The award was conceived in 1988 and unveiled by then Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew at the first Singapore International Design Forum. It honours outstanding individuals and companies for creating innovative designs and applying a human-centric approach. This year, we’ve changed the game to acknowledge the evolution of a designer’s role.
Designers have a natural problem-solving ability that combines creativity with innovative thinking – and they are paramount in creating designs that can help tackle problems in our society.In partnership with The Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment and The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, the awards have been redesigned to be relevant to the current challenges that Singapore is facing whilst being a launchpad for designers to turn them into opportunities for brilliant design solutions.
Event details
Date: 27 June 2022, 2.30pm onwards
Venue:10 Central Exchange Green #01-02, PIXEL Singapore 138649
Guest of Honour: Ms Sim Ann, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of National Development
Dress Code: Smart Casual
*Due to limited capacity of the venue, we will give priority to the awards finalists and members of DBCS Circle. Kindly note that RSVPs will be managed on a first-come-first-served basis.
Link to RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.sg/e/345190643507
Shi Yun from Playpoint Asia Singapore cannot wait for the day when she sees children enjoy the playscapes she designed.
Tell us a little more about yourself and what do you do at Playpoint Singapore?
I studied Industrial Design at NUS and graduated last year. Being a playscape designer at Playpoint Singapore is my first full-time job since I graduated. As a playscape designer, I design custom playgrounds, from the conceptualisation to 3D development of the space and play equipment. I think about how to design playscapes which encourage the children to take risks, learn, and have lots of fun!
What do you love most about your job?
I love it whenever I have the chance to come up with new playscape concepts that break the conventional notions we have of a playscape. I’m a new designer so I haven’t had the chance to see my designs come to life. But I think seeing children playing on playscapes I designed in the future would probably be the most fulfilling part of the job.
Describe your personal design style
I don’t really have a specific design style but more of a design approach. I usually try to look at and interpret what I am designing in other ways that are uncommon and explore those interpretations through my design.
What’s your advice for those who are passionate about pursuing a career as a Playscape Designer?
Play is powerful, it enables children to interact, take risks, learn and grow in various areas. If you believe in the power of play for the children, that would be a good start! As a playscape designer, I believe it’s important to always be trying to push the boundaries, to always think about how we can make the playscapes more interesting for children to develop, learn and grow. And another personal belief I have is that more is not necessarily always good. If purposefully designed, sometimes having less “elements” in the playscape might inspire the children to play more.
Outside of work, what do you enjoy doing?
I love street dance! And I enjoy going on food adventures with my family and friends to find new, good delicacies!
What made you join dbcs circle / our recent circle connects event?
I joined one of the recent events as I have always been interested in inclusive/universal design and how we could better approach it. It was eye opening to see what has been designed so far for the communities and how different people from various sectors approach inclusive design. It was my first Circle Connects event and I’m excited to participate in more such events to connect with others and have a good exchange of thoughts!
What is one thing you had to learn the hard way?
I think that would be learning to not lose sight of what I believe in and the main purpose behind each design/project. Design requirements and criteria should still be met but it’s important to constantly circle back and remind ourselves of the core of the project and make sure that our design is trending towards that direction.
What is good design?
Good design is one which has empathy for people (and often goes unnoticed).
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If it takes a whole village to raise a child, it most certainly takes a community of like-minded people to build a business that will thrive through uncharted roads.
What does design mean in business? How can we diagnose problems, discover insights and come up with creative solutions that may simplify processes or spring forth new business trajectories?
An invitation-only event by DBCS (Design Business Chamber Singapore), in collaboration with SMU Business Families Alumni Group.
We will get to hear from the team at Commune to share about their business journey and NBDA Asia will provide a case study on how design takes on a crucial role in business transformation.
Tell us a little more about yourself and what do you do at GovTech?
I was formerly a design researcher working on the Singpass App and most recently the Deputy Lead of the newly set up Accessibility Enabling Team focused on helping public officers have improved access to their digital products and making sure no one gets left behind in our Smart Nation journey.
How did you get to learn about the design or UX community?
