TP School of Design Booklet

TEMASEK POLYTECHNIC
SCHOOL OF DESIGN



Love propels
the relentless pursuit of a new idea

it basks in the satisfaction of a concept
well-crafted, a pitch well-received

it transcends the heartbreak of rejection,
redeemed in the impetus to improve

Love leads the charge in the grand sweeping
designs that will change the world

It also sits quietly in the prosaic,
the ordinariness of the everyday

When you have passion for the big picture
and an eye for the small details

Come do what you love
in the School of Design





CONTENTS

Director’s Foreword 6
About Temasek Polytechnic 8
10
Our Design Chronology 15
What We Believe In 16
18
Our Staff, Our Partners 21
Engaging Industry 25
Our Alumni 29
Our Awards 30
33
Contextual Insights
Foundation Studies
Collaborative Design

Apparel Design & Merchandising 35
Communication Design 39
43
Digital Film & Television 47
Interior Architecture & Design 51
54
Product & Industrial Design 57
Continued Education Training 58
61
BeyonDesign Centre 63
Further Education

Looking Beyond Singapore
Pledge

FOREWORD

In just one generation, the world understands the intersectional and
has seen unprecedented change. The collaborative nature of design today.
impact of the digital insurgency and We believe in the necessity of rigor in
the acceleration of technology has learning, one that embeds essential
affected the way we work, live and play, attributes for tomorrow’s designers
influencing many aspects of contemporary – that of tenacity, adaptive thinking,
life. However, even as technologies a mindset for risk and innovation,
advance and trends shift; humanity empathy and collaboration.
has not changed. When strategically
deployed, design is the bridge that Led and taught by designers with
connects humanity with technology. diverse skillsets and expertise, the school
also taps on the insight and experience
Today, the work of designers of industry leaders, alumni and design
transcends the aesthetic, functional practitioners, creating an immersive and
and experiential dimensions to include inspiring learning experience for students.
processes, systems, communities and As part of Temasek Polytechnic with its
organizations. Design has become six different schools offering courses
a powerful enabler for business, an in engineering, business, humanities
equalizer for the community and & social sciences, applied sciences
an extender for other industries. and informatics and IT, the school is
well-positioned to welcome the highly
As the world looks to a collaborative nature of design work today.
transformation of designers who
can operate across adjacent and For almost three decades, the
other emerging disciplines, engaging School of Design has responded to the
increasingly with social, environmental evolution and revolution of the design
and political agendas, it is imperative industry. As Singapore’s first design
that designers put humanity at the school in a polytechnic, the School of
forefront of their ideas and solutions. Design continues to drive new thinking
Aligned with this belief, our students for design in Singapore today.
learn in a practice-based environment
through cause-driven, human-centred Our doors are open to all aspiring
challenges juxtaposed against a backdrop designers, teachers and industry partners.
of social, cultural, entrepreneurial and Come get to know us. If design is your
technological contexts for design. passion, there’s no better place than the
School of Design to do what you love.
In the concurrence of analogue
and digital design processes and Lim Chong Jin
the coexistence of disruption and Director, School of Design
continuity, the School of Design

6



ABOUT TEMASEK POLYTECHNIC

Our students undergo
a learning system that
is holistic, equipping
them with life skills and
relevant knowledge.

Established in April 1990, Temasek TP champions the Problem-based
Polytechnic (TP) is a significant Learning approach which promotes
contributor to the field of para- independent study, self-reflection
professional education in Singapore. and creative thinking — giving our
Situated in the east of the island, TP graduates a distinct advantage
is nestled within the park-like grounds over others in an ever-changing
of a world-class campus designed by economic landscape.
renowned architect James Stirling.
Here, students enjoy technologically
advanced equipment and facilities
that support their learning journey.

TP currently offers more than 30
full-time three-year diploma courses in
the areas of applied sciences, business,
design, engineering, humanities and
social sciences, and informatics and
IT to around 13,000 students. Our
diploma courses are recognised by
more than 200 universities worldwide.

8







14

WHAT WE BELIEVE IN

1

POSSIBILITIES REALISED

Every student in the School of Design is a valuable, untapped and limitless
well of potential. The School believes in unlocking these possibilities and

creating pathways and opportunities for every student to shine.

2

EVERYDAY TRANSFORMATION

Transformation takes place here in little ways every day. From the first day
a student joins the school, raw with talent, full of passion, brimming with

potential, change is already underfoot. Over time, shaped by a cycle of
projects and crits, as discovery and learning takes place, change happens.

By the time they graduate, the transformation is complete.

3

STUDENT-CENTRICITY

At the heart of the school, foremost in all we do, students come first.
The pedagogy, curriculum, staff, facilities are all carefully crafted to give
students the best learning experience they can have, to prepare them to

be change-ready, versatile and confident professionals in an industry
that is fluid, dynamic and exciting.

