Setting Direction for Your Business : Eight Types of Design Entrepreneurship Models
My friend has a little “master” at home who can talk endlessly about the popular personality‑prediction methods out there—Tarot cards, the Enneagram, the twelve zodiac signs, the twelve Chinese zodiac animals, blood‑type personality theories, and so on. She can talk for an hour or two without getting tired. If you have a child at home, especially one who has just entered the early teenage years, you’ll understand what I mean.
Once, when I visited my friend’s house, the little master approached me again and wanted to chat.
“Uncle, do you think destiny determines personality, or does personality determine destiny?” she asked.
“It depends on what you mean by destiny. Are you talking about genetic inheritance, family and educational background, life circumstances, the situation, the overall trend of the world, or the future? This is a question of definition; if you don’t clarify, you can easily be misled,” I replied.
I thought to myself that if I answered the former and she was referring to the future, I would have to spend a lot of effort arguing how the future determines personality. Conversely, if I answered the latter and she was referring to innate genetics or past influences, it would be even harder to explain how personality determines the past.
“I’m not going to play with you anymore, asking such boring questions!” The little girl saw how serious I was and walked away, bored.
In fact, the concepts of destiny and personality cover a lot of the same content. Factors such as genetic inheritance and family background are often used to define both destiny and personality, so a slight misstep can easily lead to mistakes. Of course, the question the little master asked also includes a key word: “determination.”
What counts as a “determination”? Is there a necessary causal relationship involved?
Whether the question has an answer is secondary, but the motivation behind it reflects the doubts and anxieties that most people have about the future. The little master feels this way, and so do we all. Therefore, as long as there are people, psychological tests and divination will always have a market. For those whose profession is design, of course they also want to know how their path can unfold, whether there are precedents to learn from, and patterns to follow.
How Can Designers Embark on the Entrepreneurial Path？
In 2009, the Center for Entrepreneurship at the Chinese University of Hong Kong received funding from the “Create Hong Kong” Design Smart Initiative Programme. Over a fourteen‑month period the team launched a case study titled “Entrepreneurial Roadmap for Designers.” The research aimed to understand how locally self‑funded designers in Hong Kong take their first steps into entrepreneurship and how they grow through different experiences.
The idea for the study originated from a workshop titled “Entrepreneurship is My Destiny – Workshop for Design and Creative Industries,” jointly organized by the CUHK Center for Entrepreneurship and the Hong Kong Design Centre. Over the years of developing and promoting this programme, many guest speakers and industry peers expressed that they, like everyone else, faced the same challenges: fierce local market competition, rapid technological change, a deteriorating Western and European economy, rising operating costs, and shifting business opportunities. How to respond to adversity and break through? This became the focus for entrepreneurs to develop their creativity and manage their businesses, and also the lens through which the study examined how Hong Kong design entrepreneurs develop their businesses.
The ten design entrepreneurs in the case study each seized opportunities in their own way within an industry that values novelty and originality. These designers come from different generations and design fields, including senior veterans Kan Tai-Keung (靳埭強) and Tommy Li (李永銓), and next‑generation representatives Hong Ko (高少康) and Javin Mo (毛灼然), among others. Their businesses vary greatly in scale and operating models.
For example, product designers Alan Yip (葉智榮) and Winnif Pang (彭志江) both insist on operating on a small scale and strive to build their own brands independently. Architect and interior designer Steve Leung (梁志天) and fashion designer Koyo William Cheung (張國威), on the other hand, choose to focus on building systems and teams, operating on a larger scale, and actively consider new equity arrangements to expand their businesses. In terms of business models, toy‑design entrepreneur Raymond Choy (蔡漢成) opts for licensing to develop his large toy‑figurine line. Young designer Viola Pak (白智慧) still fights hard in the fiercely competitive design‑consultancy market, striving to break through.
