Interviews with Tom Chan

I've been a self-taught graphics designer for 15 years now. I've done work for my metal manufacturing company, for some online freelance job clients, a few friends and a lot of work for myself / own company! I'm pleased that some of the work is patented and accoladed.

My formal education is Economics in London and Business for my masters, also London. My work background also includes insight specialist for data science company and product development in my family metal firm.

I would like to say I've always loved creating eye-candy, and that's somehow true, but more specifically, teenager me used to browse razorart.com (now defunct), then deviantart and drool over the works by the masters there. I thought if one day I can make something of those calibre I would be a very happy guy!

I think there are many factors: it has to perform the function perfectly, look desirable, produced consistently well, and marketed smartly so people know its value. Any one missing and the design may not last or take off. Modernistic, simplistic, bold, tidy are some words I might use to describe my pieces.

When the work is realised: Aside from relief, sometimes it is indifference. Because you've been working with the design and developing it for so long you become a bit numb even when a physical form is realised. In fact, sometimes it is anticipation, because you want the design to be successful and work well.

However, there are times of intense elation when a perfect solution pops into mind, too.

I grew up in a very grounded and practical household. My family was very Asian: not much talking, quite methodical, and very much a results-driven culture. Fast paced, too. Then I moved to the UK, I spent 10 years studying and working there. I think the British culture rubbed off on me as well. My background informed me to adopt the same practical, understated, respectful, unassuming, individualistic approach to design and visual communications.

I would design the dream office for our firm Hazuto Ltd once the time comes.

I think it is important to have a mentor or at least a tenured professional to guide you. Progression will be much faster and less lonely!

We live in a commercial world and I think sometimes, a wonderful design doesn't always win. People are affected by all types of biases, constraints, emotions. So don't take it personally. I think luck also play a part too.

I have a day job at a metal manufacturing company as designer and business manager, so my day looks pretty typical as an officer worker! But I spend my evenings cooking, working on my designs, playing games and reading.

I think Reddot, iF, A' design awards are all good resources to see what's new every year. To an extent trends are important because they are a reflection of the times we live in. Understanding trends may help make our own designs more relevant to the times.

Wow there are many answers for me. I agree with many that design is a solution to a problem. Something has to work well to be good design. In particular, the person using it should use it with ease and the product should make his life easier. A better design should provoke attractive emotions through visual appeal. Sometimes a design is good design because the user "just like it". A great design will continuously excite the user nearly every time he uses it, and make him look forward to using it, too. I think if a majority of people say something is a good design, it probably is.

Ask me again in 10 years time and maybe my answers become completely different!

It is normally a collaborative and organic process. If my stakeholders agree to move forward I am also happy to oblige. However, if I feel a design is not realistic, or too "fluffy" or looks ugly, I will continue to work on it until I am happy.

Working on our company's flagship power socket box is important because its success was a milestone after 2 long years of design work and manufacturing sourcing.

Too many legends I followed that inspired me. Ilya Kuvshinov is the one that blows my mind every piece he does.

My lifestyle and culture can be summarised with these key words: real (with a side of cynicism), devil may care attitude, honest, integrity, keen, respectful, genuine, man of few words, understated, subtle, caring.

In my wife's words: True to form as a meticulous designer, Tom has a (notoriously) high standard. We have positively driven many of our suppliers crazy with the hazuto chopping board. So rest assured everything you see when you hold a hazuto board has been carefully deliberated and assembled. Some keys words colleagues have used to describe me: introvert, deliberative, detail oriented, reliable, meek.

I think designers are empowered to do good for the society and environment. At the core they are solution providers. If the materials are harmful to our world, designers are one piece of the puzzle to give an alternative that nudges people to choose a better option. However, i think everyone is involved, from the consumers, policy-makers, regulators to academics, media and enterprise.

I was grateful for all the additional tips on product photography and presentation guidelines given by the A' award. In the process I also spent a lot of time combing design award winners - this further informed my copywriting. Of course, we will be using the award for our product's marketing heavily.

