Hong Kong Designers Association Design Summit cum Brand Design Awards 2024: Connecting Design Professionals and Fostering Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration

HONG KONG, March 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hong Kong Designers Association (HKDA) is proud to launch the Hong Kong Design Summit 2024 , themed "Design Fusion: Bridging Creativity and Industry", a groundbreaking event that will take place on 14^th March, 2024 at sky100, International Commerce Centre. As the first and largest premier design-business event of its kind, the Design Summit aims to provide an unparalleled platform for design professionals, corporates, and brands to connect, collaborate, and showcase their excellence in design. Alongside the Design Summit, HKDA is also excited to present the second edition of the prestigious Brand Design Awards, which celebrate exceptional brands from the unique perspective of designers. This extraordinary event promises to be a catalyst for networking, innovation, and propelling creative ventures to new heights, while honouring the transformative power of design.

The Hong Kong Design Summit 2024 invites professionals from a diverse range of design fields, including graphics, spatial, product, education, digital media, and fashion design. It also welcomes corporates and brands that integrate design into their business strategies. With over 1,000 participants, including corporate management leaders, brand representatives, and government department officials, attendees have the chance to pre-schedule up to 33 meetings with potential business partners and customers through HKDA's latest initiative DesignMatch. 

The Hong Kong Design Summit 2024 is honored to have the presence of Mr. LAI Yat Ching, Anson, JP, Deputy Director-General of Trade and Industry (Bilateral Trade, Controls & Industries Support), Trade and Industry Department; Prof. Eric Yim, Chairman of Hong Kong Design Centre; Mr. Kevin Yeung, Chairman of Hong Kong Fashion Designers Association; Mr. Horace Pan, Chairman of Hong Kong Interior Design Association; and Mr. William To, Executive Director of PMQ MANAGEMENT CO. LTD.

During the opening ceremony, Mr. LAI Yat Ching, JP congratulated the winners of the Brand Design Awards (BDA) and reiterated the importance of the integration between design and business, emphasizing that design is not only an artistic expression but also a driving force for economic development. Ms. Mui Kinoshita, the Chairman of the Hong Kong Designers Association (HKDA) also emphasized the importance of fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration and showcasing local design excellence at her opening remarks.

Strengthens Collaboration with Mainland China Companies to Expand Opportunities for Designers

In conjunction with the Design Summit, HKDA is also delighted to sign memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with three prominent Mainland China and Hong Kong companies at the opening ceremony of Hong Kong Design Summit. These collaborations aim to support HKDA members in promoting their services and products to the Greater Bay Area, while facilitating Chinese brands and enterprises in their global expansion efforts as well as committed to fostering a collaborative environment within the design community.

The first company, Shenzhen 喜人集團 will provide consultation and cooperation opportunities to Hong Kong designers on corporate IP digital transformation. This partnership aims to incubate high-quality brands in Hong Kong and facilitate their growth in the Mainland Chinese market. Additionally, HKDA will be provided with free office space in the prestigious China Resources Building, located in Shenzhen.

The second company, Green Tomato Academy (GTA), a training academy specializing in UX/UI design, software development and digital marketing in Hong Kong will collaborate with HKDA on design education through various initiatives. They will offer co-branded certificates for design courses, targeting professionals, educators, and students. Both organizations will co-promote these courses through their websites and social media platforms. They will also work together to develop and deliver high-quality design programs, utilizing their expertise for comprehensive learning experiences. 

Lastly, Made-in-China.com, will promote HKDA flagship project Global Design Awards winners (GDA), Sponsorship for International Design Awards winners (SIDA) and Hong Kong Designers Association recommended products within their extensive B2B global buyer network, offering them valuable exposure and opportunities to expand their reach. To further connect China's design and manufacturing resources with global market demand, Made-in-china.com and HKDA launched a new initiative "Play Together", making design not only a cultural expression but also a force that promotes economic development and social progress, achieving mutual commercial benefits. 

Unleashing Creativity and Collaboration: Hong Kong Design Summit 2024

The Hong Kong Design Summit 2024 offers a range of exciting highlights. With over 80 designers or brands participating, the event showcases the latest products, innovative solutions, and creative services in visually captivating booths. It provides a unique opportunity to explore the cutting-edge designs and creations that are shaping the industry. 