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Designer’s Profile
Kan Tai-Keung (靳埭強)，born in 1942 in Panyu, Guangdong, is an internationally renowned Hong Kong designer. Originally a tailor, he settled in Hong Kong in 1957 and later studied design courses at the Continuing Education Department of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. In 1967 he entered the field of graphic design. In 1976 he co‑founded the New City Design and Production Company. In 1988 the company was reorganised as Kan Tai-Keung Design Company, where he served as Creative Director. In 1996 it was renamed Kan & Lau Design Consultants. Kan has received numerous awards, and he is also passionate about art education and professional development. His works are widely collected by museums.Tommy Li (李永銓)，born in 1960 in Hong Kong, graduated from the Design Department of Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He is a designer and brand consultant of Hong Kong’s new generation, known for his distinctive style that blends black humor with bold visuals. His work spans Hong Kong, China, Japan, and Italy. In 2005 he was inaugurated as a member of the AGI International Graphic Design Alliance. In 2008 he received the World Outstanding Chinese Award from the World Chinese Association.
毛灼然 (Javin Mo)，graduated from the Hong Kong Baptist University’s School of Communication and works in graphic design. In 2004, he was invited to Benetton’s FABRICA communication research center in Italy, where he served as the art director for the in-house magazine “FAB”. After returning to Hong Kong in 2006, he founded the Milkxhake studio, specializing in graphic and interactive design. His work has been recognized in numerous local and international design competitions, including: ADC Young Guns Award (from the New York Art Directors Club) in 2006. Distinguished Communication Graduate Award from Hong Kong Baptist University in 2008. Since 2009, he has served as the creative and design director of “Design 360”, the only bilingual concept and design magazine in Mainland China.
高少康(Hong Ko)，excels in typeface design, brand building, identity design, and graphic design. He graduated from the Department of Fine Arts at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2000, joining Kan & Lau Design the same year, where he later rose to the position of art director. In 2002, he was awarded a scholarship to pursue an MA in Art at the University of London. In 2007, he was appointed general manager of Kan & Lau Design (Shenzhen), where he focused on expanding the company’s mainland China operations.
Alan Yip (葉智榮)，an internationally renowned product designer, has worked for Frog Design in California, USA, and Philips’ Design Headquarters in Eindhoven, Netherlands. In 1990, he founded Alan Yip Design Ltd., whose design works have won numerous awards.
Winnif Pang (彭志江)，a graduate of the Industrial Design Department at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, is the founder of Winnif Studio Ltd and Zanif Design Consulting Company. She works in product design and has provided professional consulting services for many well‑known overseas brands.
Viola Pak (白智慧)，is the Creative Director and founder of Eggshell Creative Limited, a Hong Kong brand and design consultancy. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design and a Master in Design Strategy from the School of Design at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She is a full member of the Hong Kong Designers Association and has taught an advanced Marketing course at City University of Hong Kong.
Steve Leung (梁志天)， holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Hong Kong and a Master of Urban Planning. In 1997 he founded Steve Leung Architects Ltd. and Steve Leung Design Ltd., where he has been responsible for the interior design of numerous luxury residences. His work is renowned for its people‑centric, simple, and pure aesthetic, and he has received countless awards for his designs.
Koyo William Cheung (張國威)，founder and creative director of the KOYO JEANS brand, specializes in crafting stage and concert images for film and television celebrities.
Raymond Choy (蔡漢成)，born in 1965, is the founder and president of Toy2R Group Ltd, a toy‑creation virtuoso and the design director of the Qee brand. Toy2R is a globally renowned enterprise that integrates toy creation, design, production, manufacturing, and wholesale. It champions the philosophy that “everyone can design,” and its Qee doll series has become a darling of the design world. With unwavering commitment to the creative industry, his company has earned countless awards, and he has become a globally recognized international designer, driving the development of Hong Kong’s creative sector.
Eight Types of Entrepreneurship for Designers
From the research conducted in the “Entrepreneurship is My Destiny” workshop and the “Designing an Entrepreneurship Roadmap” study, the research team ultimately came up with a framework of “Eight Types of Entrepreneurship.” These eight distinct entrepreneurial orientations involve different trade‑offs in handling creative talent, managerial skill, portfolio, opportunities, resources, advantages, creative space, and scale differences.
Designers who start businesses primarily around creativity seek different positions within the industry at various stages of their careers, and these positions continually evolve. These positions can be understood as different entrepreneurial behavior types, including: Apprentice, Artist, Merchant, Agent, Consultant, Entrepreneur, Platform Host, and Thought Leader. Throughout different stages of their careers, design entrepreneurs transform and reposition themselves under the combined influence of talent, portfolio, and creative space. Although some individuals may hold multiple positions simultaneously, they typically lead with one or two, shaping their career path.
