Hand-Heart Design Firm (HAND-HEART DESIGN FIRM; registered legal name 手心志業有限公司 / Shouxin Zhiye Co., Ltd.) was founded in 2014. We are a brand design firm based in Kaohsiung and we work on corporate identity systems (CIS), rebranding, wayfinding system design, packaging design, visual design and sustainability report design, with partners across Taiwan. We have completed more than 500 brand and wayfinding projects and hold three Republic of China (Taiwan) invention patents. Our partners include national institutions and listed companies such as the National Central Library, the National Palace Museum Southern Branch, China Airlines, EVA Air, KYMCO and Radiant Opto-Electronics, and our work has been recognised by the Red Dot Design Award in Germany, the GOOD DESIGN AWARD in Japan and the MUSE Design Awards in the United States.
Design that cannot help people is surplus.
The hand stands for reliability, modesty and friendliness; the heart stands for warmth, kindness and honesty. Our mark merges a left palm with the Chinese character for heart — design puts people first and carries no decoration it does not need. This is the test we have applied from the first project to the 500th, and we have never changed it.
The hand is reliability and friendliness. The heart is warmth and honesty. Design puts people first and carries no decoration it does not need.— Our mark merges a left palm with the Chinese character for heart. It has not changed from the first project to the 500th
The first half of this page is company information for procurement staff and tender officers; printed out, it is one page. The second half is how we do design.
- Registered name
- 手心志業有限公司 (Shouxin Zhiye Co., Ltd.); trading as Hand-Heart Design Firm
- Tax ID
- 24669349
- Founded
- 2014, Kaohsiung
- Size
- 22 staff as of February 2026, which makes us the largest brand design firm in Kaohsiung by headcount. Basis: the 2021 design capacity registration survey by the Taiwan Design Research Institute, which recorded only 3 visual design companies in Taiwan with more than 20 staff.
- Principal
- Hsu Chih-yang, General Manager. MA in Visual Design, National Kaohsiung Normal University; EMBA, National Sun Yat-sen University; lecturer certified by the Ministry of Education (certificate No. 110894). Vice chairman of the 中華企業形象發展協會 (Zhonghua Qiye Xingxiang Fazhan Xiehui, corporate image development association); director of the Taiwan Poster Design Association; adjunct assistant professor (professional track), Department of Visual Communication Design, Tainan University of Technology; adjunct lecturer, Department of Visual Design, National Kaohsiung Normal University
- Juries and committees
- Interview panel member, 教育部海外菁英計畫 (Jiaoyubu Haiwai Jingying Jihua, Ministry of Education overseas talent programme), 2024–2026; juror, TAIWAN TOP STAR design award (TTS), 2026; review committee member, AIGC integrated marketing design programme, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, 2026; question setting and judging committee member, National Senior High School Skills Competition, Ministry of Education, 2025; curriculum review committee member, College of Innovative Design, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, 2025–2026; final round juror, 金赫獎 (Jinhe Award), 2024; preliminary round juror, Times Young Creative Awards international competition, 2024; preliminary round juror, Young Pin Design Award and the Taiwan International Student Design Competition (TISDC), 2023; curriculum review committee member, College of Arts, National Kaohsiung Normal University, 2023; juror, Top Ten Souvenirs selection, Pingtung County Government, 2022
- Address
- 9F, No. 136, Zhongzheng 4th Rd., Qianjin Dist., Kaohsiung 801, Taiwan
- Contact
- +886-7-285-7000｜[email protected]｜Monday to Friday 09:00–18:00
- Core services
- Corporate identity systems (CIS) and rebranding, wayfinding system design, sustainability report and ESG design; further services: packaging, visual design, websites
- Coverage
- All of Taiwan; partners overseas and in northern and central Taiwan work with us over online meetings, combined with on-site meetings or site surveys
- Intellectual property
- Three Republic of China (Taiwan) invention patents: No. 908503, No. 908504 and No. 934355 (patent holder 手心志業有限公司 / Shouxin Zhiye Co., Ltd., in force until 2044-11-28)
- Published acceptance standards
- CI/CIS procurement and acceptance guide, wayfinding project brief pack, sustainability report design brief (all printable, and not limited to work with Hand-Heart)
Selected partners
National institutions and the public sector: National Central Library, National Palace Museum Southern Branch, National Institute of Cyber Security, Legislative Yuan, Kaohsiung National Stadium, 國家眷村文化園區 (Guojia Juancun Wenhua Yuanqu, national military dependants’ village culture park), Tainan Film Studio in Annei, Tainan Public Library Main Branch, Kaohsiung Public Library, Bureau of Cultural Affairs of Kaohsiung City Government, Department of International Affairs of Kaohsiung City Government, Youth Bureau of Kaohsiung City Government, Cultural Affairs Bureau of Tainan City Government, Department of Cultural Affairs of New Taipei City Government, Maolin National Scenic Area Administration, Wanluan Township Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taichung International Convention and Exhibition Center, Huangpu New Village.
