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1. What are some new things you learned about yourself and the users as you were designing for the project?

Christy Wong: Throughout this journey, I have developed a heightened awareness of sustainability and its profound impact on our planet. The project allowed me to delve into SF Fiber’s commendable commitment to responsible production, gaining insights into its sustainable practices

I was inspired by the students from the Raffles Education Corporation. The project focused on creating a sustainable capsule for contemporary women, showcasing innovative thinking and dedication to eco-conscious fashion. One group caught my attention with their captivating concept, “Letter to Metro”. Their incorporation of interesting paper patterns based on the letters M, E, T, R, O, and S demonstrated a unique approach to sustainability.

Drawing inspiration from their outstanding zero-waste concept, I integrated their principles into my capsule. This not only complemented their vision but also reinforced the importance of incorporating sustainability practices into every aspect of the design process.

2. Do you believe in fashion trends? Why or why not?

I do believe in fashion trends, albeit to a certain degree. I find inspiration in what’s currently trending, especially looking ahead to the next 12 to 24 months. The dynamic nature of consumer behaviour and the ever-evolving landscape necessitate an awareness of emerging trends.

Colours, silhouettes, and the overarching inspiration and aspirations of consumers play a pivotal role in shaping fashion trends. Staying attuned to these elements allows for a more responsive and relevant approach to design and creativity.

In essence, while embracing trends, I also value the importance of timeless elements and individual style. It is a delicate balance that ensures a dynamic and engaging fashion journey.

3. What was the most difficult moment during the project and how did you overcome it?

Johnny Yong: Nothing in particular comes to mind, however, one of the most formidable moments during the project revolved around intricate fabric preparation aligned with our collection’s aesthetics vision.

Through collaborative efforts, we not only overcame this, we elevated the entire project through open communication and innovative solutions. This experience reinforced the importance of teamwork and adaptability in navigating the dynamic landscape of creative fashion design.

4. What are the biggest changes you’ve seen in the fashion industry during your career?

The pervasive influence of fast fashion has significantly altered the industry’s position. While it brings in rapid turnover of trends, the downside is the compromised control over quality standards. Witnessing a surge in clothing waste has been disheartening. 

The environmental toll of clothes disposal poses a substantial challenge in the industry. As we move into a sustainable era, actions need to be taken by the industry to move into a more responsible and conscientious future for fashion.

Let’s hear what the design students have to say!

5. What is your favourite part about collaborating with Metro and SF Fibre?

Working with a textile mill and a retailer allowed our students to bring their sustainable design ideas to life in the real world. It has taken learning out of the classroom and beyond the confines of being just a school project – our students ideas now have a real impact in the industry. This experience helped them develop their creative ideas about zero Waste pattern cutting into practical and fashionable products.

6. What is the most important thing to consider as a fashion designer?

As a fashion designer, one of the most important things to consider is to strike a balance between creativity and functionality. While expressing a unique aesthetic and design vision is crucial, it’s equally essential to ensure that a fashion creation is not only visually appealing but also addresses the practical aspects of daily life.

1. What makes a good Experience Design?

It’s user-centred, meaning it prioritises the needs, preferences and behaviours of users. This involves incorporating clear navigation, intuitive interfaces and well-designed interactions that contribute to usability and emotional impact of the design. Positive emotions can enhance user satisfaction and engagement, achieved through a thoughtful use of colour, imagery and messaging. Pleasing aesthetics enhance the overall user experience, creating a positive perception of the product.

Visual design and content design constitute two integral parts of a whole. An essential component of good experience design is effective content design, often mistakenly reduced to being merely a wordsmith, synonym provider or grammar checker. However, content design is truly more than that; it involves designing with words. Exceptional content design possesses the ability to significantly impact business objectives.

2. What are the major steps in your creative process?

This is the usual process for us:

A. Gather information and materials

B. Deep dive into the problem statement

C. Step back away from the problem (luckily for us we have many other problems to solve in our roles)

D. Allowing the ideas to marinate to gain fresh new perspectives

E. Testing, testing, and more testing our ideas in the real world and adjusting our designs based on feedback

3.  What was the most difficult moment when developing your idea?

The most challenging part of developing a new idea arises when one must think outside the box while simultaneously considering business requirements. The whole design process is an extremely collaborative process that requires input from all team members, including product managers and developers.

