This is me

My Motto

Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I might remember. Involve me and I learn.

And always be open-minded and curious.

Hi! My name is Michel Yi Fong and I am a Berlin-based freelance Designer. Born and raised in Hamburg, I worked at local firms – Heye, Philipp & Keuntje and Factor – for over 10 years. My experiences include positions as Senior Art Director and Senior Brand Designer.

After moving to Berlin and becoming a freelancer, I decided to take a sabbatical year in Taipei City to study and strengthen my second language, Mandarin. At the same time, I took time to explore and understand my Taiwanese roots and background. Since then, I have been very fortunate and grateful for expanding my network, collaborating and working with Taiwanese brands who care about their visual presence. This wonderful experience broadened my horizon in numerous facets – personally and professionally, which continue to evolve today.

Through this website, I would like to give you an overview of who I am and the work I produce. If you are interested, would like to get in touch or work together, just drop me a note. I’m looking forward to meeting you.

Below you will find a few more information regarding my approach, workflow and further, maybe useful insights.

My approach & workflow

For me, the quote „Design is thinking made visual“ from Saul Bass, literally sums it up. My approach is always systematic, honest and appropriate for the assignment, product or company, created with sense and sensibility.

And I believe, that a collaboration based on true partnership and trust are key to success. Knowing the client and all core details are fundamental for achieving the most profound solution and result.

After 20 years working in this business and for a variety of clients — small or big, modest or bold — my following ”3C Design Process” has been a verified and successful guide for any given challenge:

Apart from this, I have a trusted network of highly professional creatives available who write, program and implement, in order to provide full service and cover all necessary key parts.

What I do & What I don’t do

What I do? In short: I do (almost) everything, which simply ignites my senses and joy for good design. However, the following fields are reflecting my major expertise and scope:

  • Branding and Profiling (Strategy)
  • Brand & Corporate Design
  • Graphic Design
  • Illustration
  • Packaging
  • Holistic & Interdisciplinary Thinking with Attention To Details
  • Visual Language Development & Photo Shoot Supervision
  • Customer Journey & User Experience
  • Spatial Design
  • Connecting Cultures
  • Inviting you for a cup of Oolong tea and getting to know each other

Conversely, there are a few things, which I simply cannot do or which are against my principles:

  • Thoughtless and Unusable Design
  • Fake or Dishonest Branding
  • Indecent and Disrespectful Approaches
  • Inadequate Paid Work
  • Mass Communication
  • Mere Execution
  • Unrealistic Time Management
  • Making the Impossible Possible (but definitely taking an impossible mission into a possible consideration)
  • Working Nonstop like a Machine

Wall of Honor

This is just for the record. I am indeed very thankful and happy, that many of my work has been awarded, yet I must emphasize, that winning an award is not and will never be the main purpose or goal, when starting a new project. In fact, it is a nice and confirming privilege, if an already successful project will be additionally honored in the end.

  • ADC, Art Directors Club Germany — Audi
  • Berliner Type — Audi, IP44
  • DDC, Deutscher Designer Club — COR, interlübke
  • iF Design Award — Audi, COR, interlübke, IP44, Römerturm
  • LIA, London International Awards — Audi
  • New York Festival — Audi
  • red dot — Manloy, Audi, COR, interlübke, Römerturm
  • TDC, Type Directors Club — Römerturm

PDF Download

You can download a compact work overview incl. CV as a PDF document here (file size: 7,5 MB).

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