For example, a consultant can also be a thought leader. Below, each type is explained point by point.
Apprentice（學徒）
Some entrepreneurs begin their journeys as apprentices. Those who have long harbored a desire for independence, in particular, approach their work with the mindset of a disciple, diligently committing every lesson from their “master” to memory during the apprenticeship phase. Some apprentices receive formal training at reputable design schools, while others learn on the job at creative agencies. As they equip themselves, the creative methods, management standards, technologies, trades, projects, and clients they encounter help them build resources and capabilities. The more diverse an apprentice’s experience, the larger the organizations and projects they have worked with, and the deeper their involvement, the more it shapes how they will later apply knowledge and creativity to solve problems. Of course, there will always be self‑taught geniuses who, through practice and guidance from predecessors, can achieve mastery with their own abilities.
Apprentice（學徒）
Learn as you go, head toward your goal, and forge your own path!
Artist（藝術家）
Artists require a very high degree of autonomy and personal creative space, and they do not easily yield to others. Creative freedom is paramount to them, while money is secondary. Compared with collaborating in a team, artists prefer to work independently. They are also not enthusiastic about management, because they do not want to sacrifice their own creative time to oversee others. For an artist, the greatest help comes from encountering a patron. In feudal societies, only emperors, generals, bishops, and local leaders (wealthy landowners, warlords) had the means to support and commission their work. In modern times, when seeking patrons in the creative market, one must first find an intermediary company that understands the market and can open doors. New designers and creators rely on creative platforms, advertising agencies, production companies, talent agencies, and angel investors to grow..
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Artist（藝術家）
Money isn’t the most important issue but creative freedom is!
Merchant（商人）
Merchants are more pragmatic than artists; when balancing creative ideas with market demands, they tend toward the latter and focus on short‑term survival. To preserve enough revenue to keep the company running, they generally are not picky about client selection, which often results in a lack of focus on business development. Because merchants’ bargaining power is weaker than that of clients, they adapt their creativity and execution to client demands in order not to lose business, thereby losing their own style. Moreover, a lack of sufficiently attractive portfolios and opportunities to exercise creativity makes it difficult for merchants to attract and retain creative talent. If a company wants to continue growing into a sizable enterprise, it must remain competitive in efficiency and price, using profit, workload, and scale as its goals, while relying on other partners for creative input. The most important quality for a merchant is “reliability.”
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Merchant（商人）
Money is the most important issue; creative freedom is not.
Agent（代理人）
An agent doesn’t need to be a designer or have execution power; all he needs is a market instinct, the ability to judge good from bad design, and a wide network of contacts that can match undiscovered creative talent with clients and turn them into super‑stars. That is where his value lies. Clients come under the pretense of seeking something good from him, hoping to profit and gain acclaim. He is the intermediary who facilitates transactions, the push in a market economy. To earn clients’ trust, an agent must possess curatorial and fundraising skills, presenting the story behind the work and even amplifying it. The quality of these stories often determines a brand’s rise or fall.
Agent（代理人）
Matching talent with the market is my mission!
Consultant（顧問）
To maintain a professional identity, consultants are not as easily compromised as merchants; instead, they focus on selecting the right clients. Unlike artists, consultants view managerial talent as a crucial part of the business, preserving the team’s professional image. To keep a high level of innovation and service quality, consultants must spend time setting standards, guiding the design process, and ensuring work is completed on schedule. Only then do they have sufficient justification to charge high consulting fees. Ordinary consultants lack the scale and capability of entrepreneurs and do not have a talent army capable of handling multiple large projects simultaneously.
Consultant（顧問）
“If you follow the method I suggested, you can achieve even brighter results!”
Enterprise Builder（企業家）
Entrepreneurs are builders of systems. To manage a large, even cross‑regional, cross‑national, cross‑cultural creative team, they must establish structures to oversee multiple business functions. To keep communication and information flowing between different regions, companies need to employ integrated design‑and‑production software and information‑technology infrastructure. Production, sales, and financial reports generated from these system data help the management team organize operations and anticipate future challenges. To sustain scale, entrepreneurs must devote substantial time to building sales networks, production systems, and creative teams.
Enterprise Builder（企業家）
To run a company, you need a system—only with proper management can it continue to grow.