Academic institutions: National Taiwan University, National Chiao Tung University, National Tsing Hua University Art Museum, National Kaohsiung Normal University, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung Medical University.
Companies and groups: China Airlines, EVA Air, KYMCO, Radiant Opto-Electronics, AcBel Polytech, Innolux, Powertech Technology, Taishin Financial Holding, China Development Financial, Taichung Commercial Bank, Shin Kong Group, Nan Pao Resins, Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation, Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor, Taiwan Railway, Sinya Digital, 銘福集團 (Mingfu Group), Whisbih Group, the supercar marque PAGANI, Tintin Drugstore, Yuho Beef, TAi Urban Resort.
Team and governance
22 staff as of February 2026, of whom 15 are full-time senior and junior designers and 4 work in planning and project management. Every project is given a named project lead (PM or planner) and a named account manager when it starts, and both are written into the internal project sheet; project material is kept in shared systems and shared folders; handovers are documented. The design process runs in six stages, each stage ends with a formal sign-off, and direction is confirmed by the decision makers themselves. Projects with physical output are carried through to prototyping, construction supervision and a completion report. The process, and who confirms what at each stage, has a page of its own.
Information as of 2026-09. Award and patent details are listed in the sections “Recognition from outside” and “Three invention patents” on this page, each with its source.
Who we have worked with
Our partners span the public sector, cultural venues and listed companies. Below is a selection — the full process behind each one can be seen in the portfolio:
National institutions and the public sector
National Central Library, National Palace Museum Southern Branch, National Institute of Cyber Security, Legislative Yuan, Kaohsiung National Stadium, Tainan Public Library Main Branch, Kaohsiung Public Library, Bureau of Cultural Affairs of Kaohsiung City Government, Department of Cultural Affairs of New Taipei City Government, Youth Bureau of Kaohsiung City Government, Maolin National Scenic Area Administration, Wanluan Township Office, 國家眷村文化園區 (Guojia Juancun Wenhua Yuanqu, national military dependants’ village culture park), Tainan Film Studio in Annei, Department of International Affairs of Kaohsiung City Government, Cultural Affairs Bureau of Tainan City Government, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taichung International Convention and Exhibition Center, Huangpu New Village
Academic institutions
National Kaohsiung Normal University, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung Medical University, National Taiwan University, National Chiao Tung University, National Tsing Hua University Art Museum
Listed companies and group brands
China Airlines, EVA Air, KYMCO, Radiant Opto-Electronics, AcBel Polytech, Innolux, Powertech Technology, Taishin Financial Holding, China Development Financial, Taichung Commercial Bank, Shin Kong Group, Nan Pao Resins, Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation, Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor, Taiwan Railway, Sinya Digital, 銘福集團 (Mingfu Group), Whisbih Group, the supercar marque PAGANI, Tintin Drugstore, Yuho Beef, TAi Urban Resort
Three projects that show what we do
National Palace Museum Southern Branch: site-wide wayfinding system design and installationFrom circulation analysis and legibility testing to construction supervision, handled by us throughout
National Central Library: corporate identity and consensus workshopA six-hour workshop with 30 senior managers, so that the decision makers put the brand direction into their own words
KYMCO: corporate identity rebranding and store designFrom brand spirit to store circulation, with a modular design that many locations can reproduce
How we work: six stages, each with deliverables
Our brand and identity projects run in six stages. The structure draws on a classic text in the Taiwanese CI field (Lin Pang-soong, “Corporate Identity System”, Yi Feng Tang, 1985) and has been adjusted from what we have learned running public sector and corporate projects ourselves:
- Setting the conceptWork out whether what is needed is a logo or a brand, and help form a project committee that includes the decision makers.