I was partly inspired by the endless technology product varieties that seemed to encompass us now. I am drawn to some of their use of contrasting metallic elements, to bold visual results. The concept culminated from a daydreaming moment, where I thought a chopping board bound by a metal rim could look engaging and robust. Shouldn't have been a surprise given I work in a metal parts factory and I'm the home cook!

I wish I could tell you an epic story of how I got inspired by legendary art movements or design legends though I guess the idea just popped up through all the consumer products that touch us.

We just wanted to make a board we would be proud to use that looks cool, bold and eyecatchingly different. I'm sure some people out there will agree and absolutely love it too.

We are now at the ending stages of sourcing and starting to order large batches of parts. The hazuto board will be available on Amazon, eBay, HKTVmall, and many other outlets for purchase once we are ready.

The main concept was an eureka moment during a daydreaming moment, so the form and look came instantly. The details (such as screw locations, materials, rim dimensions, grit finishing) took around 2 months to be finalised.

Has it ever happened to you that sometimes an amazing product idea just pops into your mind, and you didn’t do anything about it and later on found out someone else “copied” your idea? With enough regrets already, we said to ourselves “what the hell, let’s do it”, therefore the birth of hazuto ltd. and hazuto chopping board.

We are of course open to options at the moment, but we are also having plans to produce it going forwards.

Looking back, it shouldn't have been a surprise given I work in a metal parts factory and I'm the home cook! So something for the kitchen sounds about right.

One of my favourite designs of all time is the iPhone 4. You can immediately see the similarities!

I think someone who uses the hazuto board very much is a metropolitan smaller household, people who share our enthusiasm for things well made and aesthetically desirable. There are so many alternatives for kitchen boards, from bamboo to compressed fibres to anti-bacterial plastics, someone who chooses the hazuto board almost uses it as a design fixture as well to be hung around. The lifestyle involving using serving boards could be a bit more affluent, involving cheese, salmons, fruits shared on a platter.

We also want this to be a perfect gift for those in charge of the home kitchen. With the accolades and the stunning packaging the Hazuto board will not be out of place being presented to friends and family!

We looked at a ridiculous amount of kitchen boards. Many of them have handles screwed on, and even some of them have a corner handle, too. Lot of them were solely functional but didn't strike us as charming. The most similar one make an L-shaped metal handle that only covered the corner - it was the route taken by some makers that was easy to make. However, that left the rest of the board exposed and was no different from a single wood board nilly-willy. Some of the boards with a handle added on looked a bit adhoc, in our humble opinion.

Hazuto's one-piece metal rim set it apart because:

1) We really loved that industrial x rustic character about it.

2) A full rim protects the board from knocks and drops

3) With clever placement of the screws you can reinforce the wood board form to delay warping.

4) The handle would be tidily within the "confines" of the form, unlike most of the other kitchen boards out there with handles sticking out.

It's simply our take and our expression on a category overflowing with many other good ideas already.

In truth Hazuto as a word has no meaning! We just wanted a name that would be catchy and novel. Easy to pronounce, easy to find online, too.

A lot of photoshop, illustrator and freecad. We worked with another modeller to set up the STEP files.

Without a doubt the corner nook acting as a handle.

Yes, we used a freelancer modeller from Bosnia to do much of the STEP work. In our journey we also worked with 2 local wood workshops in refining the prototypes. A local lasering company helped with some of the wood etching. We had 3 Chinese suppliers making rim prototypes for us. We also met with others but the opportunity to collaborate didn't happen.

Hazuto board is a very simple product relatively speaking. But 3D modelling is helpful to mock up the aesthetics of the design, and to give consistent production instructions to different vendors.

Our research informed us the size of the board, so that it caters for a metropolitan home that is not that generous in kitchen space, but large enough for most needs including serving and chopping. Of course the wood type in terms of hardness, durability, and suitability is chosen too.

We found it was not easy to match the rim to touch all the sides of the wood boards! Especially when you have different suppliers making metal rim and woods. Secondly, the inevitable welding spot that forms the rim took a lot of labour to polish and erase.

