SCAD + Kids II = Gear up!

-Jean Kee-

It’s been almost a month since we’ve come back from Hong Kong. Funny how memories warp time – it honestly only feels like it happened yesterday, that we were hopping from MTR train to MTR train to get from one side of Hong Kong to the other. As I reread the blog entries the students and I posted on this SCAD + Kids II blog, I started getting melancholic as all the wonderful memories came rushing back to me – we really did have a great time. Don’t get me wrong – I can’t help but laugh as I go through all 36 gigabytes worth of photos we took. Like all good times, though, I secretly wished I could go back and relive it all over again. As befitting for such an experience, I figured these series of blog posts could use a little closure, or epilogue, if you will. So sit back, and enjoy some anecdotes from my perspective of the whole experience, and perhaps for all of my fellow SCAD students who went on the trip with me and are reading this, it’ll bring that smile back on your face like it did mine as I write this.

Since it’s easier to remember numbers than words, here are some statistics that ought to be mentioned:

8557 – number of miles travelled from Savannah to Hong Kong [one-way only, so do the math yourself for a round-trip]

150 – number of SCAD+Kids II=Gear up! t-shirts printed [not exactly sure how accurate this number is; I'm basing it purely on the fact that I myself have 3 t-shirts.]

34 – total number of watches collectively bought [I shan't mention names, you know who you are!]

16 – number of design firms/studios and manufacturers/factories visited

13 – number of people who experienced Hong Kong for the first time in their lives on this trip

10 – number of massages done [walking around Hong Kong all day long did take a toll on our poor feet.]

9 – number of times we went to get bubble tea

8 – number of times we went shopping, whether at the mall or the markets

7 – number of MTR train lines in Hong Kong [I'm proud to say we got rather good at using public transportation by the end of the trip, although the whole lack of a personal 'bubble' took some getting used to when packed like sardines in a train.]

6 – number of people who were brave enough to ride the Abyss Turbo Drop at the Ocean Park [all survived, I'll have you know... and that is precision!]

5 – number of times dimsum was served for us to ‘experience true Hong Kong culture’

4 – number of people who knew how to bargain at the markets, regardless of whether or not they could speak Chinese [because almost no one on this trip could]

3 – number of days to fully recover from jetlag

2 – number of cable car rides taken [breathtaking views. always.]

1 – number of ‘almost’ all-nighters pulled on this trip [We regretted this instantly; and never pulled another one again.]

Since returning to USA, I’ve been fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to intern at none other than Kids II itself, their headquarters being based in Alpharetta, Ga. Working with the company who rewarded us with the Hong Kong trip in the first place, I find myself not only grateful, but content. Things come around in a full circle, and since I was given such a wonderful opportunity to experience Hong Kong with some of the very best students and professors at SCAD, I can finally give back to society – whether it be by sharing our memories on this blog or by interning at the company. The trip has changed everyone for the better – we have become more worldly, and being able to apply first-hand knowledge of not only design, but manufacturing technology as well, is integral to a truly successful Industrial Design career. Take the students on this trip, for example:

Shan, winner of 1 of the 4 categories in the Kids II Toy Design class, and Nam are also currently interning at Kids II, in the Toy department. They will be here until September, before returning to SCAD for one last quarter.

3rd place winner of the Kids II Gear class, Matt always had a passion for automotive design, and despite the stiff competition of that particular field, he was offered an internship and potential job opportunity with GM in Detroit, Michigan. He will begin in September, after he finishes his senior studio Industrial Design course this summer.

2nd place winner of the Kids II Gear class, Francis was offered a job with design firm In2Innovation as soon as he returned from Hong Kong. He is now based in Austin, Texas, and according to him, “the job rocks!”

Alex, Andy and Mike are all finishing up their Industrial Design program this summer and will no doubt go far with whatever career path they choose.

Casper and Laura, both winners in the Kids II Toy Design class, just graduated from SCAD in May, and are pursuing their passion by applying their design knowledge to freelancing and other job opportunities.

HyunJoo and Ben still have a couple more quarters left at SCAD, but are now much more mature from the experience in Hong Kong, not only as designers, but as individuals with distinct styles and aesthetics.

