Singapore Design is about to get way more exciting.
Singapore's design scene is growing steadily - from grassroots support to international recognition, it is showing no sign of slowing down any time soon. With expectant hearts for yet another great year of Singapore design, here's what we can look forward to in 2018.
That might change, as tertiary education was under the media spotlight again last year when it was revealed that 8 JCs would merge by 2019. Some JCs are already partnering together to organise joint Open Houses this year, featuring some eye-catching graphics.
Since the alumni from all these schools easily number in the tens of thousands, the merger has to be a delicate and respectful process, to be done emphatically to meet the needs of current and future students while preserving the heritage of the soon to be defunct schools.
The naming controversy is not a good start in the merger process, but there's always a silver lining when people speak up against ridiculous ideas. After all, nothing is certain until the new merged schools open their doors to students in 2019.
That New Student
Singapore's newest junior college, Eunoia JC, caused a stir when its name was made known to the public back in 2016. Call it what you want, but EJC has arguably the best logo and identity system among all the JCs. |
| Eunoia JC's crest |
That might change, as tertiary education was under the media spotlight again last year when it was revealed that 8 JCs would merge by 2019. Some JCs are already partnering together to organise joint Open Houses this year, featuring some eye-catching graphics.
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| Anderson-Serangoon JC's Open House |
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| The 8 JCs involved in the merger |
The naming controversy is not a good start in the merger process, but there's always a silver lining when people speak up against ridiculous ideas. After all, nothing is certain until the new merged schools open their doors to students in 2019.
The Media War
2017 was The Hobbit to 2018's The Lord of the Rings; what you heard about media outlets in 2017 was just the beginning of a massive shakeup in the media industry.
Round 1: Radio stations. MediaCorp's Lush 99.5FM was shut down abruptly in 2017 following disappointing listenership numbers, which led to speculation that radio was dying.
Apparently, this wasn't the case, as SPH announced shorty after that 2 new radio stations would be launched in 2018 - Money FM and Hao FM, catering to the business and Chinese-speaking communities respectively.
It seems that both SPH and MediaCorp are hungry for radio listeners. Many prime-time TV advertisements slots (during news segments) are dedicated to promoting MediaCorp radio stations aggressively, while SPH prints full page ads on The New Paper (TNP). Here's where things start to get interesting - both TV and print ads are at the top of their game to get you to tune in.
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| Well, not many people did :/ |
Apparently, this wasn't the case, as SPH announced shorty after that 2 new radio stations would be launched in 2018 - Money FM and Hao FM, catering to the business and Chinese-speaking communities respectively.
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| Money FM and Hao FM |
It seems that both SPH and MediaCorp are hungry for radio listeners. Many prime-time TV advertisements slots (during news segments) are dedicated to promoting MediaCorp radio stations aggressively, while SPH prints full page ads on The New Paper (TNP). Here's where things start to get interesting - both TV and print ads are at the top of their game to get you to tune in.
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| Top: 933FM's TC commercial for January 2018, OneFM's print ad in 2017 |
Keep your eyes peeled for more interesting ads for radio. My only hope is that these marketing campaigns translate to an increase in listenership for local radio.
Round 2: Print. 2018 will be an important year for print - either it stays or it goes. In 2017, Today ceased its print version, and this year TNP will become a weekday-exclusive newspaper.
Print is not only costly but also environmentally unfriendly - with the wonders of digital and virtual technology, it is not hard to see why media companies and pivoting to chase the online crowd. While hipsters swear by print, it will take a while before a print renaissance hits our shores. For now, the big players are going online, and they are investing heavily in video, touted as the next big thing for content creation.
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| Today, now a digital-exclusive newspaper |
Print is not only costly but also environmentally unfriendly - with the wonders of digital and virtual technology, it is not hard to see why media companies and pivoting to chase the online crowd. While hipsters swear by print, it will take a while before a print renaissance hits our shores. For now, the big players are going online, and they are investing heavily in video, touted as the next big thing for content creation.
Designing for ourselves...
The HDB’s Build-A-Playground (BAP) initiative, which sees residents and design agencies co-designing playgrounds and then building them together, successfully built its first playground in Canberra, Sembawang in January.
The community bonded together when they shared their ideas for the playground design, and also got a chance to assemble the playground on site. Kids were seen carrying small parts of the playground pieces and piecing them together, like Lego. There's no better way for kids to find out that they want to be the great local architect/landscape designer than this.
Other than government-led projects, non-profit organisations are also pulling their weight. Participate In Design's (P!D) mission to empower members of the public to make a difference in their communities through meaningful design is a noble one, and something which would influence the design culture in Singapore - one which is ground-up, spontaneous and functional.
Apart from regular community events, P!D also conducts workshops for schools and youth organisations, investing in the next generation of design-conscious Singaporeans.
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| A sketch of Adventure Playground @ Canberra |
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| "I believe the children are our future..." |
The community bonded together when they shared their ideas for the playground design, and also got a chance to assemble the playground on site. Kids were seen carrying small parts of the playground pieces and piecing them together, like Lego. There's no better way for kids to find out that they want to be the great local architect/landscape designer than this.
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| WOBY - Welcome To My Backyard by P!D |
Other than government-led projects, non-profit organisations are also pulling their weight. Participate In Design's (P!D) mission to empower members of the public to make a difference in their communities through meaningful design is a noble one, and something which would influence the design culture in Singapore - one which is ground-up, spontaneous and functional.
Apart from regular community events, P!D also conducts workshops for schools and youth organisations, investing in the next generation of design-conscious Singaporeans.
...and for the World
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| Artist's Impression of Design Orchard |
In order to further promote Singapore as a design destination, the Singapore Tourism Board will be launching Design Orchard later this year. This comes after several well-received pop-up design stores (such as Keepers) selling locally designed goods in Orchard.
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| Design Orchard logo |
"Visitors will get to see and shop from more than 60 Singapore brands, across categories of fashion, lifestyle products and souvenirs...It is part of STB's ongoing efforts with our partners to enhance Orchard Road as an integrated lifestyle and leisure precinct that offers authentic and immersive experiences for Singaporeans and tourists."
-STB Press Release
Design Orchard is not only going to feature established local brands; up-and-coming local designers also have a chance to showcase their products, potentially opening up new opportunities for these small brands to gain an international following.
For the History Books
Gee, with all these upcoming local design events, you must be wondering how you'll get the latest local design news. Apart from mainstream media, you can be sure that Branding Singapore will bring you the best of local branding and design, or we'll die trying.
2018 is set to be an exciting year for design in Singapore, as well as this humble blog. Watch this space ;)
Eh, don't bluetick leh, leave a comment. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram as well!
2018 is set to be an exciting year for design in Singapore, as well as this humble blog. Watch this space ;)
Eh, don't bluetick leh, leave a comment. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram as well!
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