Dream Design
By Cherie Pun

Two enthusiastic young men have made their dream come true by starting their own business. "We've put all our time and energy on Max, it even becomes part of our life!" said Leo Wong, 26 years old, the chief designer and partner of the Max design and Marketing; Ricky Lou, 27 years old, the other partner of the company also shares the same idea.

Max was set up in May last year. Within nine months, it has already had many clients in Macau who come from various industries, such as fashion companies, gambling business, telecom corporations and subcontracts from other advertising companies. One telecom company reportedly saw an 80 percent jump in its business revenue thanks to Max's successful advertising campaign. "In Max, clients can acquire the most confidence, thorough understanding and obtain the biggest benefit." This is the mission statement of the company.

Wong started to work for a living after his secondary education and Max is a fulltime job for him. According to Wong, although he did not receive any professional training from any art school, he proves his ability with his talent and interest in design. "When I was a child, being a designer was my dream and I have tried my best to fulfill my dream," Wong continued. "I am also very glad to cooperate with Lou and he really helps me a lot."

Lou is in charge of marketing for Max. He has obtained his marketing degree from the University of Macau (UM). After graduation, he has been working in the marketing department of a bank and has built up a clients' network from there. Although Max is only a part time opportunity for him, he is still diligent in his job, "Both jobs are important to me and I work seriously," said Lou.

For Wong and Lou, the most successful advertisement is an IDD commercial but it did not come easily since the idea of the campaign needs to be changed each month. "I think this is a challenge for me and I would gain satisfaction when I received a good feedback from other people," said Wong.

Currently, there are around 80 advertising and design companies in Macau, a keen competition in the market. Max is a new comer, yet Wong and Lou are still very optimistic about the future of Macau and of their own business. "Due to the economic growth, many new companies have opened and they need a design company to help them to market their brands and products. So this is an opportunity for us to seek more new customers," said Lou.

Wong also mentioned that Max is planning to have a joint venture project with other two advertising companies, which have a good reputation in Macau, in the coming year. "I have confidence that Max will make a great deal of profit and become more successful in the future," he added. Their ultimate goal is to be in the top-10 list of design and marketing companies in Asia. They are trying their best to achieve this goal.

Top