It was so good to be back in Hongkong over Christmas. It felt very much like we had been away for a long holiday and came home. Very weird. Of course we spent a lot of time with friends but we also had the chance to see some projects we worked on the past year like this City Square logo and a MTR-ad at Wan Chai (exit A5 and A1/2). Hopefully 2016 will continue to bring projects and reasons to come back.
Number two in the summer-refill popsicle series: the Sangria Pop! This one is super refreshing and healthy. We ate all six of them in a day. Definitely our favourite recipe so far:)! Enjoy summer, dear friends…
It’s summer… even here in the Netherlands temperatures are on the rise. Regular visitors of our blog will remember the legendary Summer Refill Recipes of 2014 and 2013; some yummy smoothies to boost your energy while working through the hot and steamy season.
This year we turned our logo upside-down to do a Iced Popsicle series. In order to make these brown beauties, you only need a simple ice-cream mould and a couple of wooden sticks.
Brew some strong coffee… keep the coffee in the fridge for half an hour to cool down. In the meantime pour some of the cream (add sugar) into the mould and put it in the freezer. After 2 hours or so, you can add the cold coffee mixed with the cream-leftovers. The next day you can enjoy your favourite coffee in a frozen version:)… Happy weekend!
A lot of people ask how it feels to set up life again back in Amsterdam. A HK friend sent me a blogpost about ‘reversed culture shock’ and I recognise the emotions that are portrayed in the quote below:
“It hurts but there are so many people so very happy to have us back here. And we don’t want to disappoint them so sometimes we avoid talking about our feelings.(…) The transition material tells me that a new beginning starts with an ending. The rites of passage of ancient cultures teach us to face the end, embrace the grief, and move through to the new. Denial, slap a happy-face emoticon on it, fake-it-’til-you-make-it, just won’t do. Honest tears help wash the soul.”
On a lighter note: it’s so much fun to keep working on projects in Hongkong. It helps somehow to still feel part of what’s happening in the city. One of the projects I finished last week is this logo design for Urban Delight. They took over the Foodwalk business I wrote about here. The ribbon meanders through the word ‘urban’ as a visualisation of a route through the city. I think it’s an adventurous metaphor for an amazing food adventure.
Oh I will miss the gritty, charming, colourful Wan Chai. Happy that I could work on the branding of CWS (Child Welfare Scheme) charity race, coming up in March. The typical Wan Chai colour pattern makes me feel warm inside, although I know a lot is going on out there that would give me goose-bumps at the same time.
That paradox is perfectly captured in this app-walk as well. You can download it if you like to get to know the area better. A neighbourhood that is fascinating enough to make you never want to leave.
I haven’t been able to post in a while due to a super busy summer with work and a trip to Europe in September. But I’m planning to make it up to you by posting about my summer projects every day for a week.
#1 – The summer issue of HN magazine came out; chock full of travel-stories in Asia. Loved to work on this!
#2 – I made this logo for an architectural firm in Shanghai. Lines become spaces…
Awesome logo design for the summer done by wesleepintents.com. I love the simplicity and strong look&feel… makes me want to jump in the water with those guys, camp out and have lots of nature adventures for the coming two months:).
Any suggestions on logo’s that really make you long for the summer ahead? Or any good Hong Kong adventures you can share for people who’ll have a ‘staycation’ this year (like me:-))? Let me know!
Just back from a trip to Shanghai for a job that is just a pleasure to be involved in. With a great team of architects and branding professionals we worked on a plan for a small shopping and dining area downtown Shanghai. This is a page out of the mood board booklet (look-book) we made. It had 6 themes for the client to explore. All the themes had something to do with the history of that area (this page is taken from the green, leafy embassy quarters chapter… my favorite:)). To be continued…
Union Church is one of my favorite buildings in town. It’s the one physical place where I find spiritual rest. For me a personal necessity in a bustling, high-demanding city like Hong Kong. Unfortunately the old, leaking building is going to be replaced by a new one… I felt sad at first because already so many characteristic area’s seem to disappear.
I’ve seen the architects work on new plans and I can’t help to feel excited at the same time! So much more space and recourses to do what churches are supposed to do; providing a place for those who are in need, and shelter for the ones who need rest and inspiration for life. With that in mind, I made the logo for the ‘Building Union for the Future’ project. A lush, leafy tree that grows from a small acorn; hopefully the start of an oasis in Hong Kong.
Remember I wrote about this unique wedding in Macau, and how Chinese, Portuguese and international culture blended together in the time of preparation? Well, I received some stunning pictures from Norris and Carlos of their big day. They used the logo I made for them on a backdrop for the venue. Looks like a classy Oscar-gala, no:)?
Studio Refill Ltd 