Internationally acclaimed designer Alan Chan showcases artworks that he created during a 10-month evening course back in 1970 -- his only formal training -- in an exhibition titled "My China, My Life" at the Shanghai Art Museum.
"The course required a study of two years, but I quit after only 10 months because I was not satisfied with the quality of the teachers," says 57-year-old Chan, who was born in Hong Kong and never attended college.
He has won more than 500 local and international awards, including honors from the New York Art Directors Club, D & AD, the Tokyo Type Directors Club and Japan Typography Association.
"Perhaps I have a gene for design," says the designer. "My father used to make pretty furniture out of fruit boxes. And during school time I was always the only one responsible for decorating the classroom for Christmas or the New Year celebrations. When I earned only HK$350 (US$45) a month, I used to make a suit and tie for myself."
The exhibition also features award-winning works from Chan's 30 years in advertising and design. They include corporate and brand identity design, packaging, product and interior design, such as the Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong, the logo for Fairwood Food, the Chinese bottles for Coca-Cola, the Evian Spa at the Three on the Bund and the new package for Chunghwa cigarettes.
The designer with humble beginnings was named "Designer of the Year" by the Hong Kong Artists Guild in 1989. His company was selected by the Graphis Press in New York as one of Graphis' Ten Best design firms in the world for 1996. In 1997, his posters and watch designs were included in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art's permanent collection of architecture and design.
The fusion of Oriental and Western cultures in contemporary graphic design is a dominant theme in Chan's creative work. He captures the spirit of Chinese cultures and reinterprets them in his own unique style, offering a rediscovery of traditional Chinese art and culture from a different perspective.
"To be a good designer you have to have a different perspective than other people," says Chan. "Moreover, you have to resist the temptation of money."
(Shanghai Daily July 6, 2007)