Defining Singapore Design

We get insights from a group of Singaporeans, creatives and business leaders.

- Low Shi Ping

Porcelain plates decorated with our well-loved dragon playground; a children’s storytelling session at the National Museum of Singapore; an award-winning breast pump for Pigeon.

These are just some of the many innovations by Singaporean designers that contribute to making the scene here colourful, multi-cultural and even customised.

Attempt to define Singapore design though, and things get slightly complicated.

Mirroring the cosmopolitan, melting pot nature of the country, it is hardly discernible – yet that in itself makes it distinctive.

“Singapore design is a joyful celebration of its residents’ diverse backgrounds and ways of life,” affirms Rachel Poonsiriwong, a DesignSingapore Council (Dsg) scholar who is currently studying at the California College of the Arts.

She is not alone in this opinion. We took to quizzing a group of creatives involved in varied fields of design to seek more insights.

SINGAPORE DESIGN IS MULTI-FACETED

“Singapore design is a dichotomy of many things – past and present, inward and outward,” shares Mashizan Masjum, President and Creative Director of footwear brand MASHIZAN.

“It’s a mélange of all things unexpected, curious, strange and yet still magnificent.”

That it is able to achieve all this while being a small country with a short history is an achievement in itself.

“We take history, culture and technology to develop a design identity that is uniquely Singapore,” says Morgan Yeo, First Son and Director of carpentry studio Roger & Sons.