The fifth edition of the Singapore Design Week (SDW) kickstarted yesterday, launched by Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for Communications and Information, at the National Design Centre (NDC). More than 300 industry partners and government agencies witnessed this milestone in the Singapore design sector.
Organised by the DesignSingapore Council (Dsg), SDW 2018, from March 5 to 18, promises to be a platform that showcases Singapore’s thought leadership in design, connects design talents and businesses, and lets Singaporeans and visitors experience the value of design through delightful activities.
At the SDW 2018 opening ceremony, Dr Ibrahim Ibrahim announced a new industry transformation roadmap for the design sector. Dsg is working closely with nine design industry associations to identify three-year roadmaps for sector-wide transformation.
“We are making the good process of strengthening our ecosystem for design. This is evident in the findings from the DesignSingapore Council’s recent study. Companies are investing more in design and design training. They are also more willing to give in-house design champions a seat in the boardroom, growing from 12 to 32 per cent, to drive strategic use of design in their companies,” said Dr Ibrahim.
The Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC) is the first to complete this roadmap. SFIC has identified strategies that will take advantage of Asia’s growing demand for urban living solutions. It will help businesses to design user-centric urban living solutions and to become agiler through continuous testing and prototyping.
Dr Ibrahim also announced that 10 organizations have joined Dsg’s Innovation By Design programme, which helps companies and government agencies use design to develop business strategies and bring about organizational change. They include the Changi Airport Group, which is looking at using design to improve passenger experiences, especially the elderly, across all the terminals.
“Ultimately, we hope our various efforts will help Singaporeans recognize the value of design and how our lives can be made better, by design. Singapore Design Week is hence a celebration of the many expressions of designs and a time when everyone, from designers to business leaders and to the public, can be more engaged with design, from the inaugural Brainstorm Design conference, to the new Design Districts in this year’s line up,” said Agnes Kwek, Executive Director, Dsg.