The little red dot. That's how Singapore's been described as. A small island located at the Southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. At 137 kilometers square, it is one of the few remaining city states in the world, and the smallest country in Southeast Asia.

At first glance, Singapore appears shockingly modern and anonymous, but it is an undeniably Asian city where a mix of cultures and traditions from fengshui to ancestral worship create part of the everyday landscape- colorful contrasts that bring the city to life. You know what else brings this little red dot to life? Design. Once reckoned as something that is superfluous in the daily course of life in Singapore, design has been gaining prominence as a force to be reckoned with in recent years, and the creative industry in Singapore is slowly but surely putting this little island on the world map.

DesignSingapore Council is the main body dedicated to design in Singapore, formed in 2003 in order to heed the call for a national initiative to develop and promote design locally. The council plans ambitious programs to promote design in enterprise so as to enhance the competitiveness of Singapore companies. There are also programs to nurture design-driven industries and to actively profile and promote Singapore design overseas. To foster a more pervasive design culture in Singapore, it also seeds new design awareness programs through schools, public institutions and activities.

The most prestigious local design award is the President's Design Award which was first launched by President SR Nathan in 2005. Meanwhile, the first bi-annual Singapore Design Festival also commenced in the same year.

Design in Singapore is flourishing today. The creative industry is rapidly growing and the government is ready to invest a huge amount of money and effort to promote design as it sees the need to nurture budding talents and creative individuals. Being the 17th wealthiest country in the world, Singapore not only has a strong, stable economy, its design scene is also poised on the brink of explosion on the global front.

Singapore Design Festival

The Singapore Design Festival was officially launched in 2005, with its aim being to bring together the Singaporean and international design communities, design-led businesses and government organizations. Over the years the Singapore Design Festival has covered a broad range of activities including conventions, exhibitions, workshops, open houses and conferences.

Some of the more popular events for the Singapore Design Festival this year includes Utterrubbish, Archifest, TenTouchPoints and Groovisions, with a star-studded lineup which boasted of international speakers such as Fabrica, D&AD, Ogilvy Worldwide, MaisonMartinMargiela, KesselsKramer and many more.

The Singapore Design Festival has been growing from strength to strength since its inception, with its international lineup of designers, speakers and world-renowned events and showcases and exhibitions displayed in prominent public buildings such as the City Hall. The events have created buzz and excitement, initiating designer-to-designer, designer-to-customer, designer-to-supplier conversations that could possibly lead to new ideas, new products and new possibilities.

Lifestyle-concept Stores

Singapore is a shopper’s paradise, with prominent brands jostling for your attention alongside indie labels and bargain finds. If mainstream retail stores such as Topshop, Zara and Esprit along Orchard Road do not appeal to you, best head down to the unique lifestyle-concept stores located in other enclaves in Singapore. The savvy and discerning shopper will definitely know that Haji Lane has more to offer than Turkish delights and Shisha, despite being peppered with little cafes dishing up delicious Turkish nosh. Just one street away from Arab Street, Haji Lane is a hotspot for hip boutiques, yet still retains its appeal as an undiscovered gem. In the past two years, there has been a growing number of fantastic new boutiques like Salad and Billet Doux, which join old favorites, such as edgey little retailer White Room and two outposts of the popular secondhand clothing store House of Japan, which always has plenty of funky vintage finds at rock bottom prices.

The boutiques sell unique accessories and fashion apparel, which range from local brands to those brought in from overseas. Most of the owners claim that they only bring in limited pieces of goods, which goes a long way in ensuring that the necklace recently purchased from these stores is not owned by 50 other people in Singapore! As stocks run out fast, the boutiques update their goods frequently so the chances of looking like a fashion has-been are slim.

Another pit stop of alternative design and fashion haven is Ann Siang Hill, located near Chinatown. This particular street has become a fashion hub for some of the coolest stores in the city. Ann Siang Hill is also where the first Fred Perry apparel store was opened. Not-to-be-missed spots include The Asylum, an amazing graphic design firm-slash-boutique, which stock design books, funky accessories from cool local designers and, not to forget their own unique products as well. Anthropology, a lifestyle design concept store showcases local designers' products, and they have a mixture of trendy and classical items which range from uber-hip to downright wacky.

Design Institutions

One of the reasons that bring about the rise of design institutions in Singapore is the government's willingness to spend and invest on them. Today, there are many public and private design schools in Singapore offering Diplomas and Degrees for students so that they can pursue their interests in design, art and other related subjects.

Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) is one of the oldest design institutions in Singapore. It first opened its doors in 1938 with only 14 students in hand, to embark on a bold artistic journey challenging convention and embracing change. It has grown from strength to strength and gradually transformed itself into Singapore's pre-eminent, full fledged institution, producing a long list of outstanding artists, performers, designers and illustrious alumni.

NAFA students have also won numerous awards like the 2001 SFIC Furniture Design Competition. There were a total of 8 finalists in the competition and the NAFA students managed to clinch the 1st and 3rd prizes and two merit awards, constituting 50% of the total number of awards presented that year.

Another established design institution that is known to many is LASALLE College of the Arts. For over 20 years, it has been nurturing budding talents and it is globally linked to over 40 cities, making it an internationally established art institution. Their connections run the gamut from the far-reaching creative practices and research work of their studests to the international origins of their alumni.

The National University of Singapore's School of Design and Environment is worth a mention as well because it boasts amongst its alumni many talents who have won international and local awards. For example, third-year industrial design student Gabriel Tan won the first Asia Award of Bombay Sapphire Designer Glass Competition 2005 at the Tokyo Design Week, Japan. Gabriel’s Martini Slice, a martini glass without the usual curves, was the winner in the Singapore leg of the Competition.

