Kwan Chow

Working for various advertising agencies as a freelance 3D designer, Central Saint Martins alumni Kwan Chow knows the importance of a good team and long-lasting relationships. It’s not all about the loud wins. If anything, separating your identity (and ego) from your work is the most sustainable way forward. From high-energy visual campaigns to an industry that requires you to keep learning, Kwan talks through his process and building a strong network of clients along the way.

What I do

My creative practice
Most of my work sits between 3D image-making and VFX experimentation, mainly creating visuals for brand campaigns.

Influences and inspiration
I’m drawn to things that feel a bit overloaded. I grew up in Hong Kong, and its chaotic city energy still heavily shapes how I think visually, especially the way colour, light and sometimes even concepts clash.

My training
Most of my technical skills are self-taught through YouTube and learning on the job. I also loved my time at Central Saint Martins; it gave me a grounding in critical thinking and, more importantly, collaboration. But definitely not everything was taught in a classroom.

Favourite recent project
One of my favourite recent projects was for a big tech company with Mother Design, where I built and developed 3D visualisations that the wider design team could use as part of a brand system. I had lots of room to experiment, and the team really trusted my instincts. The work pushed into new directions and brought together my love for graphic design and art direction. Most importantly, the team was genuinely lovely to work with.

A day in the life
A typical day starts with checking overnight renders and making quick creative fixes in post if something has broken by the morning check-in. On better days, I get to cycle over to a client’s studio, which is a much nicer way to start a morning.

How I got here

Starting my creative journey
My uni dissertation was on memes; I wasn’t clear about my career path back then, but I just knew I liked building worlds and telling stories visually, and advertising agencies seemed like a good place to start my career. In advertising, I was exposed to different deliverables such as graphic design, filming, colour grading and editing – that’s when I found 3D. It felt like the right mix of problem-solving and crafting visuals in a fun way.

I didn’t find my feet quickly to be honest, but I was lucky to work with people who trusted me and gave me room to grow, even when I was clearly learning.

Landing my first few jobs, clients and/or commissions
I landed my first agency jobs in Hong Kong by sending loads of CVs on job sites. It was a tough couple of months that summer, but luckily the CSM name got me a few interviews and I picked up an advertising role from there.Then my early freelance opportunities came through people I’d already worked with in studios. My very first client was a great producer connected through colleagues. We’ve continued collaborating ever since, which has been a nice reminder that long‑term relationships are more powerful than one‑off big breaks.

Hublot campaign with Builders Club (2023)

Biggest challenges along the way
3D software interfaces, and now AI tools, all felt very overwhelming at the beginning. For example, Cinema 4D and After Effects had too many buttons and I had no idea where to click first. But it does get easier and I’ve come to really enjoy the challenge. I now focus on learning whatever feature the current project requires, rather than trying to learn everything at once. It’s a blessing that our industry requires us to keep learning and upgrading. That way, it’s never boring, and studying how things work is genuinely fun.

My social media and self-promotion vibe is…
Honestly, I would love advice on this too! I am not consistent with posting – maybe twice a year when a project finally goes live and I’m allowed to share it. I only post work on Instagram after the studios have also posted, so I don’t break any NDAs. When I do share, it’s usually stills from R&D. One rule I live by is to always credit the full team when sharing work. And occasionally, I post screenshots of funny Slack messages and experiments.

Three things I've found useful in my career:

Swatch mural, made with Dada Projects (2025)

Courses, programmes, initiatives, access schemes or job boards I've found helpful
Studying at Central Saint Martins was important, it was not so much the course content, but for the people I met, many have become life long friends.

Beyond that, I think work events such as studio talks, parties and design festivals are very important to attend too. People celebrate work together and share problems that they face in daily life, and it’s a good way to expand networks.

My greatest learnings when it comes to making money and supporting myself as a creative:
No more free gigs. Early in my career, I did a few “exposure” projects that led nowhere. When we work for free, clients’ expectations of what’s needed for the job tend to grow faster than their respect for your time. There is no tangible way to value your time and energy, so they usually just ask for more and more.

My advice

My most useful career tips
Try to separate your identity from the work. Caring (too) personally can make feedback harder to digest, and over time, the job becomes unsustainable. People often like and dislike things for reasons that aren’t that deep, and that’s okay.

Created with Builders Club (2023)

What I'd say to someone looking to get into a similar role
Reach out to studios you genuinely love and look up to, even if they are not hiring. I got into Builders Club with basically a love letter and it was the best job I’ve had. Good studios are really good at spotting potential, but they can only do that if you put yourself in front of them.