4

EXPLORE INTERSECTIONS

In a world where the borders between design disciplines are increasingly
ill-defined, we encourage our students to take risks, explore collaborative

possibilities and move out of their spheres of comfort to achieve
meaningful and effective results in design.

5

BEYOND DESIGN

Through community-centric projects, both local and international,
partnering social enterprises and organisations, the School of Design
goes beyond the business of design to shape our students into culturally-
sensitive, socially-aware designers of tomorrow, who are passionate

about and deeply committed to making the world a better place,
to do good — through good design.

15

OUR OUR
STAFF PARTNERS

The School of Design strives to ‘Live’ industry projects give our
offer our students the best design students the opportunity to
education possible. Most of our pitch, create and present to real
lecturers are trained overseas and industry clients. There’s nothing
have amassed a wealth of experience like the adrenalin of seeing their
in the design industry. Many proposals and their work accepted
hold postgraduate qualifications and developed commercially
in their respective disciplines. to reinforce the business
Several are also award-winning cycles of real design work.
professionals in their own right.
Some of our partners
Our lecturers are certified to teach and clients include:
through the one-year Teaching in
Higher Education (THEC) programme. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore
Google Singapore
Singhealth
A*Star
National Environment Agency
National Heritage Board
Singapore Discovery Centre
Facebook
Japan Creative Centre
People’s Association
Sentosa Development Corporation
Singapore Prison Services
Temasek Holdings
Singapore Wildlife Reserves
APSN Katong School
NParks
Maritime & Port Authority
of Singapore
Golden Travel Services
ST Kinetics
ArtScience Museum

16



ENGAGING
INDUSTRY

In the School of Design, mentorship opportunities and
students benefit from a lively internship placements for our
exchange of philosophy, ideas students. Industry support extends
and experiences with the best into innovative learning enterprises
of industry and academia. set up on campus – such as the
award-winning Equator; a workspace
Talks, workshops, exhibitions, in the School of Design set up by
seminars, dialogues, focus groups, Tribal DDB, a global giant in digital
‘live’ industry projects, crit sessions communication. Equator functions
and forums are just some of the as an incubator of talent and ideas
many ways where industry supports where digital technologists from
education in the School of Design. Tribal DDB work in tandem with
Craftsmen and artisans, creative students from the School of Design
directors and entrepreneurs, and other TP schools on ‘live’ briefs
professors and practitioners alike, for real clients. Leading architectural
all have shared their time and lighting specialist Erco also works
knowledge with students from the closely with the Specialist Diploma
school of design. For design students, in Lighting Design, providing access
learning does not just take place in to Erco facilities such as its light
classrooms but in these interactions simulation lab for learning purposes.
with the greater design world.
Bi-annually, the school also
The eco-system of design welcomes external examiners from
education is one where industry industry and educational institutions
plays a symbiotic role. The school in Singapore and globally. Their
enjoys a strong relationship feedback for final-year work is
with the design fraternity. valuable and useful not only for
students who are ready to graduate
The school’s advisory committee as design professionals but also
comprises leaders from government for the school’s understanding
and design organisations in on where it stands in global
Singapore who generously share design standards and practices.
insight into industry trends and
needs. The design industry provides

18

17

20

OUR
ALUMNI

The School of Design is the the Singapore brand of design
original gateway for many of well beyond the nation’s borders.
today’s successful faces in design.
Making waves across all Out of the School of Design’s
disciplines are well-known fold of graduates also come five
personalities such as fashion winners of the President’s Design
designer Keith Png, clothesmith Awards, the highest accolade for
Chong Han San, film-maker design excellence in the nation.
Royston Tan, Philips Electronics’ This is the largest number of
Global Creative Director Low winners produced by any design
Cheaw Hwei, photographer school in the country. Pann Lim
Timothy Stuart Wee, interior of Kinetic, Chris Lee of Asylum,
architect Chrisandra Heng Hanson Ho of H55 Studio, Nathan
and many others. Yong of Nathan Yong Design and
Grafunkt and Larry Peh of &Larry
In media and communication all had their roots in design here.
design, names like Pann Lim
of Kinetic, Roy Poh of Beautiful
and Jeff Cheong of Tribal DDB
have been consistently listed
among Singapore’s most
influential creative directors.
From small boutique design
studios to large corporate
organisations, they have taken

21

“Determination was an important value that
I learned in the School of Design. Every
rejected idea, concept, sketch and design,
teaches you to push yourself to achieving that
big idea. It has taught me to be meticulous
to every detail of my work, questioning the
ideas and directions every step of the way.”
Jonathan Lee
Diploma in Communication Design
Graphite Pencil winner,
D&AD New Blood Awards 2017