The most recent art school that just opened its gates on 2 January 2008 is the School of the Arts. It is the first nation's first independent, pre-tertiary arts school to offer a unique connected arts and academic curriculum for youths aged 13-18. Conceptualised as an initiative by MICA, and it is set to be a dedicated development path at pre-tertiary level for those who have interest and show early talent in the arts.

Architecture

A bustling trading port and once a fishing village, it's safe to say that Singapore has traded in its rustic image and adopted a whole image uplift. The architecture in Singapore is varied and you will be able to bear witness to different types of design in different areas of the country. Due to the different races living together in the country, the architecture seems to reflect the multi-ethnic composition of the country. Most of the places of worship were constructed during the colonial era.

You can find streets lined up with both vintage and hip shophouses at the Central Business District (CBD). Further information on architecture in Singapore can be obtained at the URA Centre in Maxwell Road. Exhibitions are usually held there, like the recent Singapore 1:1 : A Gallery of Architecture and Urban Design, showcasing the different and unique architecture of the island.

Singapore has become a center for postmodern architecture. Looking at the CBD alone, you will uncover towers of concrete and glass. These buildings comprise the skyline along the coast of Marina Bay and Raffles Place, usually a main tourist attraction in Singapore. There is one rule though. No building in Singapore may be taller than 280 meters. As a result, we have Republic Plaza, OUB Centre and UOB Plaza One, standing tall and proud at that exact height.

Museums

There are a total of 4 national museums, situated in the city area mainly. They are namely, National Museum of Singapore, Singapore Art Museum and two Asian Civilisations Museum located at Armenian Street and Empress Place respectively. Meanwhile, there are also 11 other museums located around Singapore.

If you're a child at heart or an avid toy collector, there's the Mint Museum of Toys located at Seah Street. Each exhibit in the museum captures the passage of time. Many of the toys are extremely rare and in mint condition, often displayed with their original packaging.

The museum collection, numbering more than 50,000 toys and valued at over S$5 million, includes rare vintage Disneyana toys and memorabilia, Character toys such as Astroboy, Batman, Bonzo, Dan Dare, Popeye, etc, Pre-war Japanese toys, China-made toys, including a rare 'Door of Hope' doll collection, dating from turn-of-the-century, exclusive Teddy Bear Collection and a unique collection of Chinese comic covers dating from 1920's, Golden Age Comics, Tintin collectables, and others.

The Mint Museum of Toys is all about evoking childhood memories. It is that moment when you recognize a familiar character or find a forgotten toy that brings about the joyful rush of rediscovery.

The National Museum of Singapore's exhibitions focus solely on the history of Singapore, such as their collection of Singapore Living Galleries, which feature food, photography and fashion. The Museum underwent a three-and-a-half-year restoration and reopened on December 2, 2006, with the Singapore History Gallery opening on December 8 of the same year. Designed in the Neo-Palladian and Renaissance styles, it consists of two rectangular parallel blocks, with a dome at the front of the building. It has two rotundas, a new glass-clad rotunda at the rear area of the building.

The redeveloped building was designed by local firm W Architects with the glass-clad rotunda designed inspired by legendary architect I.M. Pei’s designs. Its design consultant was Mok Wei Wei, who was the proud recipient of the President’s Design Award 2007 for his stunning and sensitive work on the Museum.

With the National Museum of Singapore focusing on exhibitions revolving around the history of Singapore, the Singapore Art Museum, located just a stone’s throw away, specializes in art exhibitions from Singapore and Southeast Asia, particularly that of the visual arts.

Future of Design in Singapore

With the continuous support of the government and overwhelming response from the public, the Singapore design scene looks set to take on the world. Like a dormant volcano, waiting to erupt and letting new, fresh ideas flow out, the scene is about to explode and it is safe to say once you've ventured on it, there's no turning back.

The future of design in Singapore continues to remain upbeat. The International Advisory Panel for DesignSingapore, comprised of industry heavyweights and luminaries such as Chris Bangle, Steve Hayden, Toshiyuki Kita, Edmund Cheng, Toyo Ito, Richard Seymour and Dick Powell, have significantly outlined an ambitious proposal titled “Singapore 2017”, where, in Edmund Cheng’s words, “The strategic blueprint for 2017 reinforces the vital role that design plays in the development of Singapore as a global city. The job of design for tomorrow is to give valuable form and true human meaning to material culture. More importantly, tomorrow’s designer is also responsible for the triple bottomline of economic, social and environmental value.”

Specific recommendations made by the International Advisory Panel included leveraging opportunities in the healthcare and wellness sector that the graying population presents – more specifically, the Panel has let slip that plans for a revolutionary healthcare institution may be in the pipeline. Equally important was also sustainability, in which Singapore was to evolve into a green model city with green development programmes that will span the entire spectrum of design disciplines in a holistic fashion.

With all these future lineups on the agenda, this little red dot doesn't seem so little after all.


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TRAVEL ALBUM: DESIGN CITY publishes the essential photography subjects of a city. As they say, architecture landmarks denote the progressing development of a country. Design in each and every city speaks in different languages and dances to different cultures. A lot of cities are growing in the design realm but no one would know about this development but the travelers and the locals themselves. Only. The exciting quirks and electrifying eccentricity of Everyday Product, Design Schools, Designers, Resources, Hotels/Buildings, Design Studios/Personalities, Local Galleries, Museums, etc, are found in both secret and obvious places of the city.

We miss out on these simple things during travel or simply during our busy lifestyle in our own city. So the next time you travel, think of TRAVEL ALBUM: DESIGN CITY.

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