CentreO Blog

Hello, my name is Todd Underwood, the Creative Strategy Trainee at Centre O, and I’m here to talk to you about branding.

The idea is to catch and keep attention. Branding has to be unforgettable. It also needs to be attractive by showing diligence and care in every aspect of the business it represents. For example, Centre O works nonstop, providing services that are necessary for businesses to survive and thrive. Their logo needs to demonstrate their never-ending dedication to clients. It also needs to create a happy and humble environment. In order to achieve these goals, a logo has to pop. It also needs to be recognizable very quickly. If consumers can identify a company logo quicker, chances are they’ll pick it over a similar product. Centre O excels in this area, because the orange circle is very unique and interesting. If a brand can achieve these qualities, they’ll be much more memorable. Shape is a major tool in developing a company’s brand, but it isn’t the only factor. Color is just as or more important than shape. Color creates emotion, which can be used in a plethora of different ways. Text Size and typeface are also key factors. This is probably the hardest part in designing a logo, because to be successful, it must be legible at any size.

I like to think I have expanded and enhanced Centre O’s branding through the redesign of the logo (making the most important piece of branding more recognizable with the full circle and adding a little more pop with the gradient), the sales kit (which now features curved lines and circles instead of straight, blocky shapes), a brand new welcome kit (including a welcome booklet, postcards, stickers, and a lanyard) and posters (currently decorating the office walls). Hopefully these new changes will be well received for the coming years of prosperity at Centre O.

All of the information in this blog helped me become a better designer and is still useful in my everyday work. Thanks for reading!

My name is Elizabeth Oxley and I am from Memphis, Tennessee, USA. I am a junior at Sewanee: The University of the South, located south of Nashville. I am a Global Studies Major, concentrating on global capitalism and culture, and an Asian studies minor. I chose Hong Kong because of its reputation on the global stage, the plethora of cultures that exist within the city, and that it is located in Asia! I chose to come work at Centre O this summer mainly because of its location in Hong Kong, but the small medium enterprise size and business centre aspect also aided in my decision. An internship at a company this size has given me a comfortable, intimate space to ask questions and learn about global business.

At Centre O, I am the First Impressions Trainee, which means I am doing mainly admin work and interacting with clients at the reception. This includes answering phone calls, customer service, and hand delivering documents to different locations in Hong Kong. I also act as a front desk officer, greeting customers and ensuring their time at Centre O is comfortable and pleasant. This has taught me the importance of face value and how important it is to smile and have lots of energy when talking to customers. This kind of work has helped me to get a hands on experience in the world of business in Hong Kong. I am really enjoying learning about the differences in office culture. The differences between here and the States are more than I expected. Certain things that I would say, do, or how I act do not translate over to the Hong Kong office as they would in the US office. Such as the difference between “please hold” and “will you please hold?”. In the States, it is the same thing, but in Hong Kong they believe that one is more polite than the other. In addition, I am also enjoying learning how different the legal aspect of business is here versus in the United States. Incorporation here is much smoother and painless than it is in the states and I can easily understand Hong Kong’s appeal to foreign business owners.

In conclusion, I believe my time in Hong Kong has been a huge learning experience. I’ve gained more independence, learned about business, and learned a lot about Asia. This has been a truly unique experience and something I could never learn in a classr

Interns are like MINIONS.

We’re half way into the Summer, it’s always a great time to bring on extra help, while the interns are looking for chances to ‘test out’ themselves and experience a whole new environment from what they have been used to.  This year we happen to have 5 minions joining the team, all well motivated and enthusiastic about their tasks, coming in with happy faces into the organization everyday.

When hiring an intern, the process is similar to hiring any full time employee.  Prepare yourself in advance that most likely they won’t be as qualified, skilled or experienced.  Find out their traits, characteristics and potentials; social and technical skills, eagerness to learn, willingness to accept positive and negative feedback and the ability to follow instructions and complete a task.

While working with them, best to get right to the issues, explain the expected outcome, methods to perform, overall purpose, the skills necessary to accomplish the goals, milestones, and deadlines.  You will need to be quick on accessing to the interns’ performance, their strengths and weaknesses, to decide if the tasks given are suitable and the amount of time invested in them is enough.

My conclusion from working with the minions this Summer would be: each and every one of them are cute and lovable to work with and add a unique flare to the office environment.

Hey Everyone!

In the following weeks we are going to be doing a blog series of meeting the interns behind the Summer 2017 Centre O team. We want everyone to get to know the faces that help with our provided services and everyday operations building the backbone of Centre O!

Hope you enjoy!