCenter, the class takes an hour for lunch. There is a book store outside the conference room, and we takes a little trip to indulge in some reading material. Together we spend almost $8000HK, (over $1000 US). After lunch and a few more presentations we take a tour of the facilities, which were really quite amazing.
The second half of the day at the InnoCenter consisted of visits and lectures with Hong Kong based designers from Fuse, Fish, and Office for Product Design. We got to get a taste of what they do and their process, as well as see their design studios within the Hong Kong InnoCenter. It has a really been interesting to see all the different styles and types of design firms in the Hong Kong area during this trip; the environments, process and work produced all vary significantly and is a really eye opening experience.

Seeing new things we can aspire to be are set deep in our minds and dreams tonight. We’ll drift off the bed hoping to return to HK again maybe to pursue our dreams.

Stay tuned!

Lizzie Harr, senior ID student

Michael Slabon, senior ID student

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Pigs fly, we’re in Asia, it’s time to present!

Now, let the nerves begin! Pigs fly, we’re in Asia, now is the time to present! We quickly arrived to the VTECH studio and were welcomed warmly. Directed to our presentation room, we were able to drop off our bags and jackets, as well as check out where we’d be getting critiqued. We were led on a speedy tour through the show room filled with candy-finished phones and ‘every spectrum of the rainbow’ colored toys. We were able to touch and explore everything on the shelves getting a good taste of what VTECH felt like. Showing us the mini models of their facilities we are now excited to see their manufacturing/tooling plants in China where the final products have come from. David Waterman, VTECH’s ID Director met up with us leading us to the other parts of their building. Heading up the stairs we traveled through the exclusive frosted doors and were blessed with a visit to the actual designers studio. Ishmael and Jessi were there, two of our former classmates at SCAD who had received jobs (Ish) and internships (Jessi). Austin Brown also had experienced an internship there as well but is already back n the US finishing up classes. Their design studio is very mixed internationally ranging from Columbia to Korea. Ish has told us that it has definitely taught and influenced him a lot with the way his design work is evolving but he still incorporates it with his own style.
Now it was time to present. Yes, I was first. I read off a short narrative about our class’s final phase and went directly into my work. I’d like to share with you what I read:
Sketch, sketch, sketch … scribble … ‘crumple’. Actually, we never threw away a sketch, as you will see in our explanations of design process and progress. Working away with our continuously strict time constraints, we will show you quick sketches, rapid experience prototyping and computer renderings with quite a defined edge of innovation and boisterous variety. Our initial branding has helped us to maintain our focus throughout the conceptualization. It has brought us to a more in-depth understanding in approaching our ideas with empathy for the consumers and their true needs and desires. Join us on this quest to find what we can do as designers to help define a narrative for the ‘Connected Home.’
With my heart slightly pounding, I was hooked up to a microphone and stood still while the flash mount light was set up to light up my face for the cameras. Oh, by the way, we were being recorded and photographed. But we have to bring the trip back to SCAD some way right? All the presentations went amazingly well. Each of us covered all of our own material with energetic stories and well rendered visuals. Heather Witkop, Alex Marshall, and I also got a rare opportunity. We were able to get some media coverage with some daily newspapers and even the South China Morning Post! Taking some time to explain our projects and tell them what a great advantage and honor it is to actually get to visit Hong Kong and China. We took some photos and wrapped up our business with VTECH thanking them again with the opportunity to present to and work so closely with their company.
We had an exciting night to look forward to when we arrived back at the YMCA. The presentations were over and we had social time planned with all of the firms we met, at Felix’s restaurant and lounge. Felix’s is located right around the corner from our Salisbury Hotel, within The Peninsula hotel. It was designed by Philip Starcke and is rated the number one nightclub in Hong Kong’s Top Ten booklet. Their description is quite accurate, “Let the experience envelope you, beginning with the dedicated elevators and their light effects, to the untrammeled delights of Felix’s restrooms. The harbor views are an added bonus. If you plan to visit just one bar in Hong Kong, make this the one to see.” We mingled with all of the head ID directors, networking and learning more about the places to see while we’re still here. Four of our former SCAD classmates came as well who are working in HK, including Jessi and Ish.

