Keith Tam is an information designer, typographer, and educator. He is currently Vice Principal and Deputy Academic Director at the Hong Kong Design Institute. He holds an honorary appointment as Distinguished Research Fellow at the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, Shanghai University.

A seasoned designer, teacher, and academic leader, Keith has 20 years of experience in higher education. He has held academic and management positions at University of Reading (UK), Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Emily Carr University of Art and Design (Canada). Prior to his current role, he was founding Head of Communication Design and founding Director of the Centre for Communication Design at the Hong Kong Design Institute.

Keith’s research and practice focus on typography and information design, particularly in complex documents, multilingual typography, wayfinding and user interface design. As a designer, Keith has received accolades including a Red Dot Design Award, three Design for Asia merit awards, a bronze award at the China Print Awards and Hong Kong Design Association’s Best Design Educator award. He is also a frequent speaker at local, national and international conferences, and provides consultancy services to corporate clients such as Microsoft, HSBC, and Oxford University Press. He is Vice-Chairman of the Institute of Print-media Professionals, board member of the Hong Kong Open Printshop, member of the Design Trust Greater Bay Area Advisory Council and member of the CreateSmart Initiative Vetting Committee at CreateHK.

譚智恒 文字設計師、信息設計師、教育工作者。現職香港知專設計學院副院長暨副學術總監,亦擔任上海大學上海美術學院特聘研究員。譚智恒是經驗豐富的設計師、教育工作者及學術領導,在高等教育領域擁有20年工作經驗。他曾於英國雷丁大學、香港理工大學及埃米莉卡爾藝術設計大學任教及擔任管理工作。出任現職前,他曾任香港知專設計學院傳意設計學系系主任,創立傳意設計研究中心及擔任總監一職。譚氏的研究和設計實務專注於文字設計和信息設計,尤其著重於複雜資訊、多語言文字設計、導向系統和用戶介面設計。譚先生在設計領域中屢獲殊榮,包括紅點設計獎、亞洲最具影響力設計獎三項優異獎、中華印製大獎銅獎,與及由香港設計師協會頒發的最佳設計教師獎。他亦經常於本港、國內及國際會議上發表演講,並為微軟、匯豐銀行、牛津大學出版社等企業客戶提供顧問服務。他所出任的公職包括印刷媒體專業人員協會副會長、香港版畫工作室董事會成員、信言設計大使大灣區顧問委員會成員及創意香港創意智優計劃審核委員會成員。

Keith Tam portrait
Photograph by Mak Kai Hang

Press

2023–Vice Principal
Deputy Academic Director
Hong Kong Design Institute
2017–2023Head of Department, Communication Design
Director, Centre for Communication Design
Hong Kong Design Institute
2017–Distinguished Research Fellow, Type Lab
Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts
Shanghai University
2021–Member, CreateSmart Initiative Vetting Committee
CreateHK, Commerce and Economic Development Bureau
Hong Kong SAR Government
2020–Member, Board of Directors
Hong Kong Open Printshop
2020–Life Senior Member
Vice-Chairman
Institute of Print-media Professionals
2020–2021Member, Executive Board
International Institute of Information Design (IIID)
2012–15, 2020–21Member, Board of Directors and Hong Kong Delegate
Association Typographique Internationale (ATypI)
2020–Education member representative, Hong Kong Design Institute
International Council of Design (ico-D)
2019–Publishing Consultant
Sandu Publishing, Guangzhou
2017–Member, Editorial Board
International Typography Think Tank
Central Academy of Fine Arts and Citic Publishing
2015–Member, Greater Bay Area Advisory Council
Design Trust
2009–Professional member
International Society of Typographic Designers (ISTD)
2009–Full member
Hong Kong Designers Association
2015–17Associate Professor
Programme Director, MA Information Design
Department of Typography & Graphic Communication
Director of Postgraduate Taught Studies
School of Arts & Communication Design
University of Reading
2006–2015Assistant Professor
Discipline Leader of Communication Design
School of Design, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
2004–06Assistant Professor in Communication Design
Emily Carr University of Art and Design
2015–19Researcher, China Typography Research Centre
Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing