Breakthrough

Design work for Breakthrough, collected from the studios behind it.

Design cases by studio

A preview of 6 cases across 1 studio. The full collection is included with Pro.

Exhibition identity for a youth culture initiative
Here We Are created an exhibition identity for Breakthrough centered on Hong Kong’s youth and their interconnected lives. The project began with research to map the changing faces of young people today, using data analysis, creative art forms, experiential exhibition elements, and on-site exchange to reveal their struggles, talents, and aspirations. The exhibition frames youth not as isolated individuals but as part of a wider web of relationships that shapes the adults of tomorrow. Here We Are developed an environmental exhibition identity that supports reflection on the role of society in understanding and moving forward with the younger generation.
Boards, Cardboard, Signage

Publication design for a youth and culture magazine
Pengguin created the art direction and editorial design for Breakazine 073, a print publication by Breakthrough released in 2023. Titled “Persona for All,” the issue examines how social media encourages people to perform carefully crafted versions of themselves while concealing personal struggle. Through editorial design, Pengguin translated this theme into a visual story that explores the tension between curated image and authentic identity in Hong Kong. The publication approaches the subject from two angles: everyday acts of self-display and the public management of persona under scrutiny.
Magazine

Publication design for a youth and culture organization
This project is the design of Breakazine 078, “The Unfinished Coming-of-Age,” for Breakthrough. The issue examines how traditional rites of passage have faded while the pressures of becoming an adult remain unresolved. Centering young people’s voices, the publication gathers their emotions, frustrations, and reflections on growing up, while also engaging youth workers on structural barriers that shape difficult transitions. The magazine is bundled with a companion report analyzing why many in Hong Kong’s younger generation feel lost, guilty at rest, and isolated despite increased opportunities and resources. Together, the set explores personal growth as an unfinished process shared across generations.
Magazine

Publication design for a youth and culture magazine
Pengguin created the art direction for Breakazine 066, an issue by Breakthrough focused on the future of work. Published in 2021, the magazine examines how young people and professionals in Hong Kong respond to post-pandemic change, technological disruption, and career uncertainty. Through the theme “Institute of Future Careers,” the publication rethinks the meaning of the professional or artisan, combining workplace insights, tech-driven trends, and reflections on the human qualities that cannot be replaced. Pengguin shaped the visual narrative to support this exploration, presenting a publication that balances anxiety about work with a reminder that humanity comes before profession.
Magazine, Pandemic

Publication design for a Hong Kong music culture book
Music is... is a print publication created for Breakthrough that celebrates the four-decade career of DJ Dr. Wong Chi-chung. The book goes beyond a musical retrospective, combining personal stories, reflections, and cultural insight to document his long-running work on Chi Chung’s Choice and his dedication to song curation. The project captures memories of Hong Kong’s golden era of music, highlighting meaningful encounters with major music figures and preserving a rich cultural period through editorial form. Chi Chung Wong shaped the publication as a heartfelt journey through time, music, and memory.
Book, Music

Editorial design for a youth and culture magazine
Pengguin created the art direction and publication design for Breakazine 072, a 2023 print issue by Breakthrough. Centered on the theme “Aesthetics, Try Me,” the magazine explores beauty not as a lifestyle guide, but as a reflection on how aesthetic appreciation can be dulled by routine and vulgarity. The project invites readers to rediscover beauty in Hong Kong through street aesthetics, clothing, personal style, and everyday cultural surroundings, using editorial design to frame beauty as an active pursuit rather than a passive preference.
Apparel, Clothing, Magazine, Street