- Field studyInterviews with the head of the organisation, a survey of all staff, a study of outside perception, and an audit of existing visual assets — not just asking the managers.
- Image strategyVision, mission, brand positioning and benchmarking against comparable organisations. If the positioning statement would still hold for another organisation, it has failed.
- Design developmentThe VI visual system including minimum sizes, single colour and reversed versions; EI environmental identity; six categories of application systems.
- Completion and roll-outInternal communication, training for the people who will apply it (materials or video), and a full roll-out plan — not a manual handed over and closed.
- Oversight and reviewHelp set up a standing management mechanism and rules for external licensing, so the identity outlives the next person in charge.
The full six stages and eighteen checkpoints, including the procurement and acceptance checklist →
Two things that set us apart from most design companies
One: we carry the work through to construction supervision. A wayfinding system does not end when the drawings are done — material, structure and site conditions all affect the final result, so our wayfinding projects can include fabrication and construction supervision, or cover planning and design only, or planning plus supervision, depending on the scope of the tender. How the contract is divided is agreed before it is awarded. The National Palace Museum Southern Branch, Kaohsiung National Stadium and the research building at National Kaohsiung Normal University were all completed this way.
Two: we treat roll-out as part of the delivery. A manual is not enough to support every person who has to apply it; video lets the people doing the work follow along. For the National Central Library we produced training videos for those applying the system, because whether an identity survives depends on whether the officer in charge can actually produce it.
How we design: where science, aesthetics and philosophy meet
We believe good design stands at the meeting point of three things. Science supplies the evidence — the limits of the human field of view, statistical eye heights, the reflective properties of materials, real research into markets and users; all of it can be measured and checked. Aesthetics decides whether it can live alongside its surroundings, so the design becomes part of the space and the brand rather than a patch stuck on top. Philosophy answers the more basic question: how does this organisation want people to be treated?
Leave out any one of them and something goes wrong. Science alone produces things that are correct but cold. Aesthetics alone produces decoration that looks good and does not work. Philosophy alone stops at a fine statement that never lands. That is why every judgement we make has to rest on a basis in theory — and why we turned our methods into invention patents, wrote legibility distance as a formula, and broke the design process into six stages that can be signed off.
Further reading: wayfinding system design: the formula for legible text height and the three-step on-site verification process.
What we believe about design
Science, aesthetics and philosophy answer to quality, taste and character
So far this is three fields of study, but study only counts once it reaches people. We map the three onto three more concrete things: whether an organisation has character, whether a product or service has quality, and whether a brand has taste. Only when all three come together do you get good output and good results.
| The question it answers | Where it lands in people | How we check it | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philosophy | How does this organisation want people to be treated | Character | Say what has to be said, even when it does not suit us; beyond the manual, make training videos for the people applying it |
| Science | What is the evidence, and can it be checked | Quality | Legible height calculated with a formula, background colours tested on site, deliverables at each of the six stages, three invention patents |
| Aesthetics | Can it live alongside its surroundings and be remembered | Taste | Signage as a grace note to the architecture, not a burden on it; an identity that holds at every size and in every material |
Leave out any one and something goes wrong. Quality alone is correct but no one remembers it; taste alone looks good but does not survive scrutiny; character alone speaks well but never lands. Only when all three come together do you get good output and good results.
Three invention patents: turning design methods into protectable technology
We currently hold three Republic of China (Taiwan) invention patents. Of the three kinds of patent in Taiwan — invention, utility model and design — the invention patent is examined most strictly: it requires substantive examination and proof that the technology is novel and involves an inventive step. It is not common in the design services industry. These three patents show that we do not only produce visuals; we also fix methods and techniques in place:
- 908504Sign boardInvention patent No. 908504｜Inventor: Hsu Chih-yang｜from 12 November 2025
Turns practical problems in wayfinding systems into protectable structural technology, applied in large venue projects such as the National Palace Museum Southern Branch and Kaohsiung National Stadium. - 908503Printing method for invisible patterns, and the printed matter thereofInvention patent No. 908503｜Inventors: Hsu Chih-yang, Cho Hsun-chun｜from 12 November 2025
This is the 365nm security ink technology used in “Kaohsiung Pose”, the 2023 Red Dot award winner — what won the award was not only the visual, but the printing method behind it. - 934355Brand strategy insight system with AIInvention patent No. 934355｜Inventor: Hsu Chih-yang｜from 1 August 2026
Brings AI into brand strategy research and insight work, so that field studies and positioning analysis rest on a repeatable method rather than on individual experience.