“I believe that in design, we should never fail to
make mistakes. School of Design was the only

place where I could learn freely, explore different
mediums and be open to different challenges.”
Cellyn Tan
Diploma in Communication Design
UX/UI, General Assembly UK
Gold medallist, WorldSkills Singapore
Digital Product Designer, Red Badger, London

“Design makes me happy with
its endless possibilities.”
Cheung Yunki
Diploma in Environment Design
Undergraduate at Southern California Institute of Architecture

“Being in Design School taught me courage.
The courage to express myself through
my skills and not be afraid of failure.”
Evan Tan
Diploma in Product & Industrial Design
Winner of Best of Show & Best of Design
Categories, Crowbar Awards 2017

22

“Design School helped me look at my day to day life
with a new understanding of things. While the school
is great at teaching me to be proficient in various
skill sets, the most important thing I learnt is to be
able to think as designer. It has been a springboard
to so many interesting things I’ve done to date.”
Mohamed Syafiq Bin Hassan Jubri
Diploma in Interior Architecture & Design, Temasek Polytechnic
Master in Architecture at Barlett School of
Architecture, University College London
DesignSingapore SC
Architect Assistant, Tate Harmer Architects London

“Design has the power to transform the
mindset of a person, a society, the world.”

Yvonne Ng

Diploma in Visual Communication
Master in Fine Arts in Film at The City College of New York

Academy-Award winning film-maker

Photo: Richard Harbaugh

“Design bridges - with consideration - the
logic and the emotive, the form and the
function, the purpose and the beauty.”
Stefanie Djie
Diploma in Visual Communication
BFA in Photography at School of Visual Arts, New York
New York-based award-winning photographer

“Design is the truest, purest and most authentic
way to communicate. There is an emotional
expression and story to everything you see.”

Savina Chai

Diploma in Apparel Design & Merchandising

Creative Director & Founder, 8Slate

23



OUR
AWARDS

D&AD Student Awards
International Design Awards
Art Director’s Club Annual Awards
One Club Creative Competition
The Crowbar Awards
Philips Design Excellence Award
Red Dot Concept Design Award
James Dyson Award
Cannes Film Fest shortlist
SILA Student Design Awards
ciNE65 Film Competition
New York Festivals: World’s Best TV & Film
WorldSkills Singapore
Asia Star Packaging Awards
Singapore Young Photographers Award
Spikes Asia - Student Creative Award
Singapore Star Packaging Award
The Crowbar Awards – Institution of the Year

Over the years, the School of Design Workshop, the 87th Art Directors’ Club
built and consolidated its reputation (New York) Annual Awards and many more.
as a leading design institution in the
Asia-Pacific. To date, more than 500 In Singapore, students regularly excel
international and regional awards have in the annual Crowbar Awards, often
been won by students, including UK’s sweeping the top awards including
D&AD Student of the Year Award, the the Best of Show, as well as the Young
International Design Awards, the Asia- Designer’s Awards, and the Singapore
Pacific Interior Design Biennial Awards, Furniture Industries’ Council’s Furniture
the One Club South-East and South Asia Design Award, among others.

25







CONTEXTUAL
INSIGHTS

The ability to understand the brief, Students will grow to be reflective,
communicate ideas and appreciate collaborative, ethical, agile and
the complexities of a market-driven participative designers who can
world are all integral components of make timely choices and articulate
the portfolio of skills for designers. ideas and concepts confidently.

In the School of Design, we build
the foundation skills of effective
communication, lay the basics of
marketing a product or experience
and create awareness of business
considerations in the design
context. We prepare students for the
current and future world of design
work by creating opportunities
to hone skills that are aligned
with the design curriculum.

29

FOUNDATION
STUDIES

The students who choose to come Freshmen students are exposed
to the School of Design may share to the key principles of art and
a common passion for design. But artistic expression that allow them
not everyone has the same core to understand and appreciate the
set of skills or background in art finer nuances of art and design
or design studies. To prepare every concepts. The essential building
Design student for the rigour and blocks of colour, composition,
demands required for the pursuit ideation, sketching, painting,
of design studies, regardless of sculpture are layered on gradually,
academic background or talent, the building confidence and skills along
School makes Design Fundamentals the way. This gives students the
a compulsory subject for all. appropriate and necessary tools to
express themselves articulately and
fluently in the language of design.

30





COLLABORATIVE
DESIGN

In design circles today, practitioners As the most comprehensive design
are moving out of creative silos to school in Singapore, there are
work with each other in various myriad opportunities for students in
ways. The synergies that arise the School of Design to work with
from transdisciplinary work often each other across disciplines. In fact,
result in stunning results. The way collaborative design is a core subject
forward in the design industry is in the school curriculum, compulsory
increasingly a greater emphasis on for all design students. There, they
collaborative work among designers. will be taught a toolkit of strategies
for collaborative work and exposed
The School of Design is a firm to diverse innovative and conceptual
proponent in the power of approaches in the context of design.
collaborative transformation.