Platform Host（平台主持）
Whether it is an entrepreneur or a platform host, both are highly skilled at building systems and processes. However, the former applies the system only within the organization, while the latter extends it outward, creating a win‑win situation for the platform’s participants—especially the talented ones. Apple and Google are a good example: through the App Store and Android Market, they allow creative talent to showcase their skills, and customers can conveniently download applications at reasonable prices. The platform thus creates enormous economic value. Compared with business builders, platform hosts need to spend more time building communities of creators and users.
Platform Host（平台主持）
I can help fellow participants create a win‑win situation!
Thought Leader（思想領袖）
Rather than being entrepreneurs, thought leaders are more like religious leaders. Their perspectives on the design industry can reshape the industry’s self‑image, and they also introduce new ideas, styles, design processes, and business standards. Thought leaders typically serve as judges in design competitions. Their views on design and design management are disseminated through news coverage, interviews, and their own writings, and some even teach at design schools. For a thought leader, leaving a cultural legacy is as important as running a business.
Thought Leader（思想領袖）
I am happy to share my vision for the industry and my ideas and concepts about operating the business!
When will People See the Arrival of Hong Kong’s version of Muji, Apple, and Google?
While the local creative market is struggling to survive, on the other side of the Lo Wu Bridge there is still room for expansion. Because operating costs are high and competition fierce, small creative and design firms—just like their SME clients—must fight for the local market. As a result, more and more companies look northward in hopes of expanding their business.
Some companies even relocate their bases, focusing on hiring mainland talent and attracting domestic clients. If this trend continues, will local creatives gradually disappear from Hong Kong’s creative ecosystem in the near future, following Liang Wenda’s notion of the “last generation of Hong Kong cultural people,” just as we, a group of filmmakers and advertisers living in Beijing and Shanghai, have settled in the mainland?
In fact, culture and creativity are two sides of the same coin; creativity draws nourishment from culture, and culture is elevated by creativity.
To sustain Hong Kong’s creative ecosystem, the city needs more entrepreneurs, platform hosts, and thought leaders to build creative spaces, scale up, inspire enthusiasm, and provide opportunities for talent employment, growth, and learning. Compared to a stagnant situation dominated only by businessmen and a handful of top‑tier digital consultants, young creative talent needs a diversified creative environment. The question is: can we dare to dream that Hong Kong can have its own Muji, Apple, and Google?
In the past two or three years, Hong Kong’s creative ecosystem seems to be showing signs of life. A startup community composed of both overseas newcomers and local enthusiasts is gradually taking shape across Hong Kong and Kowloon. Among them are HKCommons in Sheung Wan and Lai Chi Kok, Hive in Wan Chai, Cocoon in Tin Hau, and Good Lab in Cheung Sha Wan. These co‑working spaces were introduced from Europe and America, based on open‑plan workspaces and shared facilities, and champion a culture of collaborative community. They promote each other’s work and collaboration, and regularly host business talks and demo days, inviting outsiders and investors to attend. These venues have become entrepreneurial platforms for both local and foreign creatives, whose eyes are not limited to the Hong Kong market; many of them are startups with a global outlook. Thanks to the relentless management of the platform hosts, the locations have expanded from initially focusing on IT and tech startups to include design, culture, education, arts, environmental protection, social enterprises, and other fields.
These newly established co‑working spaces, along with the already established Fotanian and the JCCAC creative community in Shek Kip Mei, and the tech, digital entertainment, and design companies housed in business incubators such as Digital Harbour, Science Park, and Innovation Centre, plus the soon‑to‑open PMQ on Hollywood Road in Central and the forthcoming Wan Chai Animation Base, are gradually creating a cluster effect. Does this mean that Hong Kong’s creative ecosystem is poised for revival?
Entrepreneurial spirit is very important for Hong Kong. Creative entrepreneurship not only brings employment opportunities but also nurtures more creative talent in Hong Kong, thereby making the city more attractive to overseas creative professionals.
However, a business environment that is harsh for SMEs, dominated and monopolized by real estate and finance, makes it difficult for us to attract and retain a creative class.
Originally published in “Entrepreneurship is My Destiny: 8 Essential Lessons for Designers” (志在創業 : 設計師創業8堂必修課)
Published and distributed by ET Press
Publication date: December 2013