Designer: Kan Tai-Keung, Chinese

Item: HL. 86

Title: Nouveau Salon des cent,
Hommage a Toulouse-Lautrec.

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The Designer - Kan Tai-Keung

Born 1942 in China, he moved to Hong Kong in 1957.

After spending ten years as apprentice and tailor, he took up design studies in applied design course at the Department of Extramural Studies, Chinese University of Hong Kong. From 1967, Kan started his career as designer, the awards he received had brought him to immediate prominence. In 1976, he founded his own design company.

Kan has received numerous awards in both Hong Kong and international competitions. Among them include numerous awards in Creativity Show, New York; Best Design Corporate Identity, Asian Advertising Award; Gold Award, International Art Competition, Los Angeles; CLIO Award, Finalist Certificates, New York; Best work in 'Applied Typography 6' Yearbook, Japan; Gold Award in Mercury Award, New York; numerous CA Awards, New York; 1st Prize in the 1st International Computer Art Biennale in Rzeszaw, Poland;

in Hong Kong, he was the first designer elected as one of the 'Ten Outstanding Young Persons'; the only designer to receive the Urban Council Design Grand Award (Best Designer of the Exhibition); Artist of the Year Award - Designer of the Year, 'Men of the Nineties', Outstanding Achievements Award, Honour of Bronze Bauhinia Star in Outstanding Artists and Designers of the 20th Century.

Kan's accomplishments have earned him international publicity through exposures in prominent publications such as the special features in IDEA magazine, Creation magazine, Ryuko Tsushin magazine and Morisawa Ouarterly, Japan; Graphis, Switzerland; NOVUM, Germany; and Communication Arts, U.S.A., etc. He was the only Chinese selected by Japan's prestigious design magazine IDEA as one of the 100 World's Graphic Designers; and is the first Chinese to be included in Who's Who in Graphic Design of Switzerland. He also has design work collections in Staatliches Museum of Munchen in Germany; Museum fur Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg; Museum of Decorative Art in Denmark; University of Connecticut and the Union des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, Hong Kong Heritage Museum, Suntory Design Museum and Ogaki Poster Museum in Japan.

Kan takes an active role in educating and promoting art and design as a profession. He lectures frequently in Hong Kong and overseas institutions, acting as advisors for associations and adjudicates at competitions. He is now the Fellow Member of Hong Kong Designers Association, Fellow Member of the Chartered Society of Designers, Honorary Ambassador of International Trademark Center, Belgium; Member of Alliance Graphique Internationale; Vice-Editor for Chinese Design Yearbook, China; Guest Professor of Central Institute of Fine Arts, Beijing; Guest Professor of Wuxi University of Light Industry, School of Design; Advisor of Leisure & Cultural Services and Honorary Advisor of Hong Kong Museum of Art. Kan has written eight books on design principles. He currently editing a series of books on 'Graphic Design in China'. His significance and influential role has won him a distinctive position in the design world.