Project Description

Jonathan Tsang Collection

Description:

Design freshmasonry Jonathan Tsang has developed a strong preference in tattoo illustration styles even well before his graduation. Now being a professional tattooist, he specialises in traditional American style tattoos. The origin of the art style can be traced back to 18th and 19th centuries where sailors were still a predominant career for people of the times. It features bold lines, high contrast shading and a limited (but bright) colour palette. In the historical context, the style is also defined by a specific imagery, featuring patriotic symbols such as eagles, the American flag or male-oriented subjectivity such as pin-up girls.

To Jonathan, appropriation plays an important role in traditional tattooing, borrowing a lot of imagery from the past yet injecting elements from different cultural contexts (such as the Chinese dragon), he has continually brought relevance to modern day audiences. As a much sought after artistic style even in modern days, the style is applicable to many different products through processes of printing, embossment and embroidery, injecting it with a sense of edginess and a long-lasting aesthetic.

The appeal of tattoo style can be seen across the multiple collaborations of Jonathan. Jervis Sports offers more customisability than traditional basketballs purchased off the shelf. It provides full control over the design of the 8 individual pieces of leather covering each basketball, every element including colour, logo and text can be fully customised. Jonathan literally gave the basketball a self-identity, putting creativity into the everyday sport. Similarly, the ‘Bookworm’ by Area+ provides another collaborative opportunity for full printing on the entire product. Bring a handy bookmark and a reading light, Bookworm could closely match the personality of the reader, be sure to judge this (awesome) book by its cover.

Some collaborations acted as great platforms for Jonathan to showcase his incredible breadth. P.S.L Limited has a groundbreaking wireless speaker ‘MusicPic’ design that doubles as an art frame. A number of Jonathan’s tattoos are curated together and displayed as a framed artwork, making it an ideal collection across a diverse range of interior designs. Jonathan was also given the opportunity to customise the name card holder ‘I AM’ by Ten Stationery. He envisioned the set as a pocketable portfolio that he could readily show to clients (probably in desperate need for a spontaneous tattoo).

In a society with growing demands for self expression and assurance, tattoo is an age old solution that is gaining acceptance in the mainstream world. For the collaborators, it could mean opening a new market opportunity for their existing products.

設計新鮮人曾家禧在畢業前就已經對紋身插畫風格產生了濃厚的興趣。現在他是一名專業的紋身師,主攻傳統的美式紋身。這個藝術風格的起源可以追溯到18世紀和19世紀,當時,水手仍然是人們的主要職業。它具有醒目突出的線條、高對比度的陰影和有限(但明亮)的色調。在這樣的歷史背景下,風格也由特定的圖像定義,當中以愛國符號,例如老鷹、美國國旗或男性向的主題,例如畫報女郎。

對曾同學來說,挪用在傳統紋身中扮演著重要的角色,這種方式從前人作品中借用了大量的圖像,注入了來自不同文化背景的元素(例如中國的龍),一直以來,他都透過自己的手藝不斷為現代觀眾點出這些元素的相關性。即使在現代,作為一種備受追捧的藝術風格,它仍然適用於許多不同的產品,在印刷、壓花和刺繡的過程中,為產品注入一種尖銳感和持久的美感。

在曾同學的多個合作項目中可以看出紋身風格有多麼吸引。與現成的傳統籃球相比,Jervis Sports and Technology Limited提供了更多可定制性。它讓《設計列陣》全權決定了8款籃球外層皮革的設計。每個元素包括顏色、標誌和文字皆可以完全定制。 曾同學確實給予了籃球個性化的象徵,將創意融入日常運動中。同樣地,Area+的「Bookworm」為產品的全面印刷提供了另一個合作機會。 「Bookworm」為用家帶來一個方便的書籤和閱讀燈,可以與讀者的個性緊密匹配,所以請確保你一定會憑著封面來判斷這本(很棒的)書。

一些合作項目給予了曾同學一個平台,以展示他出人意料的藝術寬廣度。 P.S.L. Limited擁有突破性的無線揚聲器「MusicPic」設計,它同時可以兼任藝術畫框的角色。 曾同學的一些紋身設計被拼湊在一起,變成用畫框裡的藝術品,並成為各種室內設計中的一個理想系列。 曾同學也有機會通過Ten Stationery Limited的定制卡片盒「I AM」嘗試定制。他將這套裝置設想為一個可以讓他可以隨時在顧客面前展示的便攜式產品組合(而這些顧客當時可能迫切需要一個即興的紋身)。

在一個對自我表達和保障的需求不斷增長的社會中,紋身是一個古老的方案,並在主流世界中得到了認可。對於合作夥伴來說,這也許就意味著他們現有的產品有機會開闢一個新的市場。

Design Graduate:
Tsang Ka Hei, Jonathan

Collaborator:
Area Plus Limited
JERViS Sports and Technology Limited
P.S.L. Limited
Ten Stationery Limited

Email:
tsangjonathankahei@gmail.com

School:
Savannah College of Arts and Design(SCAD)  薩凡納藝術設計大學