The patent holder for all three is 手心志業有限公司 (Shouxin Zhiye Co., Ltd.). The patent term runs until 28 November 2044, and the certificate numbers can be checked in the patent search system of the Intellectual Property Office, Ministry of Economic Affairs.
- Invention patent No. 908503 (Printing method for invisible patterns, and the printed matter thereof)
- Invention patent No. 908504 (Sign board)
- Invention patent No. 934355 (Brand strategy insight system with AI)
The three patents correspond to three core capabilities: engineering delivery of wayfinding systems, innovation in printing technique, and methodology for brand strategy.
Recognition from outside
- 2026 Red Dot Design Award, Germany: 2025 Year of the Snake greeting card and red envelopes
- 2025 DFA Design for Asia Awards, Silver: “Kaohsiung Pose”
- 2024 Good Design Award, Japan ×2
- 2024 Golden Pin Design Award: wayfinding system for the research building at National Kaohsiung Normal University
- 2024 MUSE Design Awards, USA: Platinum ×2, Gold ×2
- 2023 London Design Awards: Design of the Year, Platinum ×2, Gold ×3
- 2023 Taipei International Design Award, Silver: wayfinding system for the research building at National Kaohsiung Normal University
- 2023 Red Dot Design Award, Germany: “Kaohsiung Pose”
- 2023 iF Design Award, Germany: wayfinding system for the research building at National Kaohsiung Normal University
- 2021 Shopping Design Award, Design of the Year: identity system for Tainan Public Library Main Branch
- 2021 Red Dot Design Award, Germany: wayfinding system for the research building at National Kaohsiung Normal University
- 2021 iF Design Award, Germany: wayfinding system for Kaohsiung National Stadium
- 2020 Shopping Design Award, Design of the Year: wayfinding system for Kaohsiung National Stadium
- 2020 Red Dot Design Award, Germany: wayfinding system for Kaohsiung National Stadium
- 2026Red Dot Design Award, Germany — Red Dot Winner Year of the Snake 2025 greeting card and red envelope design
Our most recent award-winning work · See the project - 2025DFA Design for Asia Awards — Silver “Kaohsiung Pose”Organised by the Hong Kong Design Centre, a benchmark award in Asian design; the same work also won a Red Dot in Germany in 2023 · See the project
- 2024GOOD DESIGN AWARD, Japan 2 works honouredOne of the three major design awards in the world, dedicated to solving problems through design · See the winning work
- 2024MUSE Design Awards, United States Platinum WinnerSee the winning work
- 2023Red Dot Design Award, Germany — Red Dot Winner “Kaohsiung Pose”Information hidden with 365nm security ink, so that local Kaohsiung character is revealed through interaction · See the winning work
- 2023London Design Awards Design of the YearSee the winning work
- 2023Taipei International Design Award — Silver Wayfinding system design for the research building at National Kaohsiung Normal UniversitySee the winning work
- 2021Red Dot Design Award, Germany Brands & Communication DesignThe wayfinding system for the research building at National Kaohsiung Normal University, using the dot to link research, innovation and cross-disciplinary work · See the winning work
Our work has also been recognised by the iF Design Award in Germany, the Golden Pin Design Award and other awards at home and abroad.
Teaching and sharing what we know
In August 2026 Hsu Chih-yang, principal of Hand-Heart, was invited to teach on an international training programme run by Taiwan ICDF (International Cooperation and Development Fund). The subject was “The core of building a brand: seeing the value that cannot be seen”, and the experience of introducing CI in the Taiwanese public sector was set out as a six-stage checking tool for participants to take home and use. We also publish what we know about brands, including a full explanation of corporate identity systems (CIS), a guide to rebranding and the five models of brand architecture.