I can proudly say that the group as a whole represents the talent, drive and creativity of the Industrial Design department at SCAD, and to be able to spread our enthusiasm about design with others who share the same passion on an international level is an experience to be cherished for a lifetime.

This has no doubt been one of the best and life-changing experiences for me, so to all of you – Alex, Andy, Ben, Casper, Francis, HyunJoo, Laura, Mike, Matt, Shan, Nam and also Professor Jesus Rojas and Professor Jose Gamboa – thank you for being a part of the SCAD+Kids II family with me… here’s to one great memory.

Until next time, jia you!

-Jean Kee-

If there’s one thing we’re known for, particularly this lot of Industrial Design professors and students, it’s that we always ‘go out with a bang’. This Hong Kong-China trip proved to be no exception; as our 2 weeks were drawing to an end, it was time for our last minute absorption of everything – sights, sounds and tastes.

Our last day in China was a perfect example. We started off early in the morning, taking the bus to Alan Yip’s Design studio. After a presentation by none other than designer Alan Yip himself, and a few ‘design’ purchases from his store downstairs, we were then shuttled off to our next and last stop before returning to Hong Kong – Gnosis, a design firm where SCAD alumn Rob Pfischner works. The atmosphere of the studio was refreshing in a place known for its high-rises and jam-packed clutter – it was actually a house, with trees growing through windows, roofs and stairs to boot!

More presentations, a tour of the studio and then it was off to the border, where we said our goodbyes to Robert, who had been our translator, tour guide and pretty much our lifeline in China. For some of us, returning to Hong Kong was comforting – it was that Westernised. [At least for the ones who were used to the British colonial culture.]

Our day didn’t end there though – arriving at our hotel, the YMCA, just before dinnertime, we had an hour to drop off our baggage and get dressed up as professionally as possible – we were to attend a SCAD reception organised by none other than to Tom Gattis, Rose and Angela, inviting all of the clients and designers we visited during our trip here, to thank them for their generosity. Though we were a little tired from the long day, we were grateful for the gourmet, and enjoyed it nonetheless. As a token of our appreciation, we gave Rose a thank-you gift for helping to organise our itinerary in China – a 2-piece jewelry set made of sterling silver and bloodwood that I designed and hand-fabricated while at SCAD.

We left Hong Kong early Sunday morning. It was time for us to return to our respective obligations, whether it be a job offer, an internship, or finishing up our college careers at SCAD.

It was a wonderful, yet nostalgic way of ending our trip – throughout our SCAD-Kids II sponsored class, we were already so close-knit, and we never imagined we could get any closer than this.

But we did. Jetlag and all.

-Jean Kee-

It was back to business – after a nice day of sightseeing, we were ready to get back to the swing of things. Today, we were scheduled to visit the Kids II office in China, who manages all the manufacturing and assembly of the toys and gear of said company. Stepping into the office building, it felt like we were back in USA… everything – from the interior layout to the furniture – was uncannily the same as the headquarters in Alpharetta. We were given a tour of the office, before being shown to the first vendors whom Kids II outsources to manufacture their products, TFE, like their seat pads and playmats.

Lunchtime came around, and we were brought to a very elegant restaurant for a delicious dimsum meal. Sated and re-energised, we piled back onto the bus, where we then visited another factory who is also a regular resource for Kids II – Topco. As we were taken around the factory, we were able to see the entire manufacturing process of several Kids II toys that we had grown very familiar with, from the plastic parts being injection-moulded to the delicate spraypainting of the parts to its assemblage before being packaged and boxed. To see everything holistically, from start to end, as well as how the factory maintained such an organised and efficient pace, it was very informative and gave us profound understanding of how many processes were required to manufacture one assumingly simple product.

We left Topco feeling more knowledgeable than ever before, and knew that as designers, the experience of the day put us on a whole new level of understanding manufacturing within the design industry.

-Francis Fave-

Robert our tour guide had arranged an eventful day for us, packed with numerous sightseeing places around Guangzhou, China. Luckily however it only began at 10:00am, giving us the luxury of an extra hour of sleep.

