Jack Yan

Yan was born in Kowloon, Hong Kong,Young, Simon. 2007, "Immigration nation", Idealog, March–April, pp. 40–46. and emigrated to Wellington, New Zealand, with his parents in 1976.Paki, Kui. 2004, "Polyeurasian—the new breed New Zealander", Tu Mai, February, pp. 20–2. He attended St Mark's Church School (where he was Dux{{cite news|title=Michele Hewitson Interview: Jack Yan|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/michele-hewitson-interview-jack-yan/2M4KK5TZFSPPXV3JBPTLNKFCTE/|accessdate=9 July 2021|newspaper=The New Zealand Herald|date=30 August 2013|author=Hewitson, Michele}}) and Scots College,{{cite web |title=Jack Yan, Executive, Scots Collegians|url=https://www.scotscollege.school.nz/sca/jack-yan-executive/|publisher=Scots College |accessdate=2022-09-13}} and graduated from Victoria University of Wellington with three degrees – two in business and one in law.

Aside from English, Yan speaks Cantonese, French,Jacobson, Julie. 2006, "Five minutes with Jack Yan", The Dominion Post, 22 June, p. D3. and Taishanese.{{cite web|title=Watch: Cantonese, with publisher and typeface designer Jack Yan|url=https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/discover-collections/read-watch-play/chinese-languages-aotearoa/watch-cantonese-publisher-and|accessdate=2022-12-30|publisher=Te Papa Tongarewa|date=2021-10-26}}

Beginning in the 1980s, Yan created over 100 typeface designs himself for his firm, Jack Yan & AssociatesMartinkus, Angela. 2000, "Type cast", The Age, "Emag" supplement, March. and was New Zealand's first digital typeface designer.{{cite web |url=https://komoneed.com/interview-with-jack-yan-on-global-sustainable-fashion/ |last=Giardina |first=Sharon |title=Interview with Jack Yan on global sustainable fashion |date=2022-05-30 |publisher=Komoneed |accessdate=2022-09-11}} He encouraged other local typeface designers such as Kris Sowersby to pursue careers in that industry. His typefaces include Ætna, a revival of Bembo.Pratzel, Anne-Marie. 1996, "New faces", Publish, August, p. 107

He also helms a consulting firm,Fernandez, Juanita. 2005, "Not your average CEO: Jack of all trades", Wellington Today, July–August, pp. 10–11. and is co-chair of the Medinge Group think-tank.Rydergren, Tobias. 2002, "Go logo! Brand-soldaterna slår tillbaka", Resumé, 22 August, pp. 22–3.

In 1997, he founded Lucire,Vidal, Josie. 2000, "The web that Jack built", The Evening Post, "Flair" supplement, p. 8. a fashion magazine that added print editions after starting on the web,Simpson, Emily. 2004, "Man with a plan", ProDesign, December 2004 – January 2005, pp. 34–36. and serves as its publisher.

From 2007 to 2012, he was a judge for Miss Universe New Zealand, and became a director of the licensee firm that took over in 2013.

In 2008, he founded the online car encyclopedia Autocade,

{{cite news |url= http://oversteer.co.nz/press-release-car-cyclopaedia-autocade-hits-five-million-page-views/ |title=Car cyclopædia Autocade hits five million page views |date=26 October 2014 |work=Oversteer |accessdate=15 August 2022}} which he then extended into a print version in 2023.{{cite news |title=Lucire gets a sister print title: Autocade launches a lavish Yearbook |url=https://lucire.com/insider/20231220/lucire-gets-a-sister-print-title-autocade-launches-as-a-lavish-yearbook/ |date=20 December 2023 |accessdate=22 March 2024}}{{cite news |last=Dixon |first=Mark |title=Books |url=https://www.octane-magazine.com/product/octane-issue-261-march-2025/ |work=Octane |date=March 2025 |accessdate=2025-04-09}}

Yan was a contributor to Visual Arts Trends in New York (1999–2001),{{cite web |title=Editors and contributors |work=Visual Arts Trends |url=http://www.visualartstrends.com/Ea/Ea1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2001-01-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010111122700/http://www.visualartstrends.com/Ea/Ea1.html |access-date=2022-09-14}} The Journal of Brand Management in London (2003–11),{{Cite web |date=2014-07-14 |title=Journal of Brand Management - Abstract of article: Corporate responsibility and the brands of tomorrow |url=http://www.palgrave-journals.com/bm/journal/v10/n4/abs/2540125a.html |access-date=2022-03-19 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714165358/http://www.palgrave-journals.com/bm/journal/v10/n4/abs/2540125a.html |archive-date=14 July 2014 |url-status=dead}} and Desktop magazine in Australia (1996–2010).{{cite web |title=Jack Yan |work=Desktop |url=http://www.desktopmag.com.au/author/jackyan |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110202003823/http://www.desktopmag.com.au/author/jackyan |archive-date=2011-02-02 |access-date=2022-09-14}}

Web publications that he has written for include UK-based Fontzone{{cite web |title=Fontzone |url=http://www.fontzone.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000302001616/http://ww2.fontzone.com/zine | archive-date=2000-03-02 |access-date=2024-03-22}} and DZ3. He was a founding contributor to Allaboutbranding.com (from 2002).{{cite web |title=Allaboutbranding.com |url=http://allaboutbranding.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020123004339/http://allaboutbranding.com:80/ |archive-date=2002-01-23 |access-date=2022-09-14}} Additionally, he writes for his own publications, CAP and Lucire.

