Architects and designers are lucky people, says Mike Atkin, director of Head Architecture and Design. They're keenly aware of their environment and appreciate many things that most people don't normally look at. If Atkin's words are anything to go by, tomorrow should be a good opportunity for designers to share that perspective. At the fourth Designers' Saturday, which celebrates the local design industry, 26 architecture and design firms will open their doors to the public. Among the participating companies are eight interior design houses, alongside photography studios, graphic designers, jewellers and more. Visitors can tour their offices, talk to the architects and designers and check out their work. Started in 2002 by architecture and design firm Atelier Pacific, Designers' Saturday is now organised by Head Architecture and Design. It was inspired by similar events in countries such as Switzerland and Norway, which held their first Designers' Saturdays about 20 years ago. The Hong Kong event attracts about 3,000 visitors, including practising or aspiring designers and people who are just curious. Nick Banks of Atelier Pacific, who organised the first Designers' Saturday five years ago, says he was driven by a desire to demystify design. 'The aim of the event has always been to raise the level of understanding - and appreciation - of design in everyday life,' Banks says. Banks gave Designers' Saturday a slogan partly borrowed from 20th-century realist French painter Balthus - 'Create like a god, live like a king and work like a dog' - which he says describes Hong Kong's designers. The canine reference inspired the event's logo, the Stinky Dog (below), which is placed on its publicity material. Large cardboard cut-outs of the designer dog will be used outside participants' studios to make them easier to find. Not that locating them will be too difficult - all the venues are in Sheung Wan or Central. The concentration of design firms in the same area is a matter of like-minded people sharing the same interests, says Atkin. Designers want to be close to the heart of the city, because it's a constantly changing environment. Yet many local designers are strangers to one another, says Barrie Ho of Barrie Ho Architecture Interiors, and this makes the event important for the industry. 'The best thing about it is that we can get to know our fellow designers and build a stronger team spirit,' he says. 'We're in the same industry, but some of us may be so immersed in our own worlds that we don't recognise anyone outside the office.' Atkin says the event is a good way for designers to meet potential clients and design students before they begin their careers. 'The day also helps us to get rid of a huge amount of wine!' Designers' Saturday, tomorrow, 11am-6pm. Inquiries: 2869 5725. Flyers available from Fringe Club, 2 Lower Albert Road, Central