We decided to only submit to the most well-known and rigorous awards - for us winning would be a validation and marketing tool to progress. Only the best awards will fulfill those requirements. As we are a small team, cost is also a consideration.

I was grateful for all the additional tips on product photography and presentation guidelines given by the A' award. In the process I also spent a lot of time combing design award winners - this further informed my copywriting.

Come catch us at info@hazuto.com.hk! We'd love to chat and meet new people.

I've been a self-taught graphics designer for 15 years now. I would like to say I've always loved creating eye-candy, and that's somehow true, but more specifically, teenager me used to browse razorart.com (now defunct) and drool over the works by the masters there. I was intimidated at first but their inspiration pushed me on.

Formally, I studied Economics in London, and Business for my masters.

I'm inspired by some of the masters at work today, and simply I just like pretty things - I want to contribute and share more beautiful designs to like-minded people.

Half half. I've been a self-taught graphics designer for 15 years now. I would like to say I've always loved creating eye-candy, and that's somehow true, but more specifically, teenager me used to browse razorart.com (now defunct), then deviantart and drool over the works by the masters there. I thought if one day I can make something of those calibre I would be a very happy guy!

There was also a need for product development work that nobody took up at our family business, so in a way I was put in charge to do design work without actively seeking for it.

I am most at home working on graphic design. I do a lot of logos, covers, catalogues, one-off graphics. However, in my day job and hazuto I work with some niche product and accessories, too.

I think it is important to have a mentor or at least a tenured professional to guide you. Progression will be much faster and less lonely.

A good designer ticks all the boxes of the client requirements. A great designer does that and ticks boxes that didn't even exist before.

Wow there are many answers for me. I agree with many that design is a solution to a problem. Something has to work well to be good design. In particular, the person using it should use it with ease and the product should make his life easier. A better design should provoke attractive emotions through visual appeal. Sometimes a design is good design because the user "just like it". A great design will continuously excite the user nearly every time he uses it, and make him look forward to using it, too. I think if a majority of people say something is a good design, it probably is.

Ask me again in 10 years time and maybe my answers become completely different.

There is firstly the financial argument. Something well designed will last much longer and in the long run cost less. Secondly, good design should bring joy, ease, convenience, and that alone is worth its weight in gold.

I would design the dream office for our firm Hazuto Ltd once the time comes.

The dream project would be setting up a family.

I think empathy and observation. Design without empathy for the market and user will lack reception and appeal. You need to be observant to the various functions / needs, context the product is used for to have a successful piece.

There are works from some companies there are amazing but I don't know their designers, like Vola, Buster and Punch, The abyss Table.

I want to say something pretentious and obscure but for me it will be iPhone 4. The flush form factor, the groundbreaking glass sandwich profile, the metal rim, the cool tactile feel of it... for me iphone 4 is the perfect design. It's my favourite because I'll never forget the awe and desire I felt when I first saw it in a New York subway train.

I would say my design for a box lid hinge. The design is simple but clever (in my humble opinion). It was a half circle hinge locked into a dual-channel hole, that allowed the hinge to be slid out when needed. It just works, and allowed us to avoid so many other ugly "solutions".

I think it is important to have a mentor or at least a tenured professional to guide you. Progression will be much faster and less lonely.

I would probably have been an analyst at a data company. At the beginning of my career at data science firm dunnhumby London I was offered an analyst job, which I nearly took.

Wow there are many answers for me. I agree with many that design is a solution to a problem. Something has to work well to be good design. In particular, the person using it should use it with ease and the product should make his life easier. A better design should provoke attractive emotions through visual appeal. Sometimes a design is good design because the user "just like it". A great design will continuously excite the user nearly every time he uses it, and make him look forward to using it, too. I think if a majority of people say something is a good design, it probably is.

Ask me again in 10 years time and maybe my answers become completely different.

Must be my partner-in-crime wife Mel.

If I am a great designer then there are the better and best designers out there.

