Roy Wang, founder of design company FACTORY, had this epiphany when he found a handwritten note from a friend from elementary school.
This note reminded him of beautiful memories from his school days and ignited a desire to revive the tradition of handwritten notes and cards. As head of the design company FACTORY, he thought he could spread this message by designing cards for the festival and distributing them with handwritten messages.
Fast forward to 2024, Roy's design studio FACTORY distributed RMB 24,000 and Christmas cards to promote the art of handwritten cards.
To bring more awareness to this mission, FACTORY has now hosted a CNY card exhibition showcasing all the cards the company has designed since 2013 and the stories behind each one. The exhibition entitled “HUAT CARD Showcase'' also showcases a new card “钱龙驾到'' for the Year of the Dragon in 2024. This is a play on the name of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. Therefore, the title of this year's card, “钱龙驾到”, means “The Money Dragon has arrived.”
Since 2013, the agency has designed 24 cards, 12 each for RMB and Christmas, and prints and distributes an average of 2,000 cards each year. Between 2015 and 2017, we also created an online portal and free cards for people to sign up.
The basic design principle for CNY cards is the year's zodiac sign, and each card takes three months to create from ideation to production.
Roy Wang, Creative Director of FACTORY, commented on the exhibition: In the past, it was common for people to write and send cards to each other, but in today's fast-paced world, these wishes are usually conveyed through digital means instead. This inspired us to design a congratulatory card with a heartfelt message and mail it to our friends and family to let them know how much they mean to us. ”
“Especially, our Chinese New Year cards can be used as festive decorations around the recipient's home, as it is common to decorate one's space with prosperity or huat (lucky) things during this month. often also works.”
The HUAT CARD Showcase at the Main Street Commissary, 81 Rowell Road, begins January 26th and runs through February 29th. His 300 cards are on sale for $10 each.