Company information
- Company name
- Hand-Heart Design Firm (HAND-HEART DESIGN FIRM)
Registered legal name: 手心志業有限公司 (Shouxin Zhiye Co., Ltd.) - Founded
- 2014
- Principal
- Hsu Chih-yang
- Tax ID
- 24669349
- Intellectual property
- 3 Republic of China (Taiwan) invention patents (sign board, invisible ink printing, brand strategy insight system with AI)
- Address
- 9F, No. 136, Zhongzheng 4th Rd., Qianjin Dist., Kaohsiung 801, Taiwan
- Phone
- +886-7-285-7000
- [email protected]
- Services
- Corporate identity systems (CIS), rebranding, wayfinding system design, packaging design, visual design, web design, CSR and sustainability report design, hotel design
- Coverage
- All of Taiwan (with completed projects in Kaohsiung, Tainan, Taichung and Taipei)
- Social
- Facebook｜Instagram｜YouTube
Frequently asked questions
Where is Hand-Heart Design Firm, and do you cover all of Taiwan?
We are at 9F, No. 136, Zhongzheng 4th Rd., Qianjin Dist., Kaohsiung 801, Taiwan, and the phone number is +886-7-285-7000. The office is in Kaohsiung, but we work across the whole country — the National Central Library, the Legislative Yuan and the New Taipei City cultural affairs department are all in the north, the National Palace Museum Southern Branch is in Chiayi, and Tainan Public Library Main Branch is in Tainan.
What services does Hand-Heart offer?
Mainly corporate identity system (CIS) design, rebranding, wayfinding system design (including circulation analysis and construction supervision), packaging design, visual design, responsive web design, CSR and sustainability report design, and hotel design. Wayfinding systems and corporate identity are the two fields in which we have gone deepest.
What awards has Hand-Heart won?
They include the Red Dot Design Award in Germany (Brands & Communication Design 2021, Winner 2023, Winner 2026), DFA Design for Asia Awards Silver (2025), the GOOD DESIGN AWARD in Japan (2 works in 2024), the MUSE Design Awards in the United States (Platinum Winner 2024), the London Design Awards (Design of the Year 2023) and the Taipei International Design Award Silver (2023), as well as the iF Design Award in Germany and the Golden Pin Design Award. Since 2020 that comes to 23 design awards at home and abroad (Red Dot 4, iF 2, DFA 1, Good Design 2, Golden Pin 1, MUSE 4, London Design Awards 6, Taipei International Design Award 1, Shopping Design Award 2).
Do design companies hold invention patents? What are Hand-Heart’s three patents?
They can, though it is not common. Of the three kinds of patent in Taiwan the invention patent is examined most strictly: it requires substantive examination and proof that the technology is novel and involves an inventive step. We hold three Republic of China (Taiwan) invention patents: an invention relating to sign boards (applied in wayfinding systems for large venues), an invention relating to invisible ink printing (the 365nm security ink technology used in “Kaohsiung Pose”, the Red Dot winner), and the “brand strategy insight system with AI” granted in August 2026, which brings AI into brand research and insight work so that strategic analysis rests on a repeatable method.
How does a Hand-Heart project usually run, and how long does it take?
In six stages: setting the concept, field study, image strategy, design development, completion and roll-out, oversight and review. Each stage has clear deliverables. The schedule varies a great deal with scope — a straightforward identity refresh may take a few weeks, while a full CI project with research, a standards manual and spatial roll-out is usually measured in months. We suggest starting with a conversation; we define the scope against what you actually need before giving a schedule and a quotation.
Can we do the logo only, or does it have to be a full CIS?
You can, but we will first ask what problem you are really trying to solve. If the brand direction is clear and the visuals have simply aged, a partial update is enough; if the problem is in the positioning or in the relationship with the market, changing the logo alone usually does not work. We will tell you honestly which of the two suits you, and we will not widen the scope in order to land a bigger project.
Would you like to talk about your brand?
Whether you are just starting out, preparing to rebrand, or putting a public sector identity project out to tender — tell us where you are. The first conversation is free, and it is fine if nothing comes of it.
Book a free first conversationOr call +886-7-285-7000｜[email protected]