Katie Ewer

Or is it the other way around?

The golden rule of hacking the mind of the shopper is perhaps easier than we think it is.

Every year the festival challenges us to reassess what 'design' really is. And that's not exactly a bad thing, writes JKR's Katie Ewer.

Why storytelling and 'story doing' need to line up.

The most valued technology is also the most invisible. It certainly doesn't criticise your grooming habits and then make a sales pitch.

The industry doesn't fully appreciate the commercial value of design, and the vague, all-inclusive Design Lions category isn't helping.

Many Asian brands undervalue design. Here are six for whom design is not only identity, but also a driver of growth.

With stores that feel like walking through an extremely cheerful computer program, the clothing retailer Uniqlo has cultivated a design aesthetic that is consistent without being confining.

A simple observation about eyeballs in peril led to a true innovation that's not only functionally elegant but also visually distinctive.

Thanks to advances in digital printing, packaging design no longer has to be set in stone. Katie Ewer of JKR takes a look at how brands are using this new flexibility, for better or worse.

TWG Tea's delicious blend of luxury and old-world glamour is capturing the imagination (and taste buds) of tea drinkers from Singapore to New York City. Does anyone care that despite the brand's colonial-era trappings, it only dates back to 2008?

In which we ponder how the innocuous character (who is NOT a kitty, according to her owners) continues to enthrall millions and make billions.

The author of the 'Asian Champions of Design' series comments on why finding companies worthy of that status has been disappointingly challenging.

Is nature the ultimate designer? For many centuries in fine jewellery and fashion, that was the prevailing wisdom. Kokichi Mikimoto disagreed.

Virtually unchanged for more than 100 years, Ayam Brand knows the value of an unmistakeable identity.

The made-in-Japan whisky brand cultivates its own distinctively Japanese 'voice'.

If you think the Chinese smartphone brand is all about aping Apple, think again.

The China-born maker of furniture, housewares and jewellery is out to prove it can create a strong luxury brand despite lacking a long heritage of craftsmanship.

The story of how one man’s keen design aesthetic propelled him from a Penang cobbler’s shop to red carpets of the world’s glamour capitals.

How to get your brand noticed and chosen through limited edition design.

A review of the classification-defying, beautifully crafted, complex and nuanced Design Lions winners.

Redheads matches are a rare example of a brand that seamlessly ties together product, name and design.

A look at China's gritty, utilitarian shoe brand.

The brand is an icon at least partly thanks to its bold and timeless livery. So why does it shy away from that strong design on newer brand extensions?

The Japanese brand's bold brand identity unites ancient tradition and futuristic optimism. And it has a great origin story.

With absolute dedication to authentic design and craftsmanship, Taj Hotels ensures that each of its hotels provides a one-of-a-kind experience.

Shanghai Tang has employed its unique design, rooted in tradition but with modern twists, to captivate western clients and native Chinese alike.