33



APPAREL 
DESIGN &
MERCHANDISING

35

The course trains and develops multi-
skilled professionals to blend an eye for
trend and fashion with sound work
values and business practices.

The fashion industry is a dazzling, Retail Merchandising students
exciting and mind-boggling will learn about all the activities
arena of many specialised areas. related to the business aspects of
To discover the niche that the developing, promoting, marketing
students are best in, the course and managing apparel items from
offers a broad overview of the conception to purchase. They
industry, as well as an introduction are trained to better understand
to design fundamentals. Students the fashion consumer and will
can choose to specialise in use this knowledge to its best
either the niche area of Fashion advantage in their product line.
Design or Retail Merchandising.
Today’s Retail Merchandising
In Fashion Design, they will discover students learn about marketing and
the challenging intricacies of the branding of fashion in the digital
apparel design and merchandising sphere. With the growing plethora
workflow. They will learn about, and of blogshops, the prevalence of
experiment with, different fabrics e-commerce sites and the savvy use
and trims to translate their bold of social media marketing today,
visions in fashion and apparel into the shopping experience is one
actual wearable pieces. They will that changes constantly. In a world
learn the key tools and techniques where consumer decisions are
of drafting, draping and sewing increasingly made online, students
to translate their ideas from also learn the strategies and the
concept sketches to a wearable technology of digital marketing.
collection on the calkwalk.

36





COMMUNICATION
DESIGN

39

Students will encounter the birth of
creative concepts, taking them all the
way through the processes of refinement,
implementation and presentation.

With the proliferation of new digital Through interdisciplinary, multi-
media influencing our lifestyles and faceted work that spans emerging
changing the way we communicate, technologies, interactive and
there is a need for designers to traditional media platforms,
adopt a flexible approach to using the course hones talent, visual
the many varied tools across sensitivity and passion. Students
traditional and digital platforms acquire relevant knowledge
to communicate key messages. and a wide palette of technical
skills to handle both analogue
This ability to creatively maximise and digital tools of visual
the use of both digital and communication design.
traditional media while maintaining
a strong foundation in the principles The Communication Design course
of graphic design and aesthetic is the only course that offers a
sensibility is one that is highly broad-based exposure to design
sought-after by industry today. fundamentals with the choice and
flexibility of choosing a specialism
The Diploma in Communication — Image Design, Branding,
Design focuses on the application of Integrated Communication.
strategic, purposeful communication.
Armed with the ability to
conceptualise and express strong
visual ideas, the course prepares
communication designers who
can create design solutions that
resonate with clients and audiences.

40





DIGITAL FILM
& TELEVISION

43

Digital Film & Television offers students
the environment, knowledge and
technical skills to be a media professional
with a strong creative voice.

Life is full of stories. In the course, The course offers students
students will learn to extract these the environment, knowledge
untold stories and through the and technical skills to be a
technical skills of directing, story- professional, and still lets them
boarding, scripting, and editing, own their creative voice.
share these with the world.
What sets the course apart from
Students pick up skills in content others is also its strong attention
creation, conceptualisation, to the business of film-making.
technical knowledge and skills Students will experience the
and professional practice in a film production process in its
world-class learning environment entirety — from the pitch for
conducive for nurturing industry- financial backing, to storytelling,
ready professionals for the pre and post production.
vibrant media industry.
They will acquire skills that
The school was among the first industry demands of film and
in the region to go HD with the media professionals today,
use of high-end equipment from in technical, creative and
cameras down to post production management proficiency.
suites. In tandem with highly
reputable industry partners, the
course equips students to envision
and to showcase the world
through stories that are bold,
stirring and visually-arresting.

44





INTERIOR
ARCHITECTURE
& DESIGN

47

Students are taught to understand the
meaning of space and to marry practical
considerations with the aesthetic aspect.

In the Interior Architecture and Hands-on, problem-based creative
Design course, students learn to projects will hone students’
redefine the use of space and its sensitivities about colours,
elements within the shells and materials, lighting, media, shapes
structures of buildings — anywhere and forms. They will use these
that people live and work — and other tools to shape a specific
offices, cinemas, community hubs, space while considering the
recreational spaces, schools, etc. requirements of the project.

Students will learn how to navigate ‘Live’ projects with real clients
the delicate balance between also offer creative opportunities
functionality and aesthetic to interpret or reinvent spaces
appeal in the design of any given amidst a wide range of briefs —
space. Not only should their from conservation to community,
designed space look good, it also corporate to public housing,
needs to function efficiently. healthcare to lifestyle.

48