Marking the 100th issue of the renowned brand documentary magazine Magazine B, DESIGN@HKG extends the vision of Business of Design Week (BODW) to bring design dialogues into eslite bookstore's reading space. Featuring founder Mr. Suyong Joh in person, alongside moderator Otto Ng, Co-founder of LAAB Architects, the session invites the public to explore Magazine B’s remarkable 100-issue journey and its core brand values.
About Speaker:
Suyong Joh
Founder of Magazine B
Suyong Joh is a brand expert and the Founder of Magazine B. After majoring in design, he served as Co-CEO of Kakao Corporation. In 2011, he established JOH & Company and launched Magazine B, evolving it into a global media platform distributed in over 40 countries and earning a Silver Lion at Cannes in 2013. Beyond media, he has driven iconic spatial innovation projects like Nest Hotel and Sounds Hannam. He believes a true brand is defined by its "philosophy", a mindset that captures the zeitgeist.
"Through Magazine B, we prove design is a continuous dialogue. For 15 years, our documentaries have explored the balance between brands and consumers. True transformation occurs when an ordinary idea connects with human empathy through a rigorous process, shifting the focus from consuming products to sharing meaningful philosophy." -- Suyong Joh on Design in Dialogue: Connect + Transform
About Moderator:
Otto Ng
Cofounder, LAAB & commaa
Otto is the co-founder of LAAB—a Laboratory for Art and Architecture dedicated to spatial innovation. Spanning the fields of culture, retail, and hospitality, his studio has collaborated with many global and asian brands—from Leica and Rimowa, to Eslite and Mosu—to translate their unique stories and philosophies into visionary spatial experiences.
In 2024, Otto also launched commaa—cultural space and specialty coffee shop created to cultivate community connection through a shared love of coffee, art, and architecture.
