Zansyu Type Design

Zansyu is an ongoing cultural research and type design project initiated by Hong Kong designer Adonian Chan and design editor Ire Tsui. “Hong Kong Beiwei” is a classic Chinese calligraphy style, and named as one of the most recognisable visual art forms in the streets of Hong Kong, the extensive application ranging from neon lights signboards, shop signs, packaging to namecards since the 1950s. Its history can even be traced to Southern and Northern dynasty. Yet it was largely neglected until its resurgence in Qing dynasty. It was then propagated to Hong Kong and subsequently mutated and reinterpreted by local calligraphers.

Zansyu is an ongoing cultural research and type design project initiated by Hong Kong designer Adonian Chan and design editor Ire Tsui. “Hong Kong Beiwei” is a classic Chinese calligraphy style, and named as one of the most recognisable visual art forms in the streets of Hong Kong, the extensive application ranging from neon lights signboards, shop signs, packaging to namecards since the 1950s. Its history can even be traced to Southern and Northern dynasty. Yet it was largely neglected until its resurgence in Qing dynasty. It was then propagated to Hong Kong and subsequently mutated and reinterpreted by local calligraphers.

 

Zansyu is a contemporary type design inspired by Hong Kong Beiwei calligraphy. The design was awarded with “New York TDC certificate of excellence” and “Tokyo TDC excellent work”. It was also being presented in lectures and keynote addresses, including at “Apple HK”, “Typographics NYC 2021” and “Letterform Archive San Francisco”. The production of Zansyu character set will be completed in 2024.

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2022
Grantee: Adonian Chan

Hong Kong type designer, graphic designer, and musician. Co-founded Trilingua Design with Chris Tsui in 2010. In 2018, he published the book “A Study on Hong Kong Beiwei Calligraphy & Type Design”, which documented the eight years of research on Hong Kong Beiwei, as well as his type design “Hong Kong Beiwei Zansyu” . The book has won the “Grand Award” and the “Distinguished Publishing Awards” of “Hong Kong Publishing Biennial Awards 2019”. The type design has won “New York Type Directors Club’s” Typeface Design Award, Tokyo Type Director’s Club’s Excellent Work . Winner of “2019 DFA Hong Kong Young Design Talent Award”. He is co-curator of Hong Kong largest design festival “deTour 2020” & “deTour 2021”.