Today was also the first day of the Dragon Boat Festival. In summary, legend has that that the celebration revolves around a Chinese patriotic poet. Qu Yuan served in the court of Emperor Huai during the Warring States (475 – 221 BC). He was a wise and erudite man. His ability and fight against corruption antagonized other court officials. They exerted their evil influence on the Emperor, so the Emperor gradually dismissed Qu Yuan and eventually exiled him. During his exile, Qu Yuan did not give up. He traveled extensively, taught and wrote about his ideas. His works, the Lament (Li Sao), the Nine Chapters (Jiu Zhang), and Wen tian, are masterpieces and invaluable for studying ancient Chinese culture. He saw the gradual decline of his mother country, the Chu State. And when he heard that the Chu State was defeated by the strong Qin State, he was so despaired that he ended his life by flinging himself into the Miluo River. But the people loved him too much and so they did not want his body to be eaten by the fish so they threw zongzi, eggs and other food into the river to feed fish, in hopes of salvaging his body. To celebrate this dragon boat races are held where men race long boats with oars.

Robert took us to the city center of Guang Zhou to see the new infrastructure that China was constructing to maintain its pace of becoming a developed nation. Following this we had a large lunch at a BBQ place eating buffet style. The food while, being Chinese, was Westernized so it was agreeable to even our pickiest eaters.

After lunch, we were given a taste of the lifestyle of a local in Guang Zhou by visiting two temples – the first was a more well-known, historic temple that was erected in honour of a Chinese philosopher, while the second was a family-oriented temple. Both were awe-inspiring in their distinct and unique architecture. We were also given the opportunity to see some beautiful and delicately detailed tusk carving, an authentic Chinese craft tradition. The intricacy of the carvings would put even our best Industrial Design student to shame with the level of craftsmanship and complexity in the pieces showcased.

Sightseeing more or less done, we were then whisked off to the local street markets that Guang Zhou is famous for. We were given 2 hours before we were to meet up for dinner. Excited like little children, we sped off in all different directions to try and visit as many stalls as possible, somehow managing to find our way back to our designated rendezvous meeting point despite the throngs of people and zig-zag streets.

Dinner ensued at none other than a buffet to cater to our various tastes. A local performer was crooning some Western oldies, and during our meal, coincidentally began to sing Ben Anderson’s favourite song, much to his delight. With much laughter, dancing and video-recording, the evening ended on a high note, and many of us fell of asleep on the long busride back to the hotel with smiles on our faces.

- Jean Kee -

After a restful first night in China, we were ready to start the day full of energy and excitement. We were scheduled to visit the Kika Design studio, a company that deals with designing, manufacturing and distributing baby gear. For many of us, having been in the Kids II Gear sponsored class in Spring quarter this past academic year, we were able to relate to it very well.

Taking the bus with Robert, our translator, we were taken to the design studio which was in the Dongguan area. There we met Eric and Cindy, the owners of the Kika design studio. Professor Jose Gamboa, having worked with Kids II before, recognized many of the employees there and helped to introduce us to them. Eric and Cindy gave us a quick presentation of their company, before we were given a tour of their design facilities and the products on display at their showroom. Kika makes the prototypes of the products they design on-site, and then sources vendors to manufacture their products. Strollers, play yards and high chairs were brought out for us to ‘play’ with and we spent a good hour examining the design, form and mechanism of the products. Kids II often outsources the prototyping of their concepts to Kika, who not only make the model of the product, but also calculate engineering, manufacturability and feasibility to ensure the lowest and most efficient production cost.

Lunch ensued, and we dined with Eric and Cindy at a restaurant that served international cuisine to cater to different tastes, much to our delight. Once lunch was over, we were then taken to the various factories that Kika outsources to produce the parts of their product – soft goods (e.g. fabrics), injection molded plastic, metal tubing frames, etc. We were fascinated by seeing this whole other world. The manufacturing process comes hand-in-hand with design, but being able to witness it first-hand has made us realize how rich of an experience we were getting that would never have been able to be taught in the classroom.

The multiple visits to specialized factories took the entire afternoon, and by 7pm we were ready for dinner. Eric and Cindy hosted us once again, taking us to a Chinese restaurant, and also invited their employees to dine with us. Over a variety of authentic Chinese (and oftentimes spicy) dishes, conversations held in hand gestures and lots of laughs, we became part of the Kika family.

Dragging our full stomachs back onto the bus, we returned to the hotel tired but sated – it had been a very productive day, we made new friends and enjoyed excellent food – what more could we ask for?