He contributed chapters to Beyond Branding (2003) and Brands with a Conscience (2016), wrote Typography and Branding (2004), and ghost-wrote Greek designer Panos Papadopoulos's autobiography, Panos: My Life, My Odyssey (2022), for which they won a Highly Commended at the Business Book Awards 2023.{{cite web |title=Winners 2023 |url=https://www.businessbookawards.co.uk/winners-2023/ |date=2023-05-16 |publisher=Business Book Awards |access-date=2023-05-31}} He followed that up with the biographical Lilla boken om Panos: historien om den ikoniska badmodedesignern (2024) in Sweden.

From 3 March 2006, he began a weekly spot on TV One's Good Morning, discussing men's issues, but resigned from that role in 2007.{{cite web |last=Keall |first=Chris |title=Ask me anything: Jack Yan |url=http://www.nbr.co.nz/ask-jack |work=National Business Review |url-status=dead |accessdate=2022-09-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130920112226/http://www.nbr.co.nz/stayconnected?return=145992 |archive-date=2013-09-20}}

In 2020, he started as a regular panellist on Radio New Zealand's The Panel.{{cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/thepanel/audio/2018761069/the-panel-with-jennie-morten-and-jack-yan-part-1|title=The Panel with Jennie Morten and Jack Yan|publisher=Radio New Zealand |date=2020-08-25|accessdate=2022-09-13}}

He is better known outside New Zealand for his work; he has been interviewed by CNN,{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2002/US/11/15/sproject.hs02.plan/ |last=Botelho |first=Greg |date=2002-12-02 |title='Make-or-break' season |publisher=CNN |accessdate=2022-10-10}} Business 2.0{{cite news |last=Mucha |first=Thomas |date=2004-05-13 |title=Marketing the brand 'America'| work=Business 2.0}} and the UK's The Daily Telegraph.{{cite news |last=Booth |first=Jenny |date=2003-06-08 |title=We have ways of making you forget |work=The Sunday Telegraph}}

In the 2008 general election Yan stood as a candidate on the Alliance party list,{{cite web | title = Candidate profile: Jack Yan | work = The Alliance | url = http://alliance.org.nz/2008-election/alliance-party-list/list-jack-yan/ | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20100925075153/http://www.alliance.org.nz/2008-election/alliance-party-list/list-jack-yan | archivedate = 25 September 2010 | df = dmy-all }} but no candidates for the Alliance were elected.{{cite web|url=http://2008.electionresults.govt.nz/partystatus.html |title=Official Count Results – Overall Status |publisher=New Zealand Ministry of Justice |accessdate=22 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090209051141/http://2008.electionresults.govt.nz/partystatus.html |archivedate=9 February 2009 }} He was a candidate in Wellington's 2010 mayoral election, and stood again in the 2013 elections.{{Cite web|url=https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1304/S00397/jack-yan-announces-2013-mayoral-bid.htm|title=Jack Yan announces 2013 mayoral bid | Scoop News|website=www.scoop.co.nz}}

• Beyond Branding: How the New Values of Transparency and Integrity Are Changing the World of Brands, with Nicholas Ind (editor), Malcolm Allan, Simon Anholt, Julie Anixter, John Caswell, Thomas Gad, Sicco van Gelder, Tim Kitchin, Chris Macrae, Denzil Meyers, Alan Mitchell, John Moore, Ian Ryder; 2003, 2004 reprint edition, Kogan Page, {{ISBN|0-7494-4115-1}}; 2005 paperback edition, Kogan Page, {{ISBN|0-7494-4399-5}}.
• Viewpoint: Perspectives on 21st Century Branding: User Seductive; 2004, Wai-te-ata Press.
• Typography and Branding; 2004, Natcoll Publishing.
• Brands with a Conscience: How to Build a Successful and Responsible Brand, with Nicholas Ind (editor), Malcolm Allan, Enric Bernal, Peter Brown, Giuseppe Cavallo, Thomas Gad, Ava Hakim, Sudhir John Horo, Oriol Iglesias, Philippe Mihailovich, Simon Paterson, Annette Rosencreutz, Cristián Saracco, Nikolaj Stagis, Brigitte Stepputtis, and Erika Uffindell; 2016, Kogan Page, {{ISBN|0-7494-7544-7}}.
• Panos: My Life, My Odyssey, with Panos Papadopoulos; 2022, LID Publishing, {{ISBN|978-1-911687-12-2}}.
• Autocade Yearbook 2024, 2023, JY&A Media, {{ISSN|3021-159X}}.
• Lilla boken om Panos: historien om den ikoniska badmodedesignern, with Panos Papadopoulos; 2024, Tukan förlag, {{ISBN|978-9-180385-83-1}}.
• Autocade Year of Cars 2025, 2024, JY&A Media, {{ISSN|3021-159X}}.

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{Official website|https://jackyan.com}}
• {{IMDb name|1484350}}
• [http://www.planete-typographie.com/infos/designer/yan.html Interview with Yan on his type design career (in French)]
• [https://www.scopalto.com/post/jack-yan-lucire Interview with Yan on publishing Lucire (in French)]
• [https://komoneed.com/de/lucire-modemagazin/ Interview with Yan on publishing Lucire] (in German)
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060506063005/http://www.bandt.com.au/pdf/nzreports/NZ_APRIL05_P28_29.pdf B&T Marketing and Media interview with Yan on his publishing work (PDF)]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070807070829/http://nzbusiness.blogspot.com:80/2005/08/i-see-it-as-way-to-fight-terrorism.html Interviews with Yan on branding (MP3 files)]

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Category:Living people

Category:New Zealand businesspeople

Category:New Zealand Confucianists

Category:New Zealand people of Chinese descent

Category:New Zealand people of Hong Kong descent

Category:New Zealand typographers and type designers

Category:Victoria University of Wellington alumni

Category:People educated at Scots College, Wellington

Category:Hong Kong emigrants to New Zealand

Category:1972 births

Category:Alliance (New Zealand political party) politicians

Category:People from Kowloon

Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 2008 New Zealand general election