If you love doing something, you'd view each challenge as a development area and become keen to improve. You'd see it more as a natural progression and evolution.

I'm more of the opinion that we should let the work speak for itself, and avoid fancy marketing jargons. We must respect our audience and their intelligence.

We've got a few ideas up in the air, let's just say it maybe pet related/ or fashion...

If I can make something some of the people love very much, I'd be happy.

I think they expect first and foremost professionalism in my interactions and work, rightly so too.

I think designers are empowered to do good for the society and environment. At the core they are solution providers. If the materials are harmful to our world, designers are one piece of the puzzle to give an alternative that nudges people to choose a better option. However, i think everyone is involved, from the consumers, policy-makers, regulators to academics, media and enterprise.

Of course, the launch of the Hazuto board***

Working on our company's flagship power socket box is important because its success was a milestone after 2 long years of design work and manufacturing sourcing.

I'd wish governments would make grants less bureaucratic to designers and inventors and artists. Of course, other measures must be used to avoid bogus claims, too.

I think more people are becoming refined, sophisticated and demanding in terms of their tastes and what they look for when they are using / buying something. Perhaps it is due to the free-flow of information at their fingertips allowing them to be better-informed.

I've done one in 2 months but also one using a year. It's hard to say.

I start with brainstorming and daydreaming. Lots of blue sky thinking. Just doodling shapes, forms, dimensions.

It's not personal -

I tend to think Design sets the trends. I think trend is almost a derivative of what is designed. i think trend comes after design, because something needs to exist before it becomes a trend. And something doesn't exist if someone doesn't design it first right?

Hazuto board is a very simple product relatively speaking. But 3D modelling is helpful to mock up the aesthetics of the design, and to give consistent production instructions to different vendors.

Heavy user of Photoshop, Illustrator, inDesign.

For 3D modelling work we partner with modellers.

My analogy would be like the icing, the sponge and the fruits of a cake. You can make a decent cake if you focused on 1 or 2 facets. But a great cake will have carefully considered icing, sponge and ingredients. You can make a decent table with bold colours if it looks nice but a lazy selection of material. Carefully co-ordinating colour, material and ambient will elevate your design to a higher level.

I'd be happy to share the gory details if they ask me What's the hardest part about making this design...

Curiousity in the design process, the inspiration for the product. Also a lot of respect and awe for the makers. A desire to "own" the product. It is a mixture of emotions~

I don't think I can develop all the designs myself - Feedback and collaboration is so very important. One man working alone could be very risky because I never believe that one person has all the answers. My ideal design partner would be someone who can compliment all the skillsets still missing in my toolbox, naturally.

Too many to list and remember :)

I would say "Information is beautiful" and "A new program for Graphic design". Also "Designed by Apple in California". " Nudge by Richard Thaler.

I'm self-taught and have been designing graphics for 15 years. Everyday I'm inspired by legends working in the field currently.

I love this question - so many but a big one would be Bryan Cranston. I'm a huge fan of Breaking Bad. In fact its inspired me to do so many things and changed my attitude to life. I just want to discuss more about his thinkings of Walter White. I would use the opportunity to also thank him for sharing such a great piece of work.

It's great - The more people know about our work, the easier it is to tell them about our newest designs. It's also easier to reach contractors, partners and more opportunities open up.

Color: it changes.. At the moment it is orange.

Place: A small town in outer London called Ealing. Very ordinary, nondescript, but I've never been calmer and more at peace than at Ealing.

Food: Pesto pasta (extra cheese)

Season: Winter

Thing: My cats

Brand: Too many. AMD. Jaeger Le Coultre. Credor. Vola. Waitrose.

I remembered being stuck on a design problem for sometime. It was to invent a box hinge that allows the lid to be taken out when needed, easily. The solution came to me when I was getting my hair cut at the salon... It was the last place I'd expected. It ended up getting my first patent.