-Casper Crouse-

This morning the group woke up bright and early to catch our bus to main land China. Hong Kong has treated us all very well. The food, people, nightlife, and sights have been an amazing experience that has opened all of our eyes.

The bus took us forty-five minutes north of Hong Kong to the border by Shen Zhen. The bus ride was a welcome break from the sweltering humidity and heat that we have been walking around in. Along the way we crossed a few bodies of water teaming with shipping activity and yachts. The border just seemed like an enormous toll road once we got there. Cars, buses, and trucks were pulling off in every direction as we passed by into the drop zone to empty out our bags from the bus and get in line to depart Hong Kong and enter China. The studios we have visited and friends in China have all warned us about what to expect in main land and what the border was actually going to be like. So most of us had begun to worry about what customs would actually be like. In reality though it was not that bad. Lines were not too long and things moved smoothly all the way through customs to the other side. We met Robert, our guide for the weeklong trip, and boarded the bus to head to Dong Guan.

After riding another forty minutes we got close to the first stop of the trip, which is one of Vtech’s model makers. Since it was around 12:30 p.m. when we got close we decided to stop for lunch since most of us were hungry and factories let their workers take an hour lunch break and a nap before heading back to work. We pulled off to the side of the road and Robert recommended a local and authentic Chinese meal nearby. We all agreed, apprehensively, to give it a try and see what it would be like. We backed up and headed down the small dirt road we had pulled into. About halfway down a valley full of farmed bok choi, cabbage/lettuce, and litchi opened up and scattered around were chicken and geese pens. The restaurant, which was an open bamboo stand, sat at the bottom of the hill over a small fishpond. It was nice to know that even in a developed place like China you can still get fresh chicken and vegetables straight from mother earth.

Afterwards we traveled another forty minutes to Arts Optical Group. The eyewear manufacturer was established in the 1970′s in Hong Kong where the CEO actually made the first few eyewear products by hand. Today the company employs 10,000 workers who live and work on the compound. Entertainment, food, housing, and exercise equipment is all provided. Eight hour shifts run two to three times a day depending on the demand. All the design work is handled in-house and CAD work goes directly to the floor to be prototyped. During one month, Arts Optical Group can make around 1.5 million glasses. There are a total of forty-six different lines that handle metal, handmade, titanium, injection molded, components, and processing. In three hours we saw only 10% of that entire system. The processes we saw included stamping, laser etching, laser cutting, CNC, laser soldering, and even an automated bender that pushes thin wire material out, bends it, and cuts the pieces for the nose bridge and metal frames.

It was very informative to see these processes in reality, though many of us had already know how this was done seeing it in reality helped us to create a concrete understanding.

-Francis Fave-

After an eventful week we have taken a day to sleep in to 8am. We all wished for more but were excited to get underway to see the Buddha. A ride on the MRT dumps us off at an outlet mall, we all agreed we must come back later but first the mountain! We took the cable car up the summit. The view was breath taking. We were higher than the hotels on the shore and our view of the nearby Airport makes the planes look like ants. The ride takes us over the inlet up a sharp summit across to the next peak and then around to another before landing us at the town of the Buddha. But at the first peak the clouds began to thicken and the clouds closed in. The wind could be heard buffeting the car and I grew quite nervous. How safe was this anyway? Soon we were surrounded by the haze in complete grey. We continued on and made our landing in the fog. We navigated the small town of souvenir stores, cafes and restaurants to march on to the main attraction, the Buddha.

The sky is so cloudy that we still had not seen the Buddha. As we walked up the steps I thought of the trance like pace the monks would have walked this path with. All of a sudden as we walked the steps the wind picked up and separated the clouds and we caught out first glance of the Buddha statue before it closed away again. It was huge dominating the surrounding environment. It was beautiful to see it in this fog and haze, it added to the richness of the ambiance. We entered the statue, walking through the interior of the Buddah gave us a feeling of the sacred nature of this space. We were engrossed with the historical items. As we returned down the clouds closed in behind us again. The walk back was even harder as our feet hurt and our stomachs did too. We ate in the Monk hallway, which was a vegetarian due to the Monk’s vow not to harm a living thing. What amazed us was how much flavor could be within each small dish.