Networking opportunities also abound at the Design Summit, with DesignMatch offering one-on-one prescheduled business matching sessions. Attendees can take advantage of this platform to engage with key players in the design industry, fostering connections and exploring potential collaborations. With the ability to schedule up to 30 meetings in one day, participants can maximize their networking efforts and forge valuable partnerships. DesignMatch is one of the latest initiatives launched by HKDA in 2023 aiming to act as a linkage between designers and corporates, since it's pilot run in 2023, it has been successfully lined up different companies and designers on various projects including Sino property service, The Sandbox and B.Duck.

In addition to networking, the Design Summit also features insightful conference sessions hosted by the Brand Design Awards 2024 winners that help expand attendees' knowledge and keep them abreast of the latest trends. Award-winning brand experts conducted engaging brand x design sharing sessions, providing valuable insights and perspectives on the intersection of branding and design. These sessions offer a unique opportunity to gain industry insights, learn from experts, and stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly evolving design landscape. 

Brand Design Awards

Another highlight of the Hong Kong Design Summit 2024 is the prestigious award presentation ceremony of the Brand Design Awards. Brand Design Awards is a new initiative by HKDA started in 2023, it's the inaugural and only brand award recognised by professional designers in Hong Kong, is dedicated to honouring and promoting outstanding and creative brand designs and widely recognised by large-scale businesses and organisations. The Brand Design Awards invited professional designers or organizations to nominate entries for the competition, which were then reviewed by a professional jury based on three aspects: brand story, development, and achievements, and five evaluation criteria: brand image, innovation & tech, market value, sustainability and user experience.

In the opening of the Brand Design Awards presentation ceremony, Dr. Lo Kam Wing, BBS, JP, Honorary Chairman of the Brand Development Council, emphasized the significance of design, highlighting that exceptional brand design goes beyond mere aesthetics. Dr. Lo emphasized that it has the power to empower a company, product, or service to tell a captivating story and foster lasting connections. Furthermore, Dr. Lo extended his congratulations to the winners of the Brand Design Awards 2024, recognizing their dedication to excellence and innovation in their respective brands.

The award presentation ceremony is a momentous occasion that both celebrates and inspires, showcasing the pinnacle of excellence in the world of brand design. Building upon the tremendous success of last year's Brand Design Awards, this year's edition has attracted over 200 local and international brands from a diverse range of industries, further solidifying its esteemed reputation within the industry. 

As part of the exciting developments, the Brand Design Awards introduced the highly coveted "Best of the Best" awards. These awards recognize exceptional entries based on a combination of the initial online judging phase, where the brands' submissions were evaluated, and the onsite presentation phase, where the shortlisted brands had the opportunity to present their case in person. With a comprehensive assessment of the brand's overall excellence, impact, and alignment with the judging criteria, three remarkable brands have emerged as winners of the "Best of the Best" award.

From a pool of top 56 winning entries, the judges have carefully evaluated the brands' overall excellence, impact and alignment with the selection criteria in their respective fields. It is with great pleasure that we announce BOB – Bottle of Bread, K11 Musea  and One Plus Partnership Limited as the exceptional winners of the "Best of the Best" award. These brands have demonstrated unparalleled excellence and their selection as winners is a testament to their outstanding achievements.

The award presentation ceremony is a moment of celebration as we honor these remarkable brands and draw inspiration from their groundbreaking contributions to the world of design.

BDA 2024 List of awardees listed in Appendix A. 

The Hong Kong Design Summit 2024 cum Brand Design Awards 2024 came to a perfect conclusion with a splendid performance by Mr. Alan Po, lead vocalist of well-known band Mr.

For more information about the Hong Kong Designers Association Design Summit 2024, please visit https://www.hkda.hk/design-summit 

For high res images of event, please download from google drive link below: https://bit.ly/3IW54BD

Appendix A

*In Alphabetical order 

Best of the Best 

Grand Award of the Year 

Best Award – Best Brand Image Award

Best Award – Best Innovation Brand Award

Best Award – Best Market Brand Award

Best Award – Best Sustainability Brand Award

Best Award – Best User Experience Brand Award

source: Hong Kong Designers Association