I think maintaining a standard of work that I am proud of is a main motivation driving my designs. Coming up with a solution in an eureka moment is a great moment in my day. Seldomly happens~

Not at all - I was a boffin pretty much, perhaps a little too focused on academics as is common in Asian culture.

I think a thousand years from now we will have space colonies. We would have found hundreds of types of new materials to work with. Probably we'd be 3D printing spaceships by then. Robots will be cooking our meals, cleaning our homes. We'd be bionic humans with robotic implants everywhere. I'd like to think the world is a better place and people enjoy happier lives, even higher living standards, too.

Welcome to come to our website and take a look : www.hazuto.com.hk.

My personal ig is @tom.st.chan

I've been a self-taught graphics designer for 15 years now. I would like to say I've always loved creating eye-candy, and that's somehow true, but more specifically, teenager me used to browse razorart.com (now defunct), then deviantart and drool over the works by the masters there. I thought if one day I can make something of those calibre I would be a very happy guy.

hazuto Ltd is a design-focused company that I set up to execute on ideas that I think people will share love for. I'm also blessed to have Melanie, my partner-in-crime, on board as the marketing guru. Maybe it sounds cliche, but we want to deliver products that is truly meticulously designed, deliberated, and work that is done from the heart. Secondly most important is to have fun.

Wow there are many answers for me. I agree with many that design is a solution to a problem. Something has to work well to be good design. In particular, the person using it should use it with ease and the product should make his life easier. A better design should provoke attractive emotions through visual appeal. Sometimes a design is good design because the user "just like it". A great design will continuously excite the user nearly every time he uses it, and make him look forward to using it, too. I think if a majority of people say something is a good design, it probably is.

Ask me again in 10 years time and maybe my answers become completely different...

I am most at home working on graphic design. I do a lot of logos, covers, catalogues, one-off graphics. However, in my day job and hazuto I work with some niche product and accessories, too.

I want to say something pretentious and obscure but for me it will be iPhone 4. The flush form factor, the groundbreaking glass sandwich profile, the metal rim, the cool tactile feel of it... for me iphone 4 is the perfect design. It's my favourite because I'll never forget the awe and desire I felt when I first saw it in a New York subway train.

First thing I remembered was a t-shirt design for graniph Japanese t shirt company. It was a monographic pic of a set of shiny shades. Or it might have been a tshirt design for my university shop.

I would say concrete. I love the coolness of it, the austerity of it, the neutralness of concrete. How it makes something feel and seem solid. There's a certain "safety" to a concrete room or corridor. It makes me calm. I can't really explain it.

Sunday afternoon.

I think it is very important that the design firstly works well and functions well, everything else comes after, for me. The "solution" side of things is the first basic pragmatic requirement.

Some disappointments when things fail but super elation for a few "ahha!" moments. The eureka moment may come quickly or never come though.

Aside from relief, sometimes it is indifference. Because you've been working with the design and developing it for so long you become a bit numb even when a physical form is realised. In fact, sometimes it is anticipation, because you want the design to be successful and work well.

I think there are many factors: it has to perform the function perfectly, look desirable, produced consistently well, and marketed smartly so people know its value. Any one missing and the design may not last or take off.

Please refer to question 3 above!

I think designers are empowered to do good for the society and environment. At the core they are solution providers. If the materials are harmful to our world, designers are one piece of the puzzle to give an alternative that nudges people to choose a better option. However, i think everyone is involved, from the consumers, policy-makers, regulators to academics, media and enterprise.

I think more people are becoming refined, sophisticated and demanding in terms of their tastes and what they look for when they are using / buying something. Perhaps it is due to the free-flow of information at their fingertips allowing them to be better-informed. I think brands that can communicate an almost artisanal level of quality will find it easier to survive.

All my work is exhibited online, it is easy to check out.

I have to say deviantart.com has been my inspiration for many years. Most of my inspirations come from online, though I keep a keen eye when I am out and about, too. Especially when I travel, where I can find novel ideas in new strange places. Design awards like Reddot, iF, A' Award and others are great places to go too. When I create a piece, I start with my trusty pc collection folder with thousands of art bits, which I've collected for years.

