(in)visible (de)signs – Details, episodes & analysis

[English] What makes Hong Kong truly unique? In this episode, we each share our list of things that we think capture the city’s spirit. Please share with us your list of things uniquely Hong Kong!

〔英〕香港有哪些獨特之處？今集我們各自分享了一些我們認為能夠代表這座城市及其精神的事和物 。歡迎各位聽眾跟我們分享你心目中「香港獨有」的清單！

Mentioned in this episode:

Different versions of ‘Tempo’ that were usually gifted to customers when they purchase newspaper from the newspaper stands.

〔粵〕設計思維系列的第三集，繼續由Peter Chuah蔡振嘉為我們講解一下設計思維內其中一個重要的觀念——接納模棱兩可的不確定性。

[Cantonese] In this third episode of our Thinking in Design series, Peter Chuah returns to continue exploring one of design thinking’s core mindsets: embracing ambiguity.

https://dlibrary.stanford.edu/ambiguity

Previous episodes:

EP.18

EP.25

〔粵〕今集天南地北、東拉西扯，討論平面設計行業的種種。理論vs實踐、平面設計的價值、大師文化、學院派vs紅褲子、設計研究⋯⋯

[Cantonese] Random thoughts on the graphic design profession: theory vs practice, the value of graphic design, star designers, academia vs practitioner, design research etc.

〔粵〕何謂批判性思維？批判性思維和評論、批評又有什麼關係？創意思維與批判性思維是一枚硬幣的兩面，如何在設計教學中融合兩者？本集邀請了來自新加坡社科大學的蔡振嘉博士探討批判性思維和設計的關係和種種問題。

[Cantonese] What is critical thinking? How is critical thinking different from criticism and critique? Creative thinking and critical thinking are two faces of the same coin. How do we integrate the two in design education? In this episode, we invited Dr Peter Chuah from the Singapore University of Social Sciences to explore the relationship and issues surrounding critical thinking and its relationship to design.

〔粵〕何謂文化旅遊？香港又有甚麼文化特色可以吸引遊客到訪？本集我們探討一下多元化香港旅遊業的可能性，以及設計在旅遊體驗中能發揮的作用。

[Cantonese] What is cultural tourism? What cultural characteristics of Hong Kong might attract tourists? In this episode we explore the possibilities of diversifying Hong Kong’s tourism and the role that design can play in enriching tourists’ experience in the city.

〔粵〕從黑膠唱片、錄音帶、光碟，到數碼串流平台，隨着數碼時代的來臨，不同的創作媒介經歷了多番變遷。近年，我們卻發現物理載體再次成為潮流。數碼科技對我們生活的塑造和影響會否使我們完全捨棄物理媒介？

〔粵〕什麼是導示系統設計wayfinding design？今集我們邀請了在建築事務所從事導示系統設計的Charles吳霆鋒和Henry葉振軒談談這個在香港比較不為人知的設計領域。

[Cantonese] What is wayfinding design? Let’s have a conversation and find out with wayfinding designers Charles Ng and Henry Yip who work for an architectural firm in Hong Kong.

〔粵〕人工智能工具日新月異，圖像與文字生成技術已成基本配置，而圖像處理、風格模仿等功能的效率與品質亦日趨成熟。數星期前，設計軟件龍頭公司 Adobe 更發佈和示範了圖文排版相關的生成式技術。設計師是否正面臨被人工智能取代的危機？設計的本質能否被人工智能完全理解並應用？

[Cantonese] Generative AI tools are flooding the market, which can in fact generate rather decent pictures, imitating existing visual styles. Several weeks ago, Adobe announced generative AI-based page layout tools. Are designers at risk for being replaced by AI? Can the essence of design be fully understood and utilised by AI?

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‘Design is to design a design to produce a design.’ – John Heskett

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‘No, Watson, this wasn’t done by accident, but by design.’ — Sherlock Holmes

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‘Why, at a time when communication systems of all kinds are increasing in scope and complexity, we should feel bound by any narrow definition of the scope of graphic design, I don’t know. But we still are.’

‘Only two things could stop the graphic designer from growing up with the rest of the technological world: a failure to familiarise himself with the new areas of knowledge springing up alongside his own; and an inability to free himself from the strait-jacket of his preconceptions about the kind of tasks with which he expects to be confronted.’

– Ken Garland, Graphics handbook, 1966

〔粵〕還記得radiodada嗎？2010年4月7日受設計師Paul Ng邀請，到radiodada位於朗豪坊地庫雪糕店旁的直播室，做In-house節目的嘉賓。當年podcast網紅仍未盛行、YouTube方興未艾的時候，以很正經傳統電台節目的形式，和Paul談了個半小時typography，現場直播。Paul Ng是香港少有我和他對typography想法相近的設計師，個半小時的節目過得很快，東拉西扯把積累多年的想法都一一說了出來。很愉快！

[Cantonese] Back in 2010, I was invited by fellow designer Paul Ng to appear as a guest on the internet radio station Radiodada in a show called Design In-house. We spent an hour and a half talking about typography. Radiodada was conceived and founded by Tommy Li, with a then-cutting edge website designed by Pill and Pillow. This show was aired on 7 April 2010, and we were doing it live at the basement of Langham Place in Mong Kok, in a ‘fish tank’ studio with shoppers passing by.

My email to Paul in preparation of the show is published here.

粵語 Cantonese

路政署早前在沙田大圍、中環碼頭一帶及荃灣更換了全新設計的「特色街名牌」。名牌設計用上厲向晨設計的字體文悅古典明朝體。今集(in)visible (de)signs請來道路研究社的Gary邱益彰和Thomas吳灝民從信息設計的角度探討這個具爭議性設計的種種問題。

主持：Keith Tam、Kiki Yau
嘉賓：道路研究社Gary Yau、Thomas Ng

延伸閱讀：

道路研究社：路牌亂改字體　隨時危害道路安全
集誌社：街名牌轉字體用咗幾多錢？
明報：路邊考現：換上「文悅古典明朝體」 街名牌難認 文化氣息搭夠？
Ole Lund: The public debate on Jock Kinneir's road sign alphabet
Robert Waller: Comparing typefaces for airport signs