interview :: hokolo - confessions of a design geek

This article was published 12 years

I met Hokolo founder Jen at Pulse back in May and was immediately taken with her bright, bold designs. I was keen to find out more about what inspired them and where that name comes from…

What’s the most important thing to know about you?

My background is in architecture, I love working with materials and considering how things come together. Now running my own surface pattern design practice, I adopt the same ethos, turning initial concepts into tangible products.

Where does the name Hokolo come from?

I am originally from Hong Kong but came to study in the UK when I was 15 and have been living in London since 1997. London is my home and I love my city. Hokolo is an amalgamation of Hong Kong and London. A bit like the urban myth of Nylon being an amalgamation of New York and London. Hokolo is pronounced with an emphasis on the first syllable, and each syllable is quite snappy. I love the graphic qualities of the three Os in my logo, lots of energy and fun and I can play tricks with them. So the brand name really sums up who I am. From Hong Kong, a Londoner, snappy, fun- loving, full of energy and ideas.

Where do your ideas come from?

From the moment I decided on the brand name Hokolo, it has been a conscious decision to instil British themes in my designs. I also want my designs and products to be fun and bring a smile. My ideas mostly come from observations around me – I am a bit of a foodie so it’s understandable that my designs often reference food. The English breakfast collection was inspired by fry-ups, the nostalgia of greasy spoon cafés with laminated tables, gingham curtains, plastic tomato shaped ketchup bottles and those mini jam jars you get at B&Bs.

Where does your love of bold shapes and bright colour come from?

I spent my childhood in Hong Kong in the 70s and 80s where everything was bold, loud and colourful. I had never heard of minimalism or modernism until my architectural training in the UK, so the result is my love of clean bold shapes with lots of punchy colours.

Describe your design process from initial idea to final product.

I rely heavily on my computer and could not live without Adobe Suite. Once the initial idea is established I collect images and create mood boards. Then I choose a number of elements and play around with the shapes and simplify them down to graphic components in Illustrator. The design starts with the smallest components and builds up into more complex patterns. There is a lot of trial and error and with a bit of luck a beautiful pattern will emerge. As the graphic components are often physical objects of a certain colour, the colour palette will build from there. The surface pattern designs tend to start off as colourful printed patterns that can be translated onto products by screen printing or digital printing. If I am working on a new product I might mock up a prototype first and then source a manufacturer to develop the design together.

What’s your favourite part of the process?

Outsourcing production has enabled me to build up a network of manufacturers and designers who I work closely with. This has allowed me to look into products that I have little or no experience of. I love discussing and developing my designs closely with the team and I often find myself learning something new. This collaborative approach is the part I enjoy most and I am often pleasantly surprised by how the designs evolve to suit a particular production technique.

Tell me about a really good day in the life of Hokolo and a really bad day.

A really good day is when I receive my first sample and it looks as good as I imagined it – holding the physical product for the first time is like opening presents on Christmas day as a kid. A bad day is the opposite when the sample – or worse the final production – is nothing like what we have been working on for weeks or even months. Thankfully this rarely happens.

What are you most proud of?

Quitting my comfortable job to set up Hokolo and being told by my customers that my designs make them smile.

What advice would you give to an aspiring designer?

Dream big, follow your dreams, don’t take no for as answer. Someone out there can help you make ideas happen. Talk and listen to advice, be open-minded. Design is not a linear process, enjoy the journey even if you end up somewhere you had not dreamt of.

And finally, what’s your favourite colour?

I can’t answer this, I am way too indecisive when it comes to choosing favourites except when there is only one choice. My husband often tells our only child that he is his favourite son!