4.  What are some new things that you learned about yourself and the users you were designing?

Surprisingly, many users opt to manually key in their personal information as opposed to choosing the more convenient (and faster) alternative of completing their applications via Singpass and Myinfo.

Moreover, we had no idea that a mental wellness product like our Self Care Pack would be such a great hit, after all, mental health can be a taboo subject. We initiated the design of Self Care Pack as the industry’s first subscription-based mental wellness insurance plan and the feedback has been amazing. People approach us to express how exceptional the product is and that it’s about time that mental wellness starts to be prioritised.

5. What are your future plans?

We plan to continue making insurance and investments accessible to everyone.

6. What was the inspiration behind your product/design/idea?

The inspiration was to discover a way to reach a customer segment that had previously been overlooked by the insurance industry. This may include the marginalised population lacking access to formal financial services and insurance products. SNACK digital insurance products are flexible, customisable and can be purchased and managed entirely online. 

Additionally, we wanted to create a financial lifestyle platform that seamlessly integrates into everyone’s daily lives, allowing people to enjoy everyday benefits like cashback and safeguard against unforeseen events with insurance coverage. Our goal is to enhance the financial well-being of everyone.

7. What is your design superpower?

In Andrena’s own words: “I’ve been told that I’m like Dr. Strange because I can see all the permutations and  almost instinctively know whether something works or not, relatively quickly – and if otherwise, what else is lacking. I’m able to rely on my inner compass to orchestrate and put everything together.”.

In Samson’s own words: “I think framing is my superpower. 20 years of photography as a passion has helped me to cultivate an innate sense of balance and aesthetics. Like capturing the perfect shot, I frame user experiences to evoke engagement and delight.”.

In Hannah’s own words: “I call myself the HannahGPT because I am like a machine when it comes to churning out copies.”.

8. What is the best part about your job?

Envisioning the design process from concept to actualisation. The moment when you see everything comes together and materialises into a tangible product that people would use and most importantly, benefit from.

1. How should designers deal with feedback?

Looking back at our own personal experiences, the approach we take to feedback always stems from keeping an open mindset. While feedback might hit you like a harsh critique at the beginning, it could also reveal itself to be a valuable piece of advice. 

When faced with challenges, we don’t see them as roadblocks; but instead recognise them as opportunities for unlearning, relearning, and a chance to exercise our creative thinking. It also becomes a discernment process, sifting through the input to identify what would be most helpful and impactful for your work. Oftentimes, you may even get pleasantly surprised at the positive outcomes that unfold from it. 

2. How have the needs for visual design changed over the years?

To us, we see visual design not just as an outcome, but as a platform. It is a powerful tool to emotionally connect with people and that purpose has always remained true over the years. It pointed us to the heart of what it means for us to be designers & creatives in an ever-complex, fast-paced society. It’s not about what you make, but what you can make happen, that’s different, better, pushes a needle, drives new solutions and ways of thinking to make a positive impact in the lives of others.

3. What was the most difficult moment when developing your idea?

Reflecting on our experience with Christmas with Our Trees, a challenging moment was striking a balance between meeting our clients’ commercial needs and staying true to the initiative’s original intent and creative vision—both crucial for project success. A business without soul lacks depth, and creativity without a business perspective may lack direction. Ultimately, success lies in mastering both ends of the spectrum.

The Don’t Mind If Inaugural Industry Report posed its own challenges as a self-initiated project. Collaborating with the Don’t Mind If team, we eagerly crafted a brief free from client constraints. Despite navigating pandemic restrictions and working with zero budget, it became a labour of love—sifting, processing, and visually translating countless pages of raw data, all on volunteered time.

Facing another challenge, our goal was to design not just a report but a publication for and with the local communications design industry, community, and profession. It aimed to be an accomplished piece of graphic design—a true representation of our community and what graphic designers can achieve together.