Our return ride was again cloudy and a bit windy but beautiful none the less. The view we held was spectacular. We shopped at the outlet mall but found little. Returning to TST we went to see the symphony of lights. The Symphony is when the Hong Kong skyline lights their buildings in blinking and shinning lights, which alter color and speed to the music. A cool experience that left us hungry from lunch.We finished the night at Pizza Hut for something fast and quick and coincidentally a bit of a culture shock when we found Pizza Hut to be a higher end restaurant the Apple Bees in the US. We went to sleep all curious as to what China would be like the next day.

- Jean Kee-

It had been an intense couple of days of meetings and presentations with clients and we were ready for some fun. I suppose our wishful thinking finally paid off, as we decided to spend the day at Hong Kong’s Ocean Park. Not only were we going to have fun on the many amusement park rides they had to offer, it had also been arranged for us to go ‘behind-the-scenes’ so to speak, to see the development plans and scale model of the renovations currently going on at the Ocean Park, that would potentially be completed by 2012. It was amazing to see how grand of a scheme the Ocean Park is, and it boggled my mind just to even comprehend how to manage something as large as a park, employees, animals and all.

Arriving at the Ocean Park, we were greeted by Paul and Philip, curator and behavioral scientist. They took the time to show us around the park, treating us like VIPs. This gave us an insight into how much it took to run a park on a scale like this, especially during this time when the park entrance was under renovation. We also were given the opportunity to visit the sea animals first-hand – the seal, sea lions and dolphins in particular. For some students, it was their first time being so close to a dolphin, and the experience was indescribable. To top it all off, not only were we able to sit through the park’s regular sea animal show, three lucky individuals were selected to play and perform with the sea lions and dolphins – Professor Rojas, Shan Lin and I. In a span of half an hour, I felt like I was a little girl all over again – giddy from excitement. I mean, who wouldn’t, after playing with a sea lion?!

As the day progressed, the heat and humidity intensified, but we were oblivious to it all – we were having too much fun! After the dolphin and sea lion show, we took a cable car ride to take us from one end of the park to the other. The view was spectacular and took our breaths away. We next visited the panda sanctuary, and were amused to find that though the panda was sleeping, it looked as if she was posing for us, what with her head resting on her paws.

With an hour to spare before the park closed at 6pm, we did our best to try as many rides as possible that the amusement park had to offer, running around like restless and eager children. It was a wonderful way to end the day, as we piled back onto the bus to take us back to the train station before hopping on the MTR to return to the hotel. Knackered as we were, we went to bed with a smile on our faces, and many memories to last a lifetime.

-Francis Fave-

The day began as all of them had this week the group meeting down stairs in the restaurant and enjoying breakfast with one another. We then boarded the MRT and took a short ride to Sham Shui Po to see the first SCAD Hong Kong academic building. Renovation was still going on as we walked about this old court house from the 60’s. Bob, the SCAD building director who has worked on multiple projects in the past ranging from those in Savannah to Atlanta and beyond, gave us a tour of the chaos.

It was interesting to see this building go up as both an industrial designer and as a student. As an ID student I am always interested by how things are made and put together. There were men laying down concrete, filling cracks, and jack hammering away. Viewing this and hearing Bob’s explanations of how things were being done was enlightening. As a student I saw how this space would be interacted with, imagining future students running up the stairs and looking out the windows at the amazing skyline. Bob showed us one of the most interesting rooms an old court room. The government had asked that one be maintained with the building n the restoration. SCAD had been happy to oblige and is planning on using the space as a lecture hall. This room was quite attractive in its historic nature. Having seen GOD the day before I think this reuse of the court room meant more to me. It applied GOD’s philosophy using the past for the present while keeping the culture and style of a country, particularly that of Hong Kong. Jesus commented that this was one of the nicest SCAD buildings he had set foot in and he was very impressed with the direction it was going in. One of the concepts that everyone liked was the use of the landings at the stairs as a more casual hangout space for students to work outside of class.

After our tour we spent what remained of our afternoon experiencing the Hong Kong culture visiting the markets and walking the streets seeing the architecture and surrounding landscape. It was nice to be among the people and to take time to explore and understand the Hong Kong culture.

-Jean Kee-

Design may be a universal language appreciated by all, but different cultures interpret it in different ways. The visit to 2 design firms – Tommy Li and Goods of Desire – emphasised this idea, as both use the heritage and colonial past of Hong Kong to influence their projects and designs.

The rain from yesterday had no intention of stopping – after a quick breakfast, we hopped on the MTR system to Chai Wan, where Hong Kong-based Tommy Li’s design studio was located. Catching taxis to take us from the MTR station to the studio, we spotted our first petrol station; we had realized from the get-go that owning a car in Hong Kong is about as useful as using a pair of chopsticks to pick up a marble – futile and pretentious. Arriving early, we wandered around the shop lots near the studio while waiting, and received a pleasant surprise as we crossed the street – a beautiful Pagani Zonda R was being showcased center-stage in a local car dealership, designed by none other than Professor Jose Gamboa during his internship with the company many years ago.

The weather took a turn for the worst, and it began to downpour. Dashing inside, we entered Tommy Li’s studio, and while waiting for him to arrive, the secretary generously gave us refreshments. A design eccentric, Tommy Li is a graphics designer who not only focuses on redesigning a corporate identity, but also has a passion for merging the sentimental memories of the past with a quirky contemporary twist. Upon his arrival, he warmed up to us easily, and his humble yet driven nature was hard not to miss. Tommy gave us a quick presentation about some of the projects he worked on – Honeymoon Dessert, Blah Blah Bra, First Choice grocery store, Shanghai Watch, to name a few. We were then given a tour of his studio and were introduced to the designers who worked under him. The size of the studio surprised us – for such a well-known designer, it seemed odd that his studio occupied no more than 2 stories of a high-rise office building. However, as Tommy began to share his design philosophies with us, it was evident that he preferred to keep the firm small, allowing him to design as freely as possible without the barriers that the corporate world sometimes imposes. It gives him more control to run the company the way he believed it should be run, and enable putting a little bit of himself in every design.

A quick turnover was necessary for us to get from Tommy Li’s studio to that of G.O.D (Goods of Desire), which was located in the JCCAC (Jockey Creative Center of Arts Club). Having to change MTR lines three times, we were getting used to the transportation system here in Hong Kong. Arriving at the station, we then met up with our photographer, Ducky, who led us to the studio. Surprisingly enough, Ducky’s own studio is also located in JCCAC, and we were able to see some of his previous photographs that documented the evolution of Hong Kong in the past 15 years. They were stunning in every way possible, artistically nostalgic and beautifully composed. We were stunned – his quiet and humble nature had fooled us all.

Arriving at the G.O.D. studio, we did not expect what we saw – the studio was cluttered with vintage junk that represented the colonial past of Hong Kong – a mumble jumble of mailboxes, photographs, clocks and street signs. We met up with the Vice President of SCAD Hong Kong, John Paul, and President Paula Wallace’s husband, Glen Wallace, at the studio. Douglas and Ben, co-founders of G.O.D. gave us a tour of the studio, explaining how rich and unique the Hong Kong culture is, and how passionate they were of using that as inspiration to redesign and rework the old, rather than waste materials to manufacture a new product. A recent example was the redesign of a Starbucks to mimic a 1960’s Chinese coffee-shop interior. Miniature scale models of typical Hong Kong scenes or buildings were also on display – hawker stalls, a typical Chinese wedding, 1960’s shop-lots and housing – built with such detail and intricacy that it was almost impossible to tell that it wasn’t the real thing when photographed up-close. It struck a nostalgic chord within me, as the artifacts and images in the studio were very similar to the culture that I grew up with, and left behind to come to SCAD – there were even a couple of furniture pieces that my grandparent’s house had an exact replica of.

At the end of the tour, Douglas generously gave and autographed each of us a photography book that he created depicting his perspective of Hong Kong. He even gave Matt Morgan a small-scale model of a typical Chinese junkboat, as he had been looking for one to give to his father as a gift.

We stopped by a small Chinese teahouse nearby after our tour at G.O.D. for a quick bite to eat before heading back to the hotel, awed and satisfied with the outcomes of visiting both design firms. It allowed us to see and appreciate different perspectives and viewpoints to things that we sometimes are oblivious to.