(Photo Credit: Caleb Ming / Surround)

Hanson Ho is the Creative Director of H55 studio based in Singapore. He is also a two-time recipient of the President’s Design Award which is Singapore’s most prestigious award for designers across all disciplines. What attracted me to his design works is his ability to express complex content and processes in basic, and meaningful forms.

(H55 Retrospective Exhibition: Shapes (1-15) )

I got to know about him after his retrospective exhibition in 2015. Most designers choose to display their proudest works in their retrospective exhibition but Hanson Ho chose to display simple shapes that represented the fundamentals of his practice. This bold move was an indication of the thought process behind the curation of the exhibition. He mentioned during an interview with Design Society that the reason for doing so is because he did not want to do a mere show-and-tell but to present his works in a brand new perspective.

Hanson Ho’s design philosophy is designing something that is relevant to his intentions of a project. His design style is simple and minimal. In the early years, when design was not well established in Singapore, his works were not well received due to his modern approach. However, he preserved and stand by his design philosophy. Today, many clients come up to him asking for designs with as little elements as possible.

(Design Works by Hanson Ho)

At first glance, his works do not stand out visually but they are able to captivate the audience with the significance and meaning behind his works. This really stood out to me and got me reflecting on my own design process and works. Sometimes, as designers, we complicate our works with texture and details because we want to showcase the skillsets that we possess.

Hanson’s work shows us that design can be as simple as lines or dots, but as long as we give it meaning, it can be a purposeful design. His designs amplify the meaning of the phrase “Less is more”.

References:

Zhuang, J. (2015, December 09). One Graphic Designer Challenges Viewers By Not Showing Any Work at His Retrospective. Retrieved October 08, 2020, from https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/one-graphic-designer-challenges-viewers-by-not-showing-any-work-at-his-retrospective/

Ho, H. (n.d.). All Projects. Retrieved October 08, 2020, from http://www.h55studio.com/work/all-projects/