The Cross-Border Creative
Visual culture is rarely universal. What feels incredibly punchy, vibrant, and modern in a fast-paced market like Hong Kong might feel too intense in China, or completely miss the subtle cultural nuances required to connect with an audience in Kuala Lumpur. When a multinational company coordinates a regional campaign, one of the biggest challenges is […]
Character Design Could Be The Ultimate Long-Term Corporate Asset
In the modern marketing landscape, a lot of corporate capital is spent chasing temporary cultural relevance. Brands frequently budget for short-term influencer partnerships, celebrity endorsements, or trending viral formats to capture the public’s attention. While those strategies can provide an immediate spike in visibility, they also come with inherent risks. Influencers shift their public images, […]
The Anatomy of a Master Key Visual
If you are a marketing director or a chief marketing officer steering a regional campaign across major hubs like Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, and Vancouver, you know exactly how fragmented modern advertising can feel. On any given day, your campaign needs to live on a massive horizontal billboard, a tight vertical mobile screen, a square […]
Your Brand Needs a Bespoke Visual System, Not Just a Logo Change
Many corporate leadership teams believe that a major rebrand requires updating their corporate typography, tweaking their color palette, and launching a brand-new logo. But the reality of modern consumer behavior is that a logo can only do so much heavy lifting on its own. When a brand relies solely on a logo for recognition, it […]
Design Print Assets That People Refuse to Throw Away
Think about the last time you received a corporate booklet, an annual report, or a promotional booklet at a business event. Where is it right now? Chances are it went straight into the nearest recycling bin before you even left the building. It is a massive waste of marketing budget, but it happens because most […]
From Screen to Store
There is a specific kind of heartbreak that every commercial creative director knows all too well. It happens when you approve a brilliant, multi-layered key visual on a bright, color-calibrated tablet or an iMac screen. On the display, it looks breathtaking. The textures are crisp, the details are pristine, and the client team is thrilled. […]
The 3-Second Shelf Test
Walk into any supermarket or retail flagship store in Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, or Japan, and you’ll immediately feel the sheer weight of consumer choice. Hundreds of brands, packed tightly side-by-side, all screaming for attention. In this environment, your brand is subjected to what I call the 3-Second Shelf Test. A consumer scans a shelf […]
How Our Studio Name Came About?
When I first started my illustration journey, I had no grand plan for a studio with a team. It was just me. So, when it came time to name that initial effort in 2015, I settled on Behind 90. The name was a direct translation of “millennial” in Chinese. Back then, the millennial movement was […]
Our View on AI art as studio owner
Recently, a local collaboration between a major apparel brand and a popular F&B company sparked a heated debate in creative circles. The campaign, which featured AI-generated art on promotional merchandise, led to widespread criticism from industry professionals. Many were upset that prominent brands would opt for an algorithm over human illustrators, especially given their significant […]
One Year After Our Joint Venture
It’s hard to believe it’s already been a year since Behind 90 officially embarked on a joint venture to form Studio Beyond. To call it merely a “transition” feels inadequate; it’s been an absolute transformation. When we signed the papers last year with our Hong Kong partners, I knew we were taking a huge step, […]