I got started in design, meddling with Photoshop as a kid, designing stuff for friends and family but I got serious with design when I saw that famous TED Talk by David Kelley of IDEO on Creative Confidence. I was inspired by the power of the human-centred approach to design and I knew that I wanted to be part of such a practice. Since then, I’ve been really blessed to meet amazing UX practitioners in Singapore who have generously shared their lives and practices with me.
What’s your advice for those who are passionate about pursuing a career as a design researcher?
Be bold, curious, patient, and humble. Don’t be afraid to speak with fellow design researchers in the field to learn from them. Don’t worry too much about the latest tools and trends, master the basics — Start small and keep practising the craft of asking good questions, effective note taking and compelling storytelling.
Lastly, a pack of sticky notes, a pen and an inquisitive spirit are your best tools (and they never run out of battery).
Immanuel (Manny) shares how design meddling during his formative years has evolved into the monumental task of ensuring no one gets left behind in our Smart Nation journey.
What do you love most about your job?
I get the privilege to hear and hold the diverse stories of the people of Singapore and represent them by retelling their stories to our product leaders and teammates.
I remember one interview I had with an elderly uncle, he looked me in the eye and said: “Boy, thank you for taking time to listen to me and taking my feedback.” He never experienced a research interview before and felt touched to have a young person actively listen to him and represent his thoughts. I don’t get many moments like this, but this one really stuck with me and keeps me going.
What’s your advice for those who are passionate about pursuing a career as a design researcher?
Be bold, curious, patient, and humble. Don’t be afraid to speak with fellow design researchers in the field to learn from them. Don’t worry too much about the latest tools and trends, master the basics — Start small and keep practising the craft of asking good questions, effective note taking and compelling storytelling.
Lastly, a pack of sticky notes, a pen and an inquisitive spirit are your best tools (and they never run out of battery).
Outside of work, what do you enjoy doing?
I enjoy running and I love being a dad and caring for my baby girl! Interestingly, these were two blessings that came out from this pandemic. I started running in 2020 to get out of the house after hours of working from home. And my beautiful baby girl made her debut in 2021 and brought a lot of joy to the family.
How important is rest and being part of a community mean to you?
There are many articles extolling the importance of rest. I’ve learnt very recently to move beyond reading about rest to actually practising rest — and not just for my body but for my mind and soul. While I try my best to clock 8 hours of sleep, could I also clock at least 2 hours of not worrying a day? (I’m still trying HAHA!).
Being part of a community is a reminder for me to recognise there’s beauty and abundance in diversity, there’s something about being among persons different from you yet finding common ground. It is also a reminder to me that ‘help’ is a four-letter word that I’m allowed to say.
What made you join dbcs circle?
Some of the amazing design practitioners I’ve met and learnt from are part of dbcs—so it wasn’t hard for me to want to be part of this community. It is also a way for me to give back to the design community for the blessing it has been to me.
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ASEAN Design Forum is a collaboration with ASEAN Design Center. The webinar aims to promote partnership between Japan and ASEAN creative industries through introducing excellent design products in ASEAN.
For those interested in the creative industry and good design, interested in importing and selling design products, educational institutions and research institutions related to design are the main targets. We look forward to seeing you.
https://www.asean.or.jp/ja/trade-info/20220221/
How did Synergraphic design start?
Synergraphic Design was founded by Florence, my mother, who is a glass artist and businesswoman. In its early days, it offered only plain glass panels for windows and doors. But as an artist, my mother felt that instead of leaving the glass plain, the panels could in fact become a canvas for her art and design. Hence, over the years, Synergraphic accumulated techniques in cold, warm and hot glassmaking to create art and design works in glass.
Why Glass?
Glass is beyond a very functional material (food-safe, non-porous hence weather-resistant and hygienic, transparent, reflective, etc). It is also a wonderful material for art and design in its endless applications spanning interior and architectural spaces, lighting, furniture, dining ware, vessels, etc. Hence, there is still so much more discovery to be made of this intriguing and incredible material.
Sara Ang from Synergraphic raves about her mum and shares about her work, mantra and more.
