Creating a Visual Metaphor
Because the design objective included communicating
the Global Technology. Asian Focus message in the
logo as well as each succeeding campaign component,
designers decided to include Asian-inspired images
as visual metaphors that when combined, compared,
and contrasted with high technology images, created
unusual and unexpected juxtapositions of graphics.
Gee + Chung created several of these design elements
that were used consistently throughout the entire
campaign.
One such element is the use of a universally accepted
Asian color palette of red, gold, and black, which is
prevalent throughout many Asian cultures and con-
notes such positive characteristics as good luck, good
fortune, prosperity, and longevity. The word iAsia was
set in red type because it complemented the word
Works
in black and the color break played to the logo’s
advantage. A modified extension of the logo form—
an outline—was replicated as a gold outline on a red
field, simulating gold embroidery on red silk, and was
established for secondary uses. The secondary system
also employed a pattern of reversed out, embossed
circles—representing the pattern on an ancient Asian
doorway and symbolic of a gateway to Asia—which
gave the presentation folder a dynamic tactile aspect.
ABOVE: The iAsiaWorks logo
and variations of it were
carried through each ele-
ment of the campaign to
create a visual that when
combined with an integrated
circuitry pattern functions
as a visual metaphor for
linking Asian cultures
through technology.
RIGHT: The iAsiaWorks sta-
tionery system utilizes an
outline pattern of the logo
simulating gold embroidery
on red silk and a dot pattern
derived from the logo and
representing an ancient
Chinese door.
Tying the Imagery to the Message
The iAsiaWorks logo, its outlined version, and other Asian-inspired graphics were
carried through each element of the campaign to create imagery that when com-
bined with an integrated circuitry pattern, functions as a visual metaphor for linking
Asian cultures through technology. For example, the iAsiaWorks stationery system
utilizes both the standard logo as well as the outlined version simulating gold
embroidery on red silk and a dot pattern derived from the logo, representing an
ancient Chinese door. The presentation folder uses the logo to form a string tie
clasp, transforming the folder into a special gift for potential clients. The inside
pockets have embossed dots simulating the rivets on an Asian door, and the curved
flaps convey a Chinese moongate motif.
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BELOW: Product data
sheets juxtapose similar
graphic elements. Where
one photographically
compares and contrasts
the spherical shape of
a Chinese fan to the
globe, another compares
and contrasts Chinese
firecrackers to a fiber
optic cable.
BOTTOM RIGHT: With a lim-
ited budget, Gee + Chung
Design put their creative
minds to work and devel-
oped iAsia’s party invita-
tion in the form of a large
drink coaster. They used
letterpress printing on
thick blotter paper, cre-
ating the effect of a Chi-
nese seal on parchment.
The trade show promotion uses an accordion-fold for-
mat to define who and what iAsiaWorks is—placing
its mission statement on one side, while the reverse is
a handy reference guide for business travelers in Asia,
detailing the language, climate, currency, and business
protocol in the twelve regions in which iAsiaWorks has
facilities. Originally, this piece was intended to be as a
24" x 36" (61 cm x 91 cm) mission statement poster for
hanging on office walls. When Gee + Chung presented
the design, they did so at half size, like they do many
of their comps. The CEO took hold of the miniature
mock-up, which was still readable at its reduced size,
and thought it was a nice size to keep handy in one’s
pocket, luggage, or on a desktop. The obvious question
arose: What if we were to build in some utility and
function to this piece? As a result, the idea of a poster
was discarded in favor of the palm-sized piece. This
piece, too, perpetuates the Asian influence and reads front to back as well as back to
front. Because it has a lot of folds, designers developed a handsome sleeve that pro-
vides a tidy and compact way to hold it together securely and compactly.
Product data sheets use an interesting juxtaposition of two similar graphic ele-
ments—which vary from one data sheet to the next. Where one photographically
compares and contrasts the spherical shape of a Chinese fan to the globe, another
compares and contrasts Chinese firecrackers to a fiber optic cable.
The Web site, www.iasiaworks.com, incorporates a vertical navigation menu on the
right side of the page, reflecting how Asian cultures read from right to left.
Conceptual headers combine Eastern and Western visuals through the site. As the
viewer clicks on map locations, news about iAsiaWorks in each region pops up.
iAsiaWork’s party invitation provided entrée to a must-attend event at ISPCON, a
major industry trade show. The budget was limited so Gee + Chung Design put their
creative minds to work and developed an invitation in the form of a large drink
coaster. They used letterpress printing on thick blotter paper, creating the effect
of a Chinese seal on parchment. The low-tech, tactile, craft-oriented appeal of the
letterpress printing was a dramatic departure for the high-tech Internet industry,
making the invitation a big hit and drawing twice as many attendees as expected
while generating plenty of talk about the company.