4. What are some new things you learned about yourself and the users as you were designing?

Our journey with Christmas with Our Trees served as a profound learning experience because it marked a completely new and unprecedented path for us. The initiative began with a conscious effort to introduce an authentic, intentional, and local Christmas celebration by emphasising the significance of our local trees at a time typically associated with splendour and extravagance. 

The true measure of its value and impact became evident when upon the installation tear down, Millenia Walk (MW)’s shoppers not only embraced the concept of adopting a locally-made, repurposed ‘seed’ block for themselves but some even opted to double their spending efforts to secure two. This unexpected response bolstered our collective confidence in how our creative efforts can be a vehicle for imparting meaningful messages, encouraging progressive behaviour, and enriching the holiday spirit in ways that go beyond the surface of glitter and glamour.  

In shaping the Don’t Mind If Inaugural Industry Report, we placed ourselves in the shoes of a reader, reflecting on what would excite us in a publication such as this, and what would inspire us to read on till the very end. More than visually showcasing a report, we wanted to treat this as a publication in its own right, representing the values, aspirations, spirit, and philosophy of the Don’t Mind If initiative and the communications design industry. 

This vision became our guiding principle to ensure each page or spread was as “poster worthy” as it could be while maintaining an easy-to-digest format. 

We also learned how to work smart with the limitations we had, tapping on existing resources while maintaining a high standard of design and print quality. And so the publication was designed and printed with 2 colours (+black) on dead stock paper generously sponsored by RJ Paper. 

Through this process, we also realised our responsibility and accountability in being able to represent the voices, and opinions of our community, and so another pivotal learning experience for us was to look through the data through an honest and progressive lens, ensuring that the findings and sentiments of the industry remain objective, balanced and true. No sugar coating, or gas lighting. Embracing inclusivity and diversity by representing all viewpoints. 

5. What are you future plans?

The past few years have ushered in a refreshing change for us at OuterEdit, as we’ve purposefully undertaken work and projects that are truly representative of our collective belief to make meaningful matter with bold ideas and impactful stories while connecting them with communities in fresh and unexpected ways. Initiatives like Christmas with Our Trees and the Don’t Mind If Inaugural Industry Report fall into this category among others.

Looking forward, our aspiration, as creative thinkers and solution-makers in the branding, graphic design and creative experience space, is to continue pushing boundaries, explore new ways of thinking, and most importantly, impart a positive difference and meaningful change to the lives of others. 

On that note, we are thrilled to share that the second edition of Christmas with Our Trees was also launched in partnership with the MW Creative Neighbourhood in November 2023. It is gratifying to see the fruits of our labour continuing to grow, presenting new opportunities to expand the narrative and further contribute to our local ecology. 

6. What was the inspiration behind your product/design/idea?

The inspiration for our projects goes back to our ethos of making meaningful matter. Fundamentally, what propels us is not just an ability but a responsibility, if not an obligation, to ensure that the essence of every project reflects matters of the heart. This principle is strongly reflected in initiatives like Christmas with Our Trees and the design process of the Don’t Mind If Inaugural Industry Report.

7. What is the best part about your job?

The most fulfilling aspect of our work lies in working with exceptional team members and partners, turning each project into an ongoing journey of learning and growth.

A prime example is our involvement in Christmas with Our Trees, which proved to be an incredibly enlightening experience. Initially unfamiliar with local trees, our interactions with one of the last remaining sawmills in Singapore unveiled lesser-known stories that deepened our understanding and appreciation for our local ecology and resources, especially during the festive period. 

Similarly, our foray into designing the Don’t Mind If Inaugural Industry Report began with little to no knowledge of data analysis and book publishing. Yet, it is through the process that we gained invaluable insights, empowering us to bring the project to completion and that is something we would consider immensely rewarding.

