An eye for design

YOU MIGHT NOT recognise him, but his designs are all around us. He is the creative mind behind the logos for the Bank of China and New World First Bus Company, the postage stamps we use today, and even certain bank notes issued by the Bank of China.

Graphic designer Kan Tai-keung, 60, has spent 35 years in the design industry, and is considered one of the top 100 designers in the world. He has won more than 500 awards, including Designer of the Year from the Hong Kong Artist's Guild in 1991, and Best Design Corporate Identity at the Asian Advertising Awards in both 1991 and 1994.

But success did not come easily. At the age of 15 in 1957, Kan, the eldest of five siblings, became a tailor's apprentice after moving with his family to Hong Kong from Guangzhou.

Three years of hectic life as an apprentice left him no time to think about his dream of becoming an artist. Later, he turned his attention to modern literature instead.

'I wanted to be a writer, a poet,' he recalls.

Ironically, his new desire brought him back to painting. As his interest in literature grew, he also developed a passion for music and film. He was deeply touched by autobiographies of the great musicians.

'I was sick a lot of the time. I began to wonder, if I were to die soon, what would my life mean? It would be nice if I could leave treasures of art to the world,' he says.