On a personal note, I decided to take a trip to the toilet. I learned quickly that you don’t ask for the restroom, or bathroom, you ask for the toilets here. Mind blowing explains my reaction walking into the bathroom! I had to have the woman who opened the main door for me literally walk my to where the stall door was. It was incorporated so well into the environment that it looked to me like a secret entryway, blending into the wall. I opened the 3 inch thick ‘vault’ door and was welcomed by an under glow chamber with the most well defined and detailed, locking latch I have ever seen. None-the-less, I was greatly impressed with my toilet experience all the way to washing my hands in a fountain that cascaded down a shallow marble pool.
The night drew on with continued fun,

And we were home before the rising sun.

Our old SCAD friends brought us to the ‘Tashma Hall’

An Indian restaurant where we had a ball!

The food was spicy, various and fresh,

After our presentations, we could not have asked for anything less.

With on point service and bursting bellies,

The class traveled home with a satisfied ease.

Thanking our hospitable friends with “See you laters!”

It was such a relief, not to have to eat ‘taters’.

(this is one of the MANY inside jokes from this trip, just know that it’s funny!)

Stay Tuned!

Lizzie Harr, senior ID student

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Design is multi-faceted.

Today was a whirlwind. The amazing corporate structure of Rubbermaid was juxtaposed by Tommi Lee’s design studio. Both entities passionate and and equally impressive, we learned even more today about the multi-faceted world of design.
We met with Peter Zou who is the sourcing director of the Asia Operations for the Home and Family products sector of Rubbermaid. He gave us a run down of the corporate structure, a detailed walk through of one project (design-manufacturing), special aspects of a few projects he has worked on, and answered a lot of questions we had. Mr. Zou was a very pleasant guy and was kind enough to take us out to lunch… AND MAN WHAT LUNCH IT WAS! He treated us to the buffet at the Pacific Club which is located on the water right across from the star ferry dock in the mall. The food was 5 stars and the patio location overlooking Hong Kong harbor was PERFECT. I tried raw octopus, oyster and skewered duck just to name a few and all of them delicious… Cut to the chase, one of the best meals of my life. Thank you Mr. Zou!

And to cap things off Tommi Le Design Studio! Wow, talk about refreshing! The energy and enthusiasm Tommi had about his work was amazing. The work of his company was also amazing, over 500 awards and millions of dollars in profit as a result of his work are a testament to it. Tommi arrived with a big thermos of tea and iced coffee. After making sure we were all comfy, he delved into his work. Though it wasn’t industrial design related (corporate branding and graphic design) many themes can still be applied to our practice. Such as proving your concepts to a client through user research, business practices and general design aesthetics. One of the many very interesting points he made was that the clients sometimes consider designers “prostitutes” because they do what they are told and as a result nothing of value is produced so the client has no respect for them. The way Tommi counters this is by a non-comprising attitude or being the “hero” (sometimes at the cost of a paycheck or two) that ensures what he knows is right is being produced. His high quality prototypes were a clear representation of that spirit.

A recurring theme or mindset I’ve seen here is a keen eye toward the business world and Tommi was no exception. One thing you forget in school is that at the end of the day this is all about making money for your client or shareholders. But at the core of all this is making your end-users happy and everyone we’ve met mentioned this as their guiding principle. So I guess if you consider design as the voice of the end-user then it is highly valued in the business world.

p.s- I don’t think everyone in the group has entirely recovered from jet lag because we all seem to disappear as soon as we get back to the hotel which is generally around 6 or 7. I know I’ve slept for 12 hours the passed two nights.

So starting tonight the fun is over and we’ve got to focus in order to finalize/practice our presentations which take place tomorrow at VTech HQ. We are all excited to present our work but nerves can never be avoided. I know everyone will do a great job and I am ready to hear the feedback from Dave Waterman of VTech. Good luck everyone!

Stay Tuned!

