Tan Kee Keat
Creative Director, Nexus Creative, 2008
Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Industrial Design
Limkokwing University of Creative Technology is a place of creativity and innovation, and its brand colour – black – brings to mind strength and power. An education at Limkokwing University focuses not only on academics but also on practical application that exposes students to the real world.
22 September 2008
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Written by Christine Chan
Tan Kee Keat, alumnus of Limkokwing University of Creative Technology and partner in Nexus Creative, has much to share about his experience in his line of work. Kee Keat and writer Christine Chan had a chat and here’s the story of their fruitful conversation.
“Limkokwing University of Creative Technology is a place of creativity and innovation, and its brand colour – black – brings to mind strength and power. An education at Limkokwing University focuses not only on academics but also on practical application that exposes students to the real world,” stated Tan Kee Keat, who earned his degree in Industrial Design from Limkokwing University in 2003.
Kee Keat, who is grateful to the university for giving him many opportunities for greater learning and quality education, is now Creative Director of Nexus Creative, a company that offers services in branding, design, multimedia and music.
“The students at Limkokwing University are more open-minded due to their mingling with students from many different cultures and backgrounds,” said Kee Keat on his alma mater.
Kee Keat began his journey into his profession working at Limkokwing University as Creative Servicing Manager at the Malaysian Design Technology Centre (MDTC). Describing the work experience as great, fun and challenging, Kee Keat also said, “I’ve gained much knowledge and Professor Emeritus Tan Sri Dato’ Dr. Lim Kok Wing, who taught and guided me in ways that built my learning and understanding.”
The students at Limkokwing University are more open-minded due to their mingling with students from many different cultures and backgrounds
Venturing further into product design, he joined Teknion, a Canadian furniture company where he worked for three years as Business Development Executive before making the leap to partnering with Peter Wong and landing himself the title of Creative Director of Nexus Creative.
“Opening our own business was a totally different experience from being employed. Every partner knows each other well and specializes in a specific field – the trust is there and we do not budge into each other’s work as we have our own area of expertise to work in.”
Nexus Creative has gone worldwide, handling clients from countries as diverse as Sweden, Singapore, Australia, the United States and many more. Some of their clients include 2Gather, a Swedish headhunter company that links Asian candidates to job opportunities in Europe; Builders Box, a project located in India; an automotive company called Bric Mark and an architecture firm in India called DSP.
Although Nexus Creative’s expertise stretches across many fields, the company is most sought after for its services in web design and set-up, in particular the Content Management System (CMS) designed by the company for its clients. Some of their clients using the system include Mr. Koala (an Australian brand specializing in ladies’ fashion) and music composers from the United States such as Evan Gamble and Adam Schoenborg.
When you join a new company, try to learn more about it and treat it as training ground. Be organized, disciplined, and don’t quit within a month simply because of an RM 2000 increment
Despite having designed for clients around the world – Kee Keat explains that 70% of their client base comes from overseas – his favourite website assignment came from a Mersing-based transporation company in Johor. “All we had as data was the company’s name, location and contact information!”
Undaunted by the challenge, the company came up with a unique website that focused on excellent graphic design and a montage of a lorry moving from right to left, a move that dramatically boosted the company’s image. Impressed, the company hired Nexus Creative for further businesses, such as designing specialized ang pow packets for Chinese New Year.
