TEN BUTTONS is Tian Bo founding as a graphic design studio based in Canton. They dedicates to experimental, academic visual design exploration. TEN BUTTONS provides groundbreaking visual expression for design and cultural needs, focusing on projects designed for visual identities, books and spatial objects, with a design methodology based on the possibilities of typography and material representation. TEN BUTTONS is engaged in design education and promotional activities. In addition to teaching at the university, they also offer design courses and workshops.
TIAN BO is a graphic designer and art director in Guangzhou. He graduated from the China Academy of Art with a PhD in Design. He worked as a graphic designer in Hangzhou and Berlin. In 2019, he started his own design practice and founded his own design studio, TEN BUTTONS. Over the years, he has established in-depth design partnerships with many cultural institutions and individuals. Tian Bo's works are socially research-oriented and experimental, and have won many important international design awards. He is also an associate professor at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, and lectured at colleges such as Central Academy of Fine Arts, Nanjing University of the Arts, Sichuan Institute of Fine Arts, Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts, Xiamen University. Tian has given numerous workshops at various venues. Since 2024 he has been a member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale(AGI).
TEAM
Designer / Art director : Tian Bo
Designer : Li Tong
Designer : Wu Jingyu
Designer : Yang Xuan
Project Manager / Producer : Amanda Wong
MEMBER
- Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI), 2024 – , Basel, CH
AWARDS
- 2024 D&AD Awards 2024 - Graphite Pencil
- 2024 ADC 103rd Annual Awards - Merit Award x 3
- 2023 Award 360° 2023 - Commercial Branding of the Year - Gold Award
- 2023 Award 360° 2023 - Creative Product Design of the Year - Gold Award
- 2023 Award 360° 2023 - 100 Design of the Year x 3
- 2023 ADC 102nd Annual Awards - Merit Award x 2
- 2023 Tokyo TDC Annual Awards 2023 - Excellent Work
- 2022 D&AD Awards 2022 - Merit Award
- 2022 ADC 101st Annual Awards - Merit Award x 2
- 2022 68th NY TDC Annual Awards- Typographic Excellence x 2
- 2022 Tokyo TDC Annual Awards 2022 - Excellent Work
- 2022 Macau Design Award 2021 - Gold Award
- 2022 Macau Design Award 2021 - Jury Award
- 2022 Macau Design Award 2021 - Prize Nominee Work
- 2021 Award 360° 2021 - 100 Design of the Year x 2
- 2021 Asia-pacific Design No.17 - Selected Work x 2
- 2021 Red Dot Design Award 2021 - Grand Prix
- 2021 Beijing Design Week - Design Award of the Year
- 2021 DFA Design for Asia Awards 2021 - Bronze Award
- 2021 ADC 100th Annual Awards - Bronze Cube x 2
- 2021 the 13th International Poster Triennial in Toyama, 2021 - Selected Work
- 2021 the 27th International Poster Biennial in Warsaw, 2021 - Selected Work
- 2021 iF Design Award 2021 - Winner
- 2021 Bolivia Poster Biennial BICeBé 2021 - Selected work
- 2021 67th NY TDC Annual Awards- Typographic Excellence x 3
- 2021 Tokyo TDC Annual Awards 2021 - Prize Nominee Work x 2
- 2021 Tokyo TDC Annual Awards 2021 - Excellent Work
- 2020 Award 360° 2020 - Best Design of the Year
- 2020 Award 360° 2020 - 100 Design of the Year x 4
- 2020 Red Dot Design Award 2020 - Red Dot Award
- 2020 Golden Pin Design Award 2020 - the Best Design Winner
- 2020 Hiiibrand Awards 2020 - Silver Prize
- 2018 Trnava Poster Triennial 2018 - Selected Work
- 2017 The 11th Macau Design Biennial - Excellent Work
- 2017 Tokyo TDC Annual Awards 2017 - Excellent Work
- 2016 Tokyo TDC Annual Awards 2016 - Excellent Work
- 2015 Trnava Poster Triennial 2015 - Selected Work
- 2014 Hiiibrand Awards 2014 - Excellent Work
- 2013 Asia-pacific Design No.9 - Selected Work
- 2012 From Shenzhen Exhibition of Design Capital in 2012 - Selected Work
- 2012 International Logo Biennial Awards Beijing China 2012 - Bronze Work
- 2012 Asia-pacific Design No.8 - Selected Work
- 2011 Visual Communication Design Summit 2011 - Excellent Work
- 2011 Hiiibrand Awards 2011 - Excellent Work
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