Alex Marshall, senior industrial design student

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TTI, HKPU, and Closing Doors

Refreshed and ready for some more designer action, we collected ourselves and hopped back on the MTR. Those who shall not be named decided to race the transit’s swiftly closing double doors as to not get left behind. That plan of action was not the greatest idea and was rethought after being flattened like a pancake. I’m proud to say that person was not myself and that yes, she’s fine. We winded down the red line transit all the way to the end, reaching our final destination of Tsuen Wan.

Rocketing up to the 24th floor, we had the first visit of the day with the TTI Design firm. Leon Young the ID director met us with a shinning smile. The office was bright with an extreme amount of space, and heavily sprinkled with final product tools sitting out on showcases. There were also model prototypes swarming some center tables for examination as well as for future ideation reference.

Leaning in over the smooth conference table, the class eagerly listened to what Leon had to say about TTI’s working patterns as well as their marketing strategies and research evolution. TTI runs multiple brands covering power tools, garden, floor care, and large electronics. They were founded in 1985, and cover company facilities and offices in Asia, US, Europe, Middle East, and Australasia as well as Latin America. They directly influence the innovation of the screwdriver so that large drills were no longer needed for every job. Coming to a partnership with Sears in 1990 with their products, they progressed to other stores like Home Depot with brands such as Ryobi and Ridgid. Ridgid, Leon proudly stated is the fastest growing power tool brand in the world and is developed through licensing agreements with different applications.

TTI geographical coverage and expansion is amazing. Leon spoke to us and presented personal material about their strategic development, their 24 hour global network innovation, and their quality management with engineering relationships. Relating back to our VTECH project, and the branding stages we developed with our own personal products, he went into depth about branding. We gained knowledge about their branding situation with shared brands and how color highly identifies and targets a particular demographic and product. Design constraints can be tight in that corporate environment, but gradual changes can be made as well. Their close interaction with retailers help keep them updated with material and construction and material innovation in return providing them with design opportunities. Leon was very helpful and delivering to use very useful and plentiful information that we will definitely apply to our design philosophies and development. He lead a tour around the design office, impressing us with three floors they direct from design space to conceptual engineer offices. I could tell just by looking around that everyone appreciated the hand on interaction that we got with their prototype models. The skeleton like 3D models we labeled with dates making the evolution of the product more realistic and helping to visually explain their process of refinement and execution. An ending discussion about a table-side shredders TTI designed was surprisingly to our geeky glee the cherry on top of our visit! Alex Marshall, one of my classmates attending this trip as well had worked an internship with them in the US branch. As we left he followed up relaying his great experience he had working with TTI and how their philosophies were still reflected even though located across the world

Our final visit of the day was with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Professor Fossick’s friend and colleague Remi Leclerc is a current professor there, and took us on an hour and a half tour. It was exciting to see students in their three year Industrial Design bachelor program, passionate and working on similar design projects as we have back home.

So take us far MTR
But do not snag our coats or bags.
We love to see reflections last
While bright locations come and past.
Your doors are swift or so they say
We will not test them more today.
Provide us steel, warn down seats
To pass to others or those in need.
The people that you house and hold,
Have a range of stories to be told.
So transmit our class from yard to yard,
And we will keep buying your octopus card.
This busy day has closed to an end,
Lets eat and rest my dear friends.

Stay Tuned!

Lizzie Harr, senior industrial design student

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Let’s get down to business.

Let’s get down to business! This morning we had a quick re-group to talk about the game plan for the day as well as briefly discussed the design firms we were going to visit. Gold Peak was first up in Kwai Chung. We were looking forward to meeting with Director Simon Davies.

Remember those octopus cards I mentioned for the ferry? They work for the MTR transit system as well. We all purchased a pass adding $100 to our ride credit, which is equivalent to $12.93 in U.S. currency. The currency here is so different. It’s fantastic to see the reaction on our faces when we receive our dinner checks for group meals and then the huge sigh of relief when we realize that the price in U.S.D. is quite reasonable. Somehow $100 always seems like it’s a lot, whether it’s U.S.D or H.K.D.