I love many things:
- Working with people who are so different, with varying strengths and bringing them together to work as a team
- Sharing with people the amazing possibilities in glass that they have never seen or thought of
- Finding new ways to work with glass to create new fluidities and effects to transform spaces
- Sharing the craft with people through hands-on workshops
But I guess what I love most is that I get to create unique art and design works in glass that meet our customers’ varying needs, and it is done not because I do it myself, but because I have to bring people together who have vastly different strengths, to make it happen.
Outside of work, what do you enjoy doing the most?
Spending time with my 2.5 years old daughter and drinking alcohol.
Is there anyone that inspires you in life?
My mother, absolutely . She is the most gracious, generous and strongest person I have ever met and I am very much a result of what she has poured into my life and demonstrated for me.
What is the most important piece of advice you have been given?
‘It could be worse.’ (commonly said by my mother). It seems like an inconsequential statement but I think it really is a representation of an optimistic state of mind of choosing to see and believing that things are never as bad as they seem. It is a statement of gratitude, which empowers us to keep going and fighting
What is the most important message you want to share with younger women who are thinking about their careers?
Everything begins with knowing and acknowledging who you are, weaknesses, fears and strengths alike. Once you’re comfortable in your own skin, you will never feel the need to strive to become somebody you’re not or whom you may think society/organisations require of you. With clarity on who you are, and with faith, you will be able to remain steadfast in the small steps even in the face of winds of change. Keep strengthening the strengths that you already have, know what you have to offer, and you will find yourself well-positioned to work in the team or the ecosystem that you’re in.
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About this event
Join our Singapore Good Design 2021 winners – One Bite Design Studio and M. Moser Associates in this webinar to consider how design can balance work and play in both social and office spaces. Siu Hei Court Playspace is a fine example of how small changes can lift us up and create a huge impact on community sustainability. Spotify office in Singapore shows us why listening is everything with the reinforcement of its identity as a vibrant, playful and collaborative company.
Watch the full recording: https://youtu.be/Lqd1IqupowM
What inspires you?
Reading a book by Pastor Rick Warren titled “The Purpose Driven Life”.
Why do you do what you do?
In the pursuit of a purpose-driven life, I set up AgeGracefully to develop innovative eldercare lifestyle products that enable the elderly to live safely and age gracefully.
What changes would you like to see in the design ecosystem?
More commercially viable inclusive solutions. Solutions which are able to hit the right balance between commercial viability and inclusiveness.
What does design mean to you?
Design is an intriguing and functional expression of empathy.
What do you think design can do to change the world?
Design can persuade us to make better judgments.
Lee Tuan from Bekind Solutions is the man behind numerous elderly care products designed to empower seniors such as the Smart Walking Sticks collection.
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BINO, short for Bearing Inspector for Narrow-space Observation, is a tethered Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) system designed to carry out the inspection of rail viaduct bearings in narrow and difficult to access environments. It negates the need for time-consuming and dangerous in-person human visual inspections and resolves existing operation constraints, while enhancing inspection quality and improving efficiency and safety.
How do you think your design has impacted users?
BINO enhances the safety aspect of the rail viaduct inspection operation by eliminating the need for a human to inspect the bearings at high heights. It also produces more accurate inspection results, while shortening the inspection operation time as compared to current methods. This is critical for determining the condition of the infrastructure used by millions of commuters each day.
These inspection results consist of key measurements extracted from the different bearing parts, to check if the measurements are beyond a certain threshold. The dimension extraction algorithm developed enables BINO to extract key measurements within millimetre resolution. Previously this was done using human-based manual visual inspection.
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Boasting an all-metal casing with armoured car surface coating and emergency lights, this mini bluetooth outdoor speaker is not just functional but also stylish. Rugged for use anywhere, it packs a high-powered digital amplifier and has speakers capable of louder sound output compared to other speakers of a similar size.
How do you think Muzen Wild Mini Outdoor Bluetooth Speaker has impacted users?
“I am not trying to influence users, but to address user needs through design. Many of the products I’ve designed have been given a second lease of life through DIY recreation in the hands of consumers.”
This is not defined by me, but by users who are given their own freedom and imagination through tapping into their lifestyles and creativity.
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