Ashwini Gangal and Rashmi Menon
Advertising

Creativeland Asia ropes in Kay Khoo

Khoo was the co-founder of Kyoorius and spearheaded the annual Kyroorius Designyatra.

Kyoorius co-founder Kay Khoo has joined Creativeland Asia (CLA). Khoo, who is a Malaysian expat, will head the design and technology initiatives at the agency. Khoo will don the role of chief innovations officer and has stepped in the place of Vikram Gaikwad, who left the agency in December to start his own venture (which afaqs! had covered last week).

Creativeland Asia ropes in Kay Khoo
Creativeland Asia ropes in Kay Khoo
Confirming the news, Sajan Raj Kurup, founder and creative chairman, Creativeland Asia, says that he was specifically looking for a person, who was not jaded by traditional advertising. "The reason our work is so good is because it is so design centric. We don't make a copy, we design it. We don't make ads, we design them," Kurup highlights, adding that brand communication is shifting from "outdated" traditional agency model and new structures are being formed.

On joining CLA, Khoo says, "Since inception, Creativeland has been nurturing a brilliant creative culture and is an exciting place to be at, where the young creative culture is all ready to create meaningful changes to brand conversations of the future. I see the opportunity to strengthen this further through design and innovations within the culture."

In a career spanning two decades, Khoo has gained experience in identity systems, print and publication design and designing news portals. During his stint at Kyoorius, he spearheaded various projects including the annual design conference Kyoorius Designyatra, Kyoorius Awards and the magazine. He has also worked with Addikt (Amsterdam) Mumbai office and Figtree Design (Malaysia). Some of the brands that Khoo has worked on include Accenture, Antalis and Conqueror Papers, Fiat, HSBC, Green Prospects Asia and for organisations such as World Bank, 4As Malaysia, Asian Federation of Advertising Associations, and government bodies.

Khoo has also curated and set up exhibitions and events in schools, galleries, cinema and shopping malls to promote the concept of design. The noteworthy projects in these include 100 best European posters at National Art Gallery Malaysia, 108 Design Movement that toured Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan.

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