LEFT AND BELOW: iAsiaWorks’
presentation folder uses
the logo to form a string
tie clasp, transforming the
folder into a special gift for
potential clients. The inside
pockets have embossed dots
simulating the rivets on an
Asian door, and the curved
flaps convey a Chinese
moongate motif.
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Integrating all these pieces wasn’t as tough as one
might think; designers treated each piece as a separate
project versus a component of a campaign. They did
this to avoid using the same elements over and over
again, which can lull designers into treating designs as
applications versus standalone items. “Keeping things
fresh requires looking at each piece individually even
if it is part of the graphic vocabulary,” says Earl Gee,
art director on the project.
ABOVE, RIGHT, ANDTOPOFPAGE:
The trade show promotion
uses an accordion-fold
format to define who
iAsiaWorks is on one side,
while the reverse works as
a handy reference for busi-
ness travelers throughout
the twelve regions where
iAsiaWorks has facilities,
detailing the language,
climate, currency, and busi-
ness protocol. Because the
brochure has a lot of folds,
a sleeve provides it a tidy
way to hold it together
securely and compactly.
THE CHALLENGES
Two Messages—One Campaign
“Our biggest problem was the challenge of communicating the
dual messages of Global Technology. Asian Focus. We needed
to create solutions that were not specifically Chinese, Japanese,
or Korean, but concepts that would resonate with and be
embraced by as many Asian cultures as possible,” says Gee.
“We solved the challenge of Pan-Asian communications by
determining that China was, by far, the market with the largest
potential for our client, and a majority of Asian cultures share
elements of the Chinese culture. Consequently, designs with
Chinese derivations could work effectively across a number of
Asian cultures.” Gee specifically points to the photographic ele-
ments on the data sheets as a prime example of mixing the
high-tech aspects of the project, such as a fiber optic cable, with
the Asian focus, graphically communicated by a Chinese fire-
cracker. As the program continues and is extended in other ven-
ues and collateral materials, Gee doesn’t worry about running
about of material. “There are an infinite number of ways to
compare and contrast the two messages,” he says.
Location, Location, Location
A related obstacle was geography. While iAsiaWorks has an
office in San Mateo, California, not far from Gee + Chung’s
San Francisco office, the company’s chairman and CEO, JoAnn
Patrick-Ezzell, is based in Hong Kong, a full sixteen hours
ahead of Pacific Standard Time in San Francisco. “Our develop-
ment time frames were severely truncated as iAsiaWorks was
a startup in the emerging space of Internet data centers and
Web hosting with a very small window of opportunity to make
their mark,” says Gee. “Five P.M. conference calls became the
norm to keep client feedback and approvals on schedule. Our
previous experience with the accelerated timeframes of dot-
com startups enabled us to work efficiently and quickly to
deliver the corporate identity in two weeks (with three name
changes along the way), the stationery system in three days,
and the presentation folder in a day.”
The Budget
As for the budget, Gee + Chung, having worked with a number
of Internet start-up launches, found it to be reasonable. But
more importantly, particularly in light of the timeframe, the
client was efficient with feedback and approvals. Still, the
designers were always seeking ways to maximize the budget,
primarily by gang printing data sheets and other items when-
ever possible to economize printing costs.
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THIS PAGE: The Web site, www.iasia-
works.com, incorporates a vertical
navigation on the right side of the
page, reflecting how Asian cultures
read from right to left. Conceptual
headers combine Eastern and
Western visuals through the site.
As the viewer clicks on map loca-
tions, news about iAsiaWorks in
each region pops up.
Graphic Design That Works
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The results
Gee + Chung’s materials for iAsiaWorks have impacted the industry from the
moment they hit the street. “Our client has been able to launch a successful IPO
while expanding operations from three countries to fifteen countries throughout
Asia in only a nine-month span. They have also grown from twenty employees to
250 in the U.S. and Asia,” says Gee.
What Worked
“Chairman and CEO JoAnn Patrick-Ezzell credits our unified graphic team as being
‘instrumental in iAsiaWorks’ expansion and acceptance across Asia, creating com-
munications that convey the company’s mission, while resonating with their Asian
audiences,’” says Gee. “Patrick-Ezzell was very pleased that after one press confer-
ence, a reporter interviewing her commented, ‘That is really a nice logo.’”
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