Design Business Chamber

How would you describe your personality?

My son, friends and colleagues fittingly call me “Mr. Fix-It” as I like to solve problems in creative and innovative ways.    

How has design thinking impacted what you do?

Creative and innovative solutions led me to develop a design thinking mindset and it really solved many problems, especially the recent solutions we had for our car showroom aka Car Vending Machine. 

What is your favourite automobile brand?

My favourite automobile brand is Porsche. It’s a unique brand that is somewhat sporty yet very understated.

What was the hardest decision you ever had to make?

To build TenSquare as another car vending machine showroom especially after we just built one not too long ago. Given that this took place in the middle of the pandemic, it was stressful.

Who is your hero and why?

Like many Singaporeans, my hero is our founding father, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew. With a bright mind, strong leadership and perseverance, he formed a capable team to develop Singapore into a world-renowned global city from its humble beginnings. Today, Singapore stands out in the world for its low level of poverty and highly-acclaimed education system among many attributes. 

_{Gary Hong, GM and Founder of Autobahn Motors aspires to bring an immersive experience to the community of creators, animators, marketers and brand owners together, to showcase their creativity and bring about more social awareness.}

What motivated your career switch?

I always knew I wanted to start something of my own. Most of the time, I pursued things that were of interest to me. So you can say the “career switch” was motivated by interest and curiosity. I went from studying Biological Sciences (hoping to be a scientist) to a very much design, engineering and business driven career. 

(I’m not sure I switched careers, I more of switched paths. My career has always been in design, engineering and business.)

How would you advise your younger self?

I’d spend more time making meaningful and long-lasting connections. I realised a bit later in life that “your network is your net worth”.

What’s the key thing you see lacking in the design community?

I meet a lot of designers who are perfectionists. Not sure whether it stems from character or from the design education, but I would like to see more designers give precedence to iteration. Designers can adopt the mindset that getting it right is a process of “continuous improvement” rather than hoping to hit a homerun on the first try. This also helps a lot with the anxiety designers face when putting their work out.

What is your greatest fear?

I have a fear of regret. I don’t want to get old and think, “I should have done this, I should have done that”. So as much as I can, I try to be very open to new experiences, opportunities and projects. But I also have learnt how to say “No” – the opportunity must either allow me to learn or earn. Equally great is my fear of getting old.

What do you love most about your job?

By helping businesses build brands, it is constantly enriching to see how our work can help our clients transform themselves, especially during Covid. Helping them survive and thrive, saving businesses and jobs, improving their products/services/designs during these trying times give meaning to what we do. There’s never an ordinary day as we’re working on multiple projects across different industries, bringing in new challenges and opportunities for us to ideate and design solutions. It is a privilege to make something out of nothing every single day. 

What’s your advice for those passionate about pursuing a career in design?

Going beyond your innate passion, design is about solving other people’s problems – which means it isn’t always going to be what you like. It’s our responsibility to make the world better through understanding, innovating, and solving unmet needs. We must also ensure that our creations won’t add more problems to the world – socially and environmentally. What you do is important, and in a certain way, every little thing you put out there can impact the world for better or worse. 

What made you join DBCS Circle?

I wanted to be involved in the local design community to learn from the veterans and participate in design initiatives. Sharing my voice for the community allows me to play a part in shaping Singapore’s design scene as well.