2012 Hong Kong Design Year

Hong Kong SAR – The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR, Mr. Donald Tsang, announced 2012 will be designated as ‘Hong Kong Design Year.’ 

The Hong Kong Design Year (HKDY) initiative will advocate design as a driving force to turn Hong Kong into a world class creative city. With the slogan, “A City Driven by Design,” the year-long programme includes a wide array of signature events and celebration activities to raise public awareness of the economic, social and environmental values of design. A special brand identity has been created for the Hong Kong Design Year to earmark the related events held in 2012. 

HKDY 2012 will be presented by CreateHK of the HKSAR Government and organised by the Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC). Strategic partners include Hong Kong Trade Development Council and Hong Kong Tourism Board. Many other organisations will also be supporting the initiative. All parties will work jointly to build the design and design thinking capacity of Hong Kong and to propel the development of Hong Kong as a world class design city.

“Design is a vital engine to drive innovation across all sectors and industries,” said Dr. Victor Lo, Chairman, Hong Kong Design Centre. “Design is also instrumental to improving the quality of life for every one in the society,” he added. 

“The year 2012 will be filled with a series of local, regional and international design-related events, including Hong Kong’s first ever Design Fest Asia in December. Other remarkable events include Fashion Visionaries, Toy Museum Show Case and HKDA Global Design Awards 2011 Presentation Ceremony cum Exhibition,” said Dr. Edmund Lee, Executive Director, Hong Kong Design Centre.

HKDY 2012 will target a wide range of audiences local and international, including members of the public (especially the youth), businesses, design and other professionals and tourists.

Throughout the year, a series of activities and programmes will be launched by different supporting organizations including HKSAR government, design related associations, local universities, business and professional associations, and also the international community. Events of HKDY aim at achieving 4 goals: Nurturing Talents, Creating Value, Bettering Life and Celebrating Excellence.

Nurturing Talents: Design plays a crucial role in cultivating a new generation of creative talent for Hong Kong. Design thinking is a problem solving as well as opportunity finding skill. It is a multi-disciplinary process involving not just designers but also other professions, from engineers, marketers, business strategists to humanities experts.

Creating Value: Design creates value for business, going far beyond aesthetic appeal. Design enhances the sustainability, reliability, quality, productivity and the value of the product/service offerings. It helps companies build their brands and stand out in the marketplace. 

Bettering Life: Design improves quality of life by providing products and services more attuned to people’s needs and minimises the impact on the environment. Design also provides innovative solutions to societal challenges, e.g. education, housing and transport and the needs for elderly, underprivileged, youth and minority groups. 

Celebrating Excellence: Hong Kong is a hub for design talents in Asia. The Hong Kong Design Year will celebrate Hong Kong’s design excellence and achievements and showcase the best-in-class design in the world.

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For additional information, please contact:

Media enquiries: 

Esther Ho

DT Communications Asia Pacific 

T: +852 6903 9208

E: esther.ho@dt-asia.com

Augustina Cheng
DT Communications Asia Pacific 

T: +852 9838 4704
E: augustina.cheng@dt-asia.com

About the Hong Kong Design Centre

HKDC is a non-profit organisation established in 2001 by the Hong Kong Federation of Design Associations with full support from the HKSAR Government and a renovation fund from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. The HKDC works with the HKSAR Government, business partners and associations to promote design as a strategic, value-adding component in business. A number of programmes are being created to emphasis the importance of design for today s businesses. HKDC helpS designers raise their profiles, as well as the overall design standard in Hong Kong. HKDC is a Promotional Member of Icograda.www.hkdesigncentre.org