The 20th Anniversary of Design Singapore Council "Better by Design"

Following its successful return last year, mark your calendar for Singapore Design Week 2023 (SDW 2023) which will take place across the city from 21 September to 1 October. NPO Aoyama Design Forum (ADF) will again support Singapore Design Week (SDW) . Organised by the DesignSingapore Council (Dsg), the 11-day festival will present an extraordinary showcase of Singapore’s distinctive brand of creativity while celebrating Dsg’s 20th anniversary. To commemorate this milestone, SDW 2023 will adopt Dsg’s motto "Better by Design" as the festival theme for this special edition.

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The SDW 2023 theme ‘Better by Design’ celebrates DesignSingapore Council’s 20th anniversary by
bringing its motto to life over 11 days and more than 80 events during the festival.

Festival Commission

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Clockwise from top left: Jackson Tan, Co-founder and Creative Director of BLACK;
Ong Ker-Shing and Joshua Comaroff, Co-founders of Lekker Architects;
Pann Lim, Co-founder and Creative Director of Kinetic Singapore

To spotlight this bold purposeful spirit of Singapore design, local design curators Jackson Tan, co-founder and creative director of BLACK; Pann Lim, co-founder and creative director of
Kinetic Singapore; Ong Ker Shing and Joshua Comaroff, co-founders of Lekker Architects will
bring the Bras Basah.Bugis arts, heritage and design district to life with specially commissioned installations that will showcase new ideas, and reflect on key issues of today from innovation to sustainability to inclusivity.

Design Districts

This year, SDW will also introduce Design Districts as a key highlight of the festival. Each district will reflect the unique character and charm of its community, and offer a wealth of immersive design experiences within walking distance. To kick off this new festival offering, SDW 2023 Design Districts will span three key precincts – Bras Basah.Bugis, Marina Bay, and Orchard Road.

Design Futures

Design Futures focuses on the design of the future and the future of design through the lens of forward-looking Singapore – where a more positive future is prototyped for Singapore and the world.

Design Marketplace

Design Marketplace uncovers lifestyle trends from across the globe, with a spotlight on the fast-growing Southeast Asia region. FIND – Design Fair Asia, Asia’s most anticipated design trade fair, will return to Marina Bay Sands for its second edition from 21 to 23 September 2023. Following its remarkable debut last year, Dsg will once again present a unique showcase dedicated to Southeast Asian contemporary design at EMERGE @ FIND. Curated by Suzy Annetta of Design Anthology, this year’s edition will feature the curatorial theme of “CRAFT+INDUSTRY: MAN+MACHINE”, with works by over 50 emerging and established designers from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Design Impact

Design Impact inspires with innovative and impactful design solutions that tackle society’s
biggest questions and create a better world by design. Three key themes – Innovation,
Sustainability and Inclusivity – will be celebrated through the immersive festival commission
at Bras Basah.Bugis, inviting festival-goers into the Playground of Possibilities by Jackson
Tan of BLACK at the National Design Centre; School of Tomorrow by Pann Lim of Kinetic at
the Selegie Arts Centre, and FI&LD by Ong Ker-Shing and Joshua Comaroff of Lekker
Architects at LASALLE College of the Arts.

Singapore Design Week

One of Asia’s premier design festivals, Singapore Design Week (SDW) celebrates Singapore’s distinctive brand of creativity, exploring design through three defining festival pillars: Design Futures (the design of the future and the future of design), Design Marketplace (lifestyle trends with a spotlight on Southeast Asia) and Design Impact (innovative solutions for a better world). Organised by DesignSingapore