White Sakura

February is going to end in a few more days, what follow is March, April......and the blooming of sakura.  I wrote a post before marshmallow-sakura in Coffeebreak, which was talking about the colorful marshmallow look sakura in Japan, this time, the one here is locate in Chongqing, China.

White on white, a totally different atmosphere, but was still amazing when I found it hidden in a residential area, just in the gap between two buildings.

Chongqing is a valley,  the weather is moist & cold in Winter, super hot in Summer. In February, it is still misty with rainy patches, when you walk on the street, you will see everything are covered by a veil, you will never know what is in front of you unless the mist is gone. So mysterious, uncertain and sometime "lost", "White on white" - can be easily out of our sight, but if you keep your sensor open, more surprise is waiting for you.

Picasso and a bird?

 有人見過呢隻鷹嗎？一隻我覺得好有型嘅鷹！線條簡單，雙目應該係單目有神，有堅定信念，有目標．．．卻又帶點傻氣． 雖然你不一定有同感，但或多或少會有些感覺罷？！為何如此簡單的圖畫卻令人有所感染呢？　除了是大師作品（右下角寫明，但不知是否屬實），又或是純粹本人亂嗡之外，我想關鍵在於看的人是否懂得去感受和欣賞．試從這隻鷹開始，別讓身邊接觸到的事物輕易溜走，當你嘗試去理解多一點，感受多一點，欣賞多一點的時候，不知不覺間，你便會慢慢有個人體會，而不再人云亦云．藝術，設計．．．其實並非什麼高深哲學，只需要學懂生活，任何人也可享受箇中樂趣。

I wonder anyone see this "bird" or "eagle" before? To me, I think "he" is very cool. What a simple line figure, sharp eyes  eye full of power & faith, seems he knows what will be his destiny...plus, a touch of cute. Well, you may not have the same thought of mine, but at least you shall have your own interpretations.

Why could a simple picture like this do touch our emotion? Is it due to the superior technique of the famous artist (at the lower right hand corner, not sure whether it is real or not)? Or simply because of my  nonsense expression? I think the key is the audience ourself, the one who with or without the ability to feel and appreciate.

Start from this little bird, don't let things passes by as usual, take time to feel a little bit longer, touch a little bit deeper and appreciate a little bit more...... when time goes by,  we will have our own interpretation, our own thinking pattern that don't need to follow others. 

I've always say, Arts & Design is not rocket science that anyone should be able to enjoy what they brings to enhance our life, if only if you know how to live.

歡迎你

Hi Langming Chung,

你好! 歡迎到訪 Cocoa Design Life, 希望你在此可享受到悠閒一刻 :)

月亮忘記了

幾米﹣是一個頗多人熟識的台灣插畫家。認識他是由這個故事：”月亮忘記了”開始。一個寂寞的小孩把小月亮收藏起來，一起生活，互相倚靠，玩樂．．．開心的日子不知不覺間流逝。　　

小孩忘記了月亮應該掛在天空外面，更不知獨享月亮對其他人所產生的影響。

同樣，月亮亦忘記了自己應有的責任，只想愉快地伴著小孩。終於有一日，小孩發現了樹葉枯死，天氣變得很怪；　而且不知不覺間月亮的身軀亦已變得很大，大到不能返入小孩的家．．．最後，月亮返回夜空，小孩在星空下陪伴月亮甜睡！

故事簡單卻滿有童真，插畫是最精彩的部分，誠意推介，找一個月夜細閱，必定令你會心微笑。

 幾米﹣a well known Taiwanese illustrator. He wrote quite a lot of story, this is the one that attracts me most : (if translate directly from Chinese) it can be "the moon can't  remember...".

It's starts with a lonely small kid, who meet "baby moon" by chance, he hide it at home, play and live together...happy ever after?

Time fly, the boy forget the moon shall hang around up in the sky, he don't know there is a huge changes in the world outside without the moon. The moon also forget how to fly up into the sky, or what it's responsibility is; it only wants to be with him, any minute, any where.

Until one day, kid finally notice the fact is, the world can't survive without the moon, and at the same time, the moon has already grown up soooooo........big, that can't enter his home again. Finally, the moon fly back to the sky and the kid? have a sweet dream under the star.

Simple story from kid's angle of view, unique illustration style is the best that I highly recommend. Bring this story book with you and read it under the  same starry night together with the moon above, you will love it.

Amazing Paper Art

Although it's already New Year, this Christmas art work is still worth to be shared to you all. I kept these image in my file long long time, I just can't remember where I got it from, sorry ! I only knew I was so amazing by what the artist did in this paper art. Yes, they are created by colour paper, so beautiful.