Approaching Gold Peak (GP) facilities on the MTR we got a quick look at the Hong Kong warehouse district, work garages, loading docs and apartments stacked like the “Jenga” game. We stopped at a local joint to get drinks and breakfast on Kwai Wing Road to fuel up for the tour ahead. With it difficult and expensive to own and maintain a large working area, especially a studio, Gold Peak covered an impressive 7,000 sq ft of innovative space. GP designs lighting and sound and their projects include flood and industrial lighting, street lamps, battery chargers, switches, and more recently includes user interface. Simon stressed to us how blessed he feels and how important it is to have the testing labs facility within their studio. These labs included sound testing, lighting controls, and even an imitation hotel room to recreate lighting and sound equipment to enhance the traveling experience. Simon shared the tools that all of us were familiar with from our SCAD Industrial Design building, such as the shop room and the rapid prototype technology. Much of what we have at SCAD we saw at GP- they maintained a materials lab with different product finishes and fabrications. GP also had a color light box, because there is no natural light in the studio to experiment with. This helped the design to place the product in it’s ideal and controlled environment, receiving the preferred results.

One of their amazing projects that I believe struck everyone’s fancy was called the 9707 Stringless Pleasure Mini HIFI system made out of timeless zetton wood. It was all around magnetic blurring everyone’s vision like a siren’s captivating song. This product was a collaboration between Giorgetti Italian Furniture, KEF and a Chinese architect all fine tuned by acoustic engineers. They have only manufactured ten of these beauties to bless only the best of the best homes. Closing our eyes, we listened as Simon played Beethoven on the product. He explained to us that it is designed to give the feel of a live conducted orchestra. It sounds intensely close to the real thing. This untouchable and majestic product was quite a memorable part of the trip reminding us that design can be a communication tool of pleasure, quality and experience.

Kids II

After spending the morning in Kwai Chung, we arrive at the Kowloon district to the corporate building on Canton Road where the company Kids II is based. The contrast between the two locales is distinct. The memory of Kwai Wing Road’s narrow streets, dirty garages and the labyrinth of warehouses and factories start to fade as we enter the marble lobby through the large glass doors of Tower 9. Canton Road is a high end business sector, and the class proceeds up the dual escalators in the main lobby to a hallway of numerous mirrored elevator doors. As the class crams into one elevator, someone presses the button for the 8th floor. We exit into another hallway and to our right is the entrance to Kids II. Through the glass doors we enter the main room, with a reception desk to the right, sitting area to the left, and a hallway of offices branching off the front and sides.
The class congregates in the first office off the main lobby where we are presented with a wall of glass windows, displaying a million dollar view of the Hong Kong harbor. I think to myself how any work could get done with a sight like this. The class sits down and a man named Ramesh and Steve enter the room. Ramesh is the general manager of Kids II, and Steve is the vice president of product development. Kids II is a company that makes products for infants and children in the age range of 0-18 months. Ramesh explains the companies’ philosophy and market strategy, addresses logistical information about what they do and answers questions posed by us students. After our discussion, Ramesh and Steve lead us back to the lobby, down the hall of office doors into the Kids II main studio. We conduct a brief walk-through, taking in the scenery of their office and head to the display room.
In this area, Kids II products and model lines are on display in a store type environment. Ramesh takes us through each product line and brand one at a time, describing the idea and features behind each in great detail. He discusses the constraints and characteristics that the products must have in order to be successful in the market. The brands Boppy, Baby Einstein and Bright Starts are in this room for clients and conventions. These brands are the main selling points for the company. It was interesting to hear about the strict marketing and business end of design from Ramesh and Steve. It helped us learn about the values attributed to the growth of a company like this, and how significant the business practice is for success in the field of Industrial Design.

Lizzie Harr, senior ID student

Michael Slabon, senior ID student

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Wan Chai

9:30am rolled around, we had a late meeting time, applied only for the first day, I’m sure! The class sat around waiting for every one to arrive, chatting about how we hoped nothing closed like Savannah does on Sundays. Professor Fossick ‘meeted and greeted’ us with one of our new assignments for the trip - to become a part of the Asian culture. We must be fly on the wall observing reactions, language, street traffic, signage, food, fashion, and cultural tendencies. Well rested from the night before, we were wide-eyed and ready to accept the challenge. We briefly met, discussed and distributed different topics to each other. Splitting up would help us cover more ground and hopefully expand our documentation, thus raising our design and cultural exposure. Fossick mentioned a few places we could visit as tourists, and although we weren’t garnished with fanny packs, we stood out just the same.