Modernistic, simplistic, bold, tidy are some words I might use to describe my pieces.

I live in Hong Kong, but now that we live in a global village, I'd like to think I get my ideas from anywhere in the globe. The internet is an unlimited free resource so I think it will be too restrictive to think locally only. The pros of designing in Hong Kong is the proximity to China, so you can source materials and production relatively closely. The con will be the high living costs that drives up wages and prices of contractors, partners.

Corporate clients do have slightly different needs than individuals. There is sometimes more a need to provide more options and concepts before finalising a solution. An individual may already know what they want from the start. I guess it depends on the style of the main stakeholder.

Quite often the quality of the deliverable and output will partly depend on the input of the vendor. We can only do what the vendor communicated to us, so please be as specific as possible in terms of what you want. Nowadays with the internet it is very easy to have many designer options, and I found face-to-face meetings reveal a lot about how good a designer is. Many times it is evident if he knows what he is talking about after a 30 min chat.

I start with brainstorming and daydreaming. Lots of blue sky thinking. Just doodling shapes, forms, dimensions.

Then it is deep dive into the category, to find out concrete details and specifications essential to the category and client. These include interviews and meetings, too. For me it is paramount that I address all the client's concerns, it is easy to get sidetracked sometimes.

Then I take some of the best ideas and develop them. I will share reference photos with client to see if the direction is agreed. Finally, I will put more meat onto one of the ideas until we have a full solution.

It's a rather organic process, and details differ by project.

1. Kenwood glass square kettle

2. Brighttech eclipse LED floor lamp

3. Braun wall clock

4. Our bespoke armchair

5. Tribu illum table.

Too many to list.

I have a day job at a metal manufacturing company as designer and business manager, so my day looks pretty typical as an officer worker. But I spend my evenings cooking, working on my designs, playing games and reading.

We live in a commercial world and I think sometimes, a wonderful design doesn't always win. People are affected by all types of biases, constraints, emotions. So don't take it personally. I think luck also play a part too.

The positive would be the ability to reach a lot of people if you have a great piece. So many of us are in jobs that are a part of something bigger, and sometimes it is easy to lose perspective, or lose a feeling of existence outside of your circle. With a successful piece of design you can connect with so many people when your work is on display. Not every job provides that platform. A second positive is that working in design allows you to express yourself to the world, and not every job gives that opportunity. The negative will be that the design field is very competitive, and it is not always easy to make a good living in design, sadly. To be successful is so much more than just being able to come up with good designs.

I think the golden rule is that there is no golden rule. I've broken all the "rules and principles" i thought I wanted to follow but i found that would be very restrictive in my work.

I think empathy and observation. Design without empathy for the market and user will lack reception and appeal. You need to be observant to the various functions / needs, context the product is used for to have a successful piece.

Heavy user of photoshop, illustrator, inDesign.

For 3D product, we partner with modellers.

I would say this question applies to all disciplines and professions. If I am on a deadline, anytime outside of my day job will be used in the project. Doing anything good in general is time consuming.

I've done one in 2 months but also one using a year. It's hard to say.

What's my favourite design is common.

Working on our company's flagship power socket box is important because its success was a milestone after 2 long years of design work and manufacturing sourcing.

I've done work for my metal manufacturing company, for some online freelance job clients, a few friends and a lot of work for myself / own company.

I like all types of design work - But most importantly I like areas I've never done before, they are most challenging and good for growth.

Firstly will be our launch-to-market for the award winning hazuto board - We also have some next product ideas which we are mulling about.

I don't think I can develop all the designs myself - Feedback and collaboration is so very important. One man working alone could be very risky because I never believe that one person has all the answers.

I have a personal piece that I am finishing but I also have many ideas that I haven't gotten round to doing yet.

I'm available at tomstchan@gmail.com. or ig @tom.st.chan, or tom@hazuto.com.hk

Shoot me a message on ig or tomstchan@gmail.com, happy to have a chat whenever about whatever.