Many years ago when I was studied in design school, I also had an assignment by using this technique, actually it's not difficult, but need a lot of patience plus some art sense to create an attractive scene. If by adding some lighting effect like this one, the overall atmosphere is even more realistic. Japanese artist are quite expertise in this field but I think this one is more likely created by European, just guess. No matter how, this is excellent and should be framed as one of my home's wall decor.

Let me show you another one, which is more wild but still, amazing !

Start from zero 由零開始

每逢臨近農曆新年, 總是無所事事, 突然心血來潮上網看"米報", 驚覺最近巿場竟然再聘請一些消失良久的職位, 單看設計行業巳有不少久未露面的空缺; 其中一個便是Visualizer.

嘩! 這是廣告設計達人必經的入行途徑之一, 此人不單要有良好的領悟能力, 更要畫得一手好畫, 把上司腦中一大堆概念用手繪(hand sketch)轉化為圖像.,不少美術或創作總 監前身也是visualiser. 但隨着電腦的出現, 有 hand sketch 能力的人漸漸被忽視, 對! 是忽視不是淘汰, 因為再好的電腦動畫背後仍得有繪畫基礎的美術師協助. 如果你們有看前陣子在香港的 Pixar 展覽便得知. 我們也曾在此介紹過 彼思動畫25年. 廣告創作也一樣, 要把訊息傳遞給用家, 必需要把意念轉化為圖像才行.

最後, 就讓我借用怪獸公司這兩位主角的手繪肖像向這群默默耕耘的專業visualizer致敬!


Christmas, New Year's Eve than follow by the Chinese New Year, what a holiday mood and quiet market these days; so I crawl over Jobs DB & accidentally discover a big change in the design market recently. It's not easy to find a design post from the newspaper ad. but usually through head hunter agency, especially for some specify post such as Visualizer - which has been vanished for years.


But in fact, quite a lot of the art director or creative director in the advertising field did worked as an visualizer from the very beginning. These guys have a good sense of visual communication, they can retrieve conceptual ideas from the art director, express them immediately through hand sketch for further delivery to the end users, therefore a good sketch/ illustration technique is crucial. 


When computer technique seems conquer the design field, we think there is no more visualizer in the world, but they are still the most important support even in Pixar now a day; together with artist, they assist most of the animation character to be created successfully. 

At the end, let us salute to all these visualizer who dedicate their professionalism in so many decade by these two famous Monster company characters.

New Family Member 新成員

早晨! 我們冀待巳久的新成員, 終於趕及在2012年來到, 實在令人興奮!

不常在網上訂購物品, 一方面是因為我們不太熱衷於購物, 另一方面是身處香港, 各樣資源尚算豐富, 唯獨是這個 : Coffee Tamper. 如果你有沖煮咖啡的習慣, 準不會對這件工具陌生, 這是用來在磨好的咖啡粉上, 於放入basket後稍微加壓令咖啡粉形成平面, 讓冲煮時咖啡粉能夠平均受熱及澎漲的工具.

其實咖啡文化在香港不算深厚, 最近比較流行也許是因為早前某電視節目的連鎖反應罷了; 所以在巿面上要找到相關的咖啡用具, 其實並不容易. 你或許留意到在一些百貨公司或以"Lifestyle"掛帥的店舖總會有咖啡機, 咖啡柸, 咖啡密封瓶...等貨品出售, 但仍是離不開賣"花巧"及"大方便"的路線, 有點像現今流行的"高級儍瓜機文化"一樣. 所以要找一個設計大方,用料配合,實用及價錢合理的 tamper, 實在不得不從海外訂購. 

這令我想到, 任何文化的形成都並非一朝一夕, 只要我們仍是維持在 impulse buying, 不思考, 不探索, 不問因由...只管盡快擁有...這個心態, 膚淺的易食文化就將會是我們所僅有的了.

We are so excited that our new family member has just arrived on time before the New Year of 2012!

We are not fans of "Shopping" that's why we don't shop online frequently, especially we are living in Hong Kong with huge resources of daily living products.  Unless you are willing to buy those in lower quality made in China or Taiwan; or those in over value of "selected" series, which imported by some of the coffee "specialist"; otherwise, a reasonable price, decent design and good workmanship coffee tamper seems never exist in Hong Kong.

Coffee culture in Hong Kong is not popular or deep in any sense, McCafe, Starbuck or Pacific Coffee are where most people meet their first cup of European or American coffee; even though there are some coffee addict who are quite expert in Italian coffee culture, they didn't draw much attention to the public besides of being a personal interest. What we can find in our department store are eye candy products only, why?


Simple reason caused by our buying pattern, our special "fast food culture" in Hong Kong: impulse buying, no execution, no reason but just pay to own within minutes before "it's too late" = not hit anymore. This will never lead us to develop a culture which takes time and practice to has it's own evolution. What left behind? if you can think of any!