“Copy watch? Copy bag? Lady! Lady!?” followed my small group of four all the way to our Star Ferry. Everyone on the street corner was selling some version of Gucci, Versace, Coach or other luxury accessory. We were headed to Wan Chai. Usually you’d buy an ‘Octopus Card’ from 711 to be able to make multiple trips back and forth, but we just threw two dollars into the turn gates. It was such a shame for me to part with my only two dollars I was holding, because of how beautiful it looks and feels. With subtle curves around the edges, it’s a coin that reflects Hong Kongs’ people and history, with a Bauhinia flower proudly, yet delicately, displayed on the front.

The ferry trip was very smooth,
The water nice and calm.
We saw the land approaching quick,
With beach and buildings long.
The skyline glistened with emerald trees,
we’re glad we had our ’sea legs’ on
Especially with the moody breeze,
It felt as though gravity had gone.
Show us a world we haven’t seen,
Oh beautiful, warm Wan Chai!
We knew when gliding into the dock,
It’d be hard to say goodbye.

We didn’t know exactly where to go, but we knew that we had made it. A few pinpoints on our map were tourist filled enough that we could ask any cab driver. By covering walking distance first, we began to learn the area, better than you would driving. We’d stop short at cross walks looking for the print on the street to direct us ‘LOOK RIGHT’ or ‘LOOK LEFT’. Everything seemed so backwards! Walking bridges were sprinkled over the main road we had to cross to reach our destinations. Passing by Tung Wai business area we approached a shopping district. To our surprise, we saw an immense amount of porcelain. Every other store we crawled by was a home decor, bathroom, kitchen, or design store, with enough fixtures to fill a palace!

From German to Hong Kong design, we began developing notes and documenting our contextual probes, filling them with color, pattern, product, and lifestyle. We went from Times Square in NYC on Friday to Times Square in Wan Chai by Sunday. With all the shopping and the hustle of the city we wanted to travel further. We found a location to visit - Stanley Market. After a 45 minute cab ride with sweet smiles and a few simple head nods, we arrived in a breathtaking bay area that was crawling with life. The small shops and vendors in the market were stacked next to each other like sardines. They opened their doors to reveal souvenirs and increasingly unauthentic goodies. The market climbed small hills and spiraled down towards the water leading our eyes to a view that buzzed with energy. Boats and jet skis skipped across the water attracting cameras from every direction. Heather Witkop, one of the twelve, with a high interest in marine design, gazed upon the aqua scene with longing and satisfaction. This was a moment to come back to; a dreamy ideal scene that would be captured by film and heart.

With the day closing in and the rain drawing near, it was time to catch a cab back. No English and low vision (smog) made a bad combination for our confused cab driver. It took a map, multiple variations of words, a police officer and 15 minutes to get going in the right direction, or at least to put the car in drive. We dodged up and down the mountain side catching brief views of Victoria Peak. We heard that it is quite a phenomenal view and is definitely a gold star on the list of our places to visit. Maybe for a sunset? Hopefully tomorrow we’ll visit, and have more stories to tell. But for now- back on the ferry, back across the bay, back to Kowloon; we won’t have any trouble sleeping tonight!

Michael’s first day:

It’s been quite the adventure thus far.  I’m sitting 396 meters above sea level at the Peak of Hong Kong, in a restaurant overlooking the city.  I’ve spent a good portion of the day with Alex, Tommi, Adam Green, and my Cannon walking about trying our best to get lost through the interconnected, densely populated, back alleyways and markets of Hong Kong.  Now I’ve never been outside the United States, but this place is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.  There is a certain charm to this place, and I can’t pin-point exactly what it is, but it feels right.  I think to myself how this place and experience will affect me when I return home to the small, quiet town of Exeter, New Hampshire after experiencing a place like this.  All I know is that this is just a taste of what the world has to offer, and I can’t wait to find out what lies ahead.

Stay Tuned!

Lizzie Harr, Senior ID student

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