1. How do you stay up to date with Product Design trends?

I tend to ideate on concepts that can possibly help with my daily life and research on the technologies or mechanisms that could potentially bring those concepts to fruition. I’ll meticulously search through Google to identify existing technologies that are capable of transforming my concepts into viable ideas. During this exploration, I often stumble upon valuable insights that not only inspire me to refine or reimagine my initial concepts but also spark new ideas to address different challenges. 

2. What is the role of empathy in Product Design?

To me, empathy is the heart of product design. If our designs aren’t tailored for human needs or desires, who would want it then? It’ll be more like an art piece than anything functional. Ultimately, a product’s success hinges on its ability to resonate with individuals and prompt a purchase.

3.  What was the most difficult moment when developing your idea?

When designing outdoor blinds, wear and tear is a natural occurrence. There’s no way to avoid the harsh reality of weathering. So, the question was, “How can we make ZipBlind™ last longer than the rest of the competition?”. It took a lot of research and development to arrive at the solution we have now which is to preserve the lifespan of our product for as long as possible.

4.  What are some new things that you learned about yourself and the users you were designing?

Being in the market for more than 10 years, our company has gathered extensive feedback from numerous Singaporean customers regarding their outdoor blinds purchases. But the issue that is most often overlooked is that when people purchase outdoor blinds, they look for the longest lasting blinds that can block out sun and rain. They often don’t consider the amount of light they block until the blinds are actually installed in their homes.

5. What are your future plans?

We are constantly innovating the blinds of tomorrow. However, our focus goes beyond simply introducing new features; we aim to reimagine the way people engage with outdoor blinds.

6. What was the inspiration behind your product/design/idea?

Our customers are our inspiration! Through feedback from our customers whether it is positive or negative, we have pooled them all together and found out what ticks them off and what makes them love having the outdoor blinds. This gave us the inspiration we needed to make ZipBlind™ something that Singaporeans would love.

7. What is your design superpower?

I’d like to say my superpower is all about improving the qualities of life. Because what’s not to love about having an easier life to live when you have products that can make it easier for you!

8. What is the best part about your job?

What’s most exciting is that I have the opportunity to establish ZipBlind™’s brand from the ground up and play a pivotal role in shaping both the brand and product through key decision-making.

1. How do you stay up to date with Product Design trends?

Our design team has adopted the S.A.F.E.L.Y concept into our workflow—a testament to our deep-rooted company values and principles. 

(S)ubscribe: We consistently subscribe to a variety of design magazines and publications, ensuring that we remain at the cutting edge of the latest trends and innovative designs that incorporate ergonomic principles.

(A)ttend: We attend furniture and interior design trade shows and exhibitions. These events are crucial for us to witness the latest products and concepts, and they provide invaluable opportunities for networking.

(F)ollow: We actively engage with international designers on social media platforms such as Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn where we can gain insights into current trends and appreciate the work of our peers in the community.

(E)xplore: We explore the websites of reputable manufacturers and retailers to stay updated on the newest collections and popular design styles. Being at the forefront of design innovation is key.

(L)earn: We place a strong emphasis on learning from consumer feedback for our ongoing evolution in design. We study consumer preferences, their concerns about sustainability, and the latest technologies that can be incorporated into our designs. 

(Y)ou Stay Creative: ‘You Stay Creative’ is our guiding philosophy. We believe in being trendsetters rather than followers. As a pioneering brand in Asia in holistic ergonomic, posture care, and wellness solutions, we have to continually evolve and contribute to the broader industry’s progress.

Staying true to the concept has been instrumental in driving our success, fostering innovation, and ensuring ergonomic excellence in our designs.

2. What is the role of empathy in Product Design?

In our journey of ergonomic design, we realised that empathy is not just a component—it is the essence of creating meaningful products. This understanding is embodied by our E.C.O.S framework.

(E)rgonomics is at the core of our business. We are dedicated to designing products that ensure optimal usability and safety, minimising strain and discomfort while enhancing efficiency and productivity.

(C)onsumer feedback is invaluable to us. It helps bridge any gaps, highlights areas for improvement, and guides the development of future designs, ensuring that we are always in tune with our users’ needs.

