KDC Design Consultants

16/04/2026

The Spaces In Between:
International Design Day 2026
Every year on April 27, the global design community pauses to ask a simple question:

What is design actually for?

International Design Day is that moment—a chance to reflect on how design shapes the ways people move through the world, find one another, and belong.

This year, SEGD is honored to serve as the global host of International Design Day 2026 alongside the International Council of Design.

The theme—The Spaces In Between—invites designers to look beyond the objects we create and toward the moments where design quietly does its most important work.

The thresholds.
The transitions.
The places where strangers become communities and ideas become experiences.

Because design isn’t just what we make.

It’s what happens between us.

International Design Day 2026, The Spaces In Between, invites designers to look beyond objects and outcomes and toward the shared experiences that shape how we belong, communicate, and coexist.

31/03/2026

More Fire. More Fox

As part of a wider reworking of the Firefox brand, the elusive fox in the company’s logo has finally become a real mascot – and a symbol of defiance

29/01/2026

Blimey? Is this an engine oil, car wash or drain cleaner?

While it is commendable to disrupt the detergent market with a totally new refreshing packaging approach away from the saturated plastic bottles, any attempt to be 'different' or 'ahead of its time' might confuse the consumer which inevitably will affect the company's bottom line.

The independent UK laundry brand, founded by two former ad execs, is hoping to clean up the category with a responsible, sustainable and fine-smelling approach

26/10/2025

I attended the KL Design Festival Award Gala Dinner at KL Tourism Bureau yesterday evening. Had a chance encounter with Dr Louis, Dean from Faculty of Applied and Creative Arts, University Malaysia Sarawak. He was pleasantly surprised when I mentioned that we designed the UNIMAS logo way back in 1993. Just to put on record our involvement on the formative years of UNIMAS! UNIMAS is the eight public university in Malaysia, and the first one initiated by the aspirations of the Government’s Vision 2020.

(Standing from right: Dr Louis, Haslina, William & myself).

10/09/2025

Otl Aicher 100

Revisiting the workof a once-in-a-century designer:
the first critical online Aicher monograph aims to start a discourse.

Otl Aicher is one of the most influential German designers of the 20th century. On the occasion of his 100th birthday, his life and work are being made accessible anew.

29/08/2025

Mohamed bin Hamzah is famous for designing the Jalur Gemilang, the flag of Malaysia. His design won a national competition in 1949, and the flag, which incorporated elements of the Johor state flag, was first officially flown in 1950. The flag's final design includes 14 stripes, a yellow crescent moon, and a 14-pointed yellow star on a dark blue canton, with red and white stripes signifying the states and territories.

Few may know his name today, but this young technical assistant in the Engineering Unit of the Johor Bahru Public Works Department would quietly shape the nation's most recognisable symbol.

His original concept featured blue stripes, red canton and a five-pointed star, later refined to swap the red and blue colours and changed the star to an eleven-pointed star to represent the Federation's states.

Beyond the flag, he also designed many of Johor's well-known civic buildings and royal insignia - and characteristically modest, he rarely spoke publicly about his achievements. A shy patriot, he nevertheless left a legacy every Malaysian still salutes.

Happy Hari Kemerdekaan!

(extracted from Sabri Zain's Malayan History Society)
Picture of 'Pereka Jalur Gemilang' credit: 1Media.my

20/08/2025

Designer of James Bond 007 logo passed away at age 103.

Joseph Caroff, a prolific graphic designer, died at 103 on August 17, 2025, just before his 104th birthday. Born in 1921 in Linden, New Jersey, Caroff studied at Pratt Institute and worked under poster designer Jean Carlu. In 1962, he created the iconic James Bond 007 logo for the first film, Dr. No, transforming the "7" into a gun inspired by Ian Fleming’s Walther PPK. Commissioned for a publicity letterhead, he was paid $300 without royalties or credits, yet the logo became a global symbol, featured in every Bond film. Caroff’s portfolio included posters for West Side Story, A Hard Day’s Night, Cabaret, Last Tango in Paris, and Manhattan, plus title sequences for films like The Last Temptation of Christ. Despite his extensive work on over 300 film campaigns, he remained relatively unknown, rarely signing his designs. His 007 logo, praised for its simplicity and elegance, endures as a cinematic hallmark. Caroff later founded J. Caroff Associates and retired in 2006 to focus on painting. His legacy, highlighted in the 2022 documentary By Design: The Joe Caroff Story, continues to influence graphic design

12/08/2025

WC Sign. What does it means?

The acronym 'WC' is commonly known as a toilet or restroom sign. However, people thought it means Wash Cabin, Wash Cubicles, Women & Children, Wheel Chair or even Waste Centre.

The term 'Water Closet (WC)' is an older term for a toilet. A British name for 'flush toilets'. A flushing toilet (cistern which holds water) instead of a hole in the ground. In ancient Rome, they called it a Latrine (public toilet room). French used the word 'Toilette' which means dressing room.

In today's context, naming it WR (Wash Room) might have been more appropriate. Nobody will disturb you when you are in the toilet but will do so while you are in the washroom. But, then you see equipment like basin, toilet, bathtub and shower make up a bathroom.

Or just say 'Loo' (short for Lavatory).

I also found out hotels do used '00' to refer to the toilet as this was a number not used for guest rooms.

Baffling? Sounds confusing? Maybe, we should stick back to just WC!

01/08/2025

Experience the impact of Japan 's iconic pictogram design at the Japan House London from 30 July till 9 November 2025.

03/02/2025

An interesting article on how this Danish 'Blue Tin Cookies' became Hong Kong's favourite Lunar New Year snack. Kjeldsens became an enduring food symbol during Hong Kong's economic boom of the 1970s with tagline that says 'Cookies like grandmothers used to bake them'. During our childhood days, I remembered how our mums used the tins to store trinkets or put sewing accessories into them. The prestigious tin packaging with its glossy surface and elaborate graphics soon became a social status symbol during the festivities.

It's not a family gathering without “blue tin cookies.”

27/01/2025

In The Year of the Wood Snake, climb with wisdom, rise through challenges, and remember - every move is a step towards SUCCESS!

From KDC Design Consultants

17/07/2024

LogoLounge provides a comprehensive overview of the art of logo design for 2024.

Logo Trends 2024 Logo Trend Report By Bill Gardner  |  Jul 15, 2024 This year, logos are getting boxed, chopped, dropped, liquified, and sticker-ified in the name of experimentation. Share LinkedIn Facebook X Pinterest Email As I ponder the logo selections we reviewed this year, I try to read the ...