Alan Chan: Collecting Inspiration for Design

‘Alan Chan, it seems, is everywhere,’ writes Aric Chen in his foreword to this work. Indeed, those resident in Hong Kong in particular will see Chan’s imprint on visual identities, interiors and more besides. In addition to being a prolific and constant design presence, Chan is also a collector of objects (some 10,000 of them) and Collecting Inspiration for Design showcases a selection across different themes, with four chapters covering Chan’s early and enduring East-meets-West inspirations, tea culture, dragon iconography and the ‘infinity’ of boxes.

Extensive texts by Design Anthology contributor Catherine Shaw illuminate each theme and detail Chan’s life and career, making the work part biography and offering personal insights into his inspirations. And in addition to photography of the pieces themselves, the hundreds of colour images cover Chan’s related work on visual identity and packaging, installations, art programmes and interiors, offering a deeper treatment of his creative process and its celebrated results. As Chen writes, ‘his work, like his collection, helps document how visual culture shifts, mutates, and morphs as ideas and influences are absorbed and shared.’