Soft Box

Is a creative consulting company based between Hong Kong and Vienna.

We believe that art does not have to be confined to the norm of exhibitions and trades, and that it should reach a wider audience through collaborations with creators in other fields. As practicing artists and the core team of Soft Box, we have the technical and creative abilities, as well as experience in working with other innovative individuals from music to fashion and other design industries worldwide.

ADUO, “REBORN”

S. HENKEL

LUOO SPACE

DALI, K11

HER RECORDS

ROCKIOO WATCH

CODER, EE.MEDIA

CCA ART SHOP

TIMEFLY

MUSIC VIDEOS

Creative consulting, A'DUO (2017-8)

A’duo (b.1978, Hunan province, China) is of Tujia ethnic minority, a singer-songwriter based in Beijing, China. She is a pop musician who gained fame in the early 2000’s, she also worked as an actress but was known mainly for her talent in singing and dancing. She had put her career on hold by 2010 and had planned to reinvent her image for her then-upcoming album - Reborn, which was scheduled to be released in late 2018.

Soft Box was commissioned as creative consultants to help create an image that conveyed the musician’s minority background and the style of music in the album Reborn that she described as “futuristic ethnic”. We collaborated with Chinese designer Wang Yang, who specialises in accessories design that utilises 3D printing technology.

Our initial mood board was used as guidance for maintaining consistent styling for the client and overall visual direction for media production. Elements such as pleats, headdresses, and metal accessories are taken from the Tujia traditional clothing, modernized through the abstraction of forms, the use of natural and pastel tones, as well as contemporary components such as plastics, copper, and mesh.

The cover art for “Reborn”, and Wang Yang’s bespoke headpieces featured in the client’s promotional photo shoot.

Interior design, LUOO Space Beijing (2017)

Commissioned by LUOO - a Chinese online platform showcasing independent music from outside China, LUOO Space Beijing is the second offline space after Guangzhou, established for online members to meet, gather and share their love for music, with occasional live performances by local musicians.

Based on the design of LUOO Space Guangzhou, industrial elements and accents of brass were incorporated into Soft Box’s design of the new space in Beijing. With custom-made tables, storage, and laser-cut wooden accent wall; furniture, and fixtures sourced both locally and internationally.

Initial design

With the concrete service counter facing the entry, with a wrap-around bar, metal mesh dividers, and a black statement staircase leading up to the rooftop area.

Final design

The branded service counter was moved to the back of the room, the staircase was simplified to maximize seating capacity.

Image, jeremycox.us (2017)

Commissioned image for the website of Jeremy Cox - the audio engineer and manager of Her Records.

Album cover designs, HER RECORDS (2014-2017)

Tincture by NKC / Body Paint by Kid Antoine / MM EP by MM / Proximity EP by Kid Antoine / Ekleipsis by CYPHR

Throughout 2014-2017, Soft Box co-founder Oliver Haidutschek had a collaborative relationship with U.K. based Her Records, where he designed 3D rendered album covers.

Fugu, EE.MEDIA, Beijing (2015)

Fugu is a video installation commissioned by EE.Media (CN) and was presented at Tomorrow’s Party in The Orange Sanlitun, Beijing in Winter 2015.

Fugu is the Japanese word for blowfish. In this installation, the audience must walk under the structure to reach the monitors displaying a live feed of the projected image on top of the piece. The top-heaviness of the cotton-filled plastic cushions reflects the mass of information that we absorb through media on the daily basis, while also acting as an interceptor and mediator between the truth, the screen, and the consumer.

Press materials for the resulting event.

A collobration with TIMEFLY, E.E.Media (2015)

Soft Box was commissioned to design merchandise to be sold at an E.E.Media event in Beijing. We collaborated with fashion brand - Timefly and designed the print for their signature clothing item.

A collaboration with photographer Sebastian Henkel (2015)

A collaboration with German fashion photographer Sebastian Henkel. A study of form and volume, where abstract shapes and textures are incorporated with the use of 3D scanning and rendering technologies, interacting and juxtaposing with the bodies and garments while creating contemporary silhouettes.

Exhibition design, K11 Art Museum, Shanghai (2015)

Commissioned by Shanghai Chi K11 art museum, visual elements of beige walls and plastic curtains were incorporated into the exhibition design of the contemporary art section - Our Real, Your Surreal of the Media Dalí: Major Exhibition of Surrealism Art, where paintings, videos, and installations from various young artists were showcased.

Photos taken at the exhibition opening.

Product design & UI/UX, ROCKIOO android smartwatch (2015)

Commissioned by ROCKIOO android smartwatch, the two limited edition strap designs are semi-transparent with abstracted patterns in black, while the two artist editions consist of blue and pink hues, as well as tactile shapes resembling pearls, scales, and other organic forms.

Spatial design, CCA Art Shop (2015)

Center For Contemporary Art (CCA) was an art shop situated in a shopping mall in the Beijing suburbs.

Soft Box was commissioned to design the corporate identity of the brand, as well as the physical space to accomodate a consultation area, a shop area, and an exhibition space.