Jessica Fu
A study of clip art and album cover designs in Hong Kong, displayed at the HKDI Graphic Archive Symposium showcase (Close-up). Collection Acknowledgment: HKDI Graphic Archive
A study of film promotional materials in Hong Kong, displayed at the HKDI Graphic Archive Symposium showcase (Close-up). Collection Acknowledgment: HKDI Graphic Archive.
Case studies in progress on design artifacts from the HKDI Graphic Archive, including film posters, album covers, and promotional materials (Close-up). Collection Acknowledgment: HKDI Graphic Archive.
Jessica’s research explores the impact of illustrations in graphic design for popular entertainment on urban life, emotional expression, and cultural narrative in postwar Hong Kong. By analyzing design artifacts from the Graphic Archive at the Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI)—including film posters, album covers, and promotional materials—Jessica examines how these items reflect and shape the city’s collective imagination. The project focuses on how graphic design capture Hong Kong’s unique modernity and contribute to societal well-being. Through her case studies, Jessica investigates the intersection and evolution of visual aesthetics and cultural symbols, illustrating that graphic design as a vital element of Hong Kong’s wider cultural ecology.
Jessica’s research explores the impact of illustrations in graphic design for popular entertainment on urban life, emotional expression, and cultural narrative in postwar Hong Kong. By analyzing design artifacts from the Graphic Archive at the Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI)—including film posters, album covers, and promotional materials—Jessica examines how these items reflect and shape the city’s collective imagination. The project focuses on how graphic design capture Hong Kong’s unique modernity and contribute to societal well-being. Through her case studies, Jessica investigates the intersection and evolution of visual aesthetics and cultural symbols, illustrating that graphic design as a vital element of Hong Kong’s wider cultural ecology.
- 2024
- Fellow: Jessica Fu
Jessica Fu is a researcher and lecturer. She explores the concept of formlessness in material, collective memory, and social phenomena. Jessica has exhibited, researched, and participated in various artist-in-residences internationally. The recent projects include “Resetting School Section No. 12” at a historical one-room school with the Toronto History Museum in Toronto (2024); “Data Collecting (Universe)” at the heritage site of Oi! Street Art Space in Hong Kong (2022); the media wall installation “Travelling” at the Centre for Contemporary Creation of Andalucia (C3A), Spain (2021); and the site-specific sound installation “Whispering” for the local shrine at the Nakanojo Biennale, Japan (2017). Jessica received her Master of Fine Art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and currently pursuing a Ph.D. student of Media and Design Innovation at the Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada.
Design Trust Graphic Archive Research Fellowship examines the origins, emergence, and development of the graphic design profession in Hong Kong and the region between 1945 and 1985. Design Trust proudly partners with HKDI to support this fellowship which will culminate in an exhibition planned for 2028.
From 2024 to 2026, three fellowships will be awarded consecutively to conduct a portion of the research project under an overarching theme, focusing on the different aspects of or sub-themes of graphic design. Attached to HKDI’s Graphic Archive for six months, each Fellow will work independently on their assigned sub-theme, but also with HKDI staff and students, with opportunities to be mentored by a panel of world-renowned experts on the subject.