(O)ur ergonomic products are designed to be versatile and adaptable, catering to a diverse range of individuals, settings, and requirements. Flexibility is crucial in creating ergonomic solutions that truly make a difference.

(S)ustainability is a key component of our design philosophy. We pay close attention to our manufacturing processes, the materials we use, and the lifecycle of our products. Adopting this sustainable mindset allows us to minimise waste and guarantee the durability of our products.

3.  What was the most difficult moment when developing your idea?

Striking the right balance between the aesthetic appeal of our furniture designs and their ergonomic functionality presented a significant challenge. Our aim was not just to create a product that is visually appealing, but also to fulfil genuine ergonomic requirements. This proved to be a complex task during the design process.

4.  What are some new things that you learned about yourself and the users you were designing?

We have delved deep into anthropometrics over the years. In the process, we accumulated a vast amount of data, conducting extensive research to understand the range of user sizes and proportions. This experience highlighted the importance of putting our customers and their evolving needs first. It gave us a renewed drive for continuous learning and innovation, solidifying our commitment to developing ergonomic furniture that is adaptable and can cater to a broad range of users.

5. What are your future plans?

We are exploring the potential of 3D printing technology to develop highly customisable ergonomic solutions and products tailored to individual needs. Our goal is to leverage this technology to enhance our problem-solving capabilities and potentially reduce costs in the process.

6. What was the inspiration behind your product/design/idea?

At the heart of our ergonomic design philosophy is human-centric design (HCD). We firmly believe in creating products with the end-user’s needs and experiences in mind. By gaining an understanding of human capabilities, limitations, and preferences, we are empowered to develop solutions that significantly elevate comfort, safety, and overall performance.

7. What is your design superpower?

Our design superpower lies in our unique ability to harmonise adaptability, comfort, and efficiency. The combination defines our approach to ergonomic design, which we believe sets us apart in our field.

8. What is the best part about your job?

The most rewarding aspect of our work is the opportunity to positively impact human well-being through thoughtful and effective design. At Ergoworks, we make ergonomic works for you. And we live by the mantra. It’s not just our job—it’s our mission and our passion.

1. Why is sustainability important in design nowadays?

The planet is in the midst of a biodiversity crisis and design has a significant role in shaping environments that are harmonious with nature and resilient in the face of climate change. Henning Larsen approaches landscape design with a systems design mindset; acknowledging that landscapes are intricate webs of relationships, where decisions impact the ecosystems, energy consumption and social dynamics.

Rifle Range Nature Park showcases a design approach with a deep contextual understanding. The park aims to rehabilitate the site and offer the local community with a space to appreciate the natural environment in Singapore. This initiative tackles biodiversity loss caused by encroaching developments on Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, one of Singapore’s last primary forests. 

2. How do you balance sustainability and commercialisation?

The global environmental issues faced over the years require an unrelenting effort to remedy. The situation will continue to deteriorate if no action is taken. Integrating sustainable design solutions adds long-term value to our projects.

3.  What are your future plans?

In landscape design, the uniqueness of each site, influenced by distinct conditions and possessing its own identity, ensures that no two designs are ever the same. This inherent individuality makes the future of landscape design an exciting prospect for me.

4.  What is your design superpower?

If we have a superpower, it is to clarify our stakeholders’ true needs and aspirations through a collaborative approach and provide win-win solutions that benefit all parties.

From that, we are able to build the foundation of any inspiring project. We pose critical design questions to redefine the problem statement for a larger end objective – working towards remediating climate change and loss of biodiversity. We aim to give the environment a regeneration boost, ensuring its sustained flourishing while minimising the need for intervention.

5. What is the best part about your job?

We believe that making the world a better place, playing a role in increasing biodiversity and being a part of people’s fond memories is a noble profession. Our designs contribute to the transformation Singapore into a Green City in Nature under the Singapore Green Plan 2030, the national agenda on sustainable development.

When people share the sense of pride, ownership and stories revolving around the landscapes we design, it is an ultimate indicator of a well-designed space and a great source of pride for us all at Henning Larsen.