A business mind: Ken Lo, founder and design director at BLOW

While local and international recognition has come early in his career, multi-award winning designer Ken Lo, the founder and design director of BLOW, prefers to measure the success of his entrepreneurial endeavours in terms of design statements that contribute to Hong Kong's creative landscape and client satisfaction.

Since setting up his company in 2010, Lo has been steadily building a diverse client list that includes K11 Design Store, Fashion Walk, Elements, W Hotel, Sheraton Macao Hotel, Polytrade Paper, Hong Kong Art Development Council and West Kowloon Cultural District Authority.

As a small operation, Lo says a key strength is the ability to be nimble and flexible. “I never over-promise about what we can deliver, but I do emphasise the effort we put into delivering the best solutions,” says Lo, who graduated from HKU SPACE Community College in 2005 with a distinction in a higher diploma in visual communication. In the same year, he also became the Hong Kong Design Association (HKDA) “Design Student of the Year”.

Renowned as a regional cosmopolitan design hub, Hong Kong's design environment remains competitive. Lo says demand for its services is flourishing as many international and local companies rely on local designers to tailor their products to the mainland and regional markets.  He says its designers have the experience to blend traditional Chinese design with current international trends. In some cases, mainland enterprises are seeking the services of Hong Kong design firms in re-designing their brands with the aim of appealing to consumers in international markets.

“Hong Kong has its own distinct east-meets-west design style, which enables us to provide solutions for both local and international companies and brands,” says Lo, who at the same time cautions that Hong Kong designers must not lose the enthusiasm to innovate.