Presenting the kick ass class of Young Guns 22
It’s a kick-ass class. Young Guns 22 is topping the charts in creativity. But are you even surprised? Of course, not. If you’re new here, let me catch you up. Young Guns is a community of incredibly talented individuals – think amazing cinematographers, animators, illustrators, photographers, designers, and directors – and a new class of winners is chosen by an expert jury every year. This year we have 33 winners and among them, we have some very new, very exciting titles to unveil – an Architectural Designer, Composer, Stage & Show Designer, and Colorist.
We interviewed the winners so we could share their prowess with you. And if you’re a NYC local you can snag a ticket to the official YG22 Party at Sony Hall on Wednesday, November 13, 2024, where you will have the chance to meet and greet them.
Young Guns continue to dominate the creative industry, so we’re happily presenting you with the kick-ass class of Young Guns 22.
Poe Cheung
Designer, Nous
Based:
Hong Kong
Hometown:
Hong Kong
What were your original impressions of the Young Guns competition, award, and community?
It was during my design studies when my tutor introduced it to me. At that time, I just thought it was an incredibly prestigious award, definitely not something I would win.
How did you end up in the creative field anyways?
When I was young, I loved collecting interesting images from my sister’s magazines and newspapers. I would cut them out and collage them on the covers of my notebooks for each subject. At that time, I realized I had a strong interest in visuals. After graduating from high school, I clearly knew I wanted to pursue a career in art or design. After graduating from design school, I worked in Berlin for a year. After deciding to return to Hong Kong three years ago, I started a graphic design studio with my university classmate Allan, and we’ve been working together ever since.
Congrats on the YG win! Why did you decide to enter this year?
Honestly, I never thought about applying for this award. First of all, I didn’t think I would win, and I rarely see Hong Kong people winning this award, so it felt very challenging for me. Also, outside of my creative work, I’m a pretty lazy person, so applying for awards is quite complicated for me because it involves a lot of paperwork and forms. The main reason I applied is because my partner encouraged me to do it. And it’s now or never. Even at this moment, I still can’t quite believe that I actually won!
You only get to submit six projects that embody you and your talent. So, how did you decide which pieces were good enough to make the cut?
I picked six projects I thought had some cool new elements. The clients really trusted us and gave us a lot of room to be creative. Even though these were commercial projects, they were pretty experimental. We looked at things like how to make a book glow, how to make a static catalog feel dynamic, and how to blend Western concepts with traditional Chinese elements. It wasn’t just about graphic design - we also added interactive elements and played around with motion and 3D. There are so many awesome designs out there, so with each project, I wanted to bring something fresh because I really can’t stand being bored!
What was your reaction when you discovered that you won?
That day, I was still lounging in bed when a notification popped up on my phone. Seeing winner was pretty unreal. I went out for some siu mai to celebrate and added extra chili oil and soy sauce!
How does your current home inspire your creativity as an artist?
Hong Kong is a very small place with a lot of people and a high density of buildings, so there’s an explosion of information everywhere. Every day when I go out, I’m hit with all sorts of visual stimuli. But I’ve found a balance here because I live on a little island that’s pretty much away from the hustle and bustle. Every time I take the ferry home, I watch the waves and really digest the day. I think that in such a bustling place, finding inner peace makes it easy to transform everything I see into feelings, and that’s when creativity naturally emerges alongside those emotions. I also have a four-year-old artist friend (my sister’s daughter). Every time we play together, we end up creating a universe that doesn’t belong to Earth, which makes me realize that creativity is something we’re all born with and has no limits. As long as you can think of something and believe it can be done, in a way, it has already happened. We don’t need to do anything special to inspire our creativity - we just have to avoid suppressing ourselves. If we play like kids, we’ll tap into unlimited creativity.
“We don’t need to do anything special to inspire our creativity - we just have to avoid suppressing ourselves. If we play like kids, we’ll tap into unlimited creativity.”
Name a dream project that you have yet to fulfill — maybe Young Guns will propel you in that direction!
I’ve been doing design for years, but I’ve never done any album designs. I really love music and would love to work on something related to it!
Will we see you at the YG22 party in NYC in November?
I’ve never been to New York, and I really want to check out all the awesome artists from around the world. But work is super hectic at the end of the year, so sadly, I can’t make it.
Come party with us and celebrate the class of Young Guns 22 on Wednesday, November 13, 6:30 PM, at Sony Hall in NYC!
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