- Narratives of Love The 1st "Of Love" Poster Biennale, CAFA Art Museum, Beijing, China, 2023
- 「Buy-in」, X sign Space, Hangzhou, China, 2023
- The 68th New York Type Directors Club Exhibition, Tokyo, Japan, 2022
- The 68th New York Type Directors Club Exhibition, New York, USA, 2022
- Facet-Award360°2021 Exhibition 100 Designs, Shanghai, China, 2022
- China Design Exhibition 2022, Beijing, China, 2022
- China Design Exhibition 2022, Shenzhen, China, 2022
- Best Brands & Communication Design – Red Dot Winners Selection 2021, Essen, Germany, 2021
- China TDC 2021：Ecology of Type, Shenzhen, China, 2021
- The Exhibition of Macau Design Award 2021, Macau, China, 2021
- The Exhibition of GDC Graphic design in China, Shenzhen, China, 2021
- The Exhibition of the 13th International Poster Triennial in Toyama, Toyama, Japan, 2021
- The Exhibition of the 27th International Poster Biennial in Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland, 2021
- Tokyo TDC Exhibition in ggg (Ginza Graphic Gallery), Tokyo, Japan, 2021
- Golden Pin Design Award Exhibition in Taibei, China, 2021
- Post-information Era -- 2019 Guangzhou International Chinese Character Creativity Conference, Guangzhou, China, 2019
- Tokyo TDC Selected Artworks 2016-2017 in Shanghai, China, 2017
- Tokyo TDC Selected Artworks 2016-2017 in Beijing, China, 2017
- Tokyo TDC Awards in Seoul, Korea, 2017
- Tokyo TDC Awards in KYOTO, Japan, 2017
- Tokyo TDC Exhibition in ggg (Ginza Graphic Gallery), Tokyo, Japan, 2017
- Trnava Poster Triennial Exhibition, Trnava, Slovakia, 2015
- From Shenzhen Exhibition of Design Capital, Shenzhen, China, 2012
- The Exhibition of GDC Graphic design in China, Shenzhen, China, 2011
TEACHING
- Associate Professor, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, Guangzhou, China, 2019-now
- Guest Lecturer, Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts, Shanghai, China, 2022-2024
- Workshop, Design Summer 2024, Hangzhou, China, 2024
- Guest Lecturer of the Summer Semester, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China, 2023
- Guest Lecturer for the Typography Course, Hangzhou Normal University, 2016
LECTURES
- "New Typography" Central Academy of Fine Arts, 2024.11.16
- “Design Programme” Fangsuo Bookstore, 2024.5.16
- "The Literariness of Design"Nanjing University of the Arts, 2024.3.22
- “Why do we design?” Guangzhou Museum of Art, 2023.12.16
- “Integrated Design” Institute of Creativity and Innovation，Xiamen University, 2023.7.15
- "Media and Text" Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts, 2023.6.29
- “Typography Identity and Recognition” Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts, 2023.5.30
- “Media and Text” Han Yi Font, 2023.4.14
- “Typography Identity and Recognition” Nanjing Graphic Designer Alliance, 2023.3.24
- “Typography Identity and Recognition” Institute of Creativity and Innovation，Xiamen University, 2023.3.17
- "Visual Program" Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts, 2022.10.14
- "The Literariness of Design" Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, 2022.9.19
- "New Typography" Nanjing University of the Arts, 2022.9.13
- "Cross-media Typography" TODAY DESIGN Cours, 2022.8.30
- "New Typography" Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts, 2022.6.1
- "GAFA Degree Show" Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, 2021.12.20
- "New Typography" 2021 Han Yi Font Star theme Conference, 869 Design School, 2021.10.17
- "Design and Teaching" Design 360°, 2021.9.14
- “As a designer, as a university lecturer” Reserve Land Design Library, 2021.8.7
- "Restraint and Breakthrough" Design 360°, 2021.4.27
- "UlM School" Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, 2020.9.19
- "TEN BUTTONS" Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, 2019.11.14
PODCAST
- 口腔医院 No.1
PRESS AND PUBLICATIONS
- Design 360° No.104
- IDEA No.399
- Design 360° No.100
- BRAND No.61
- Design No.393
- Tokyo TDC, Vol.32
- Award 360° 2021
- GDC 21
- APD No.17
- Design 360° N.96
- PAGE
- Tokyo TDC, Vol.31
- Design 360° N.90
- Red Dot Design Award 2020
- Tokyo TDC, Vol.28
- Tokyo TDC, Vol.27
- APD No.9
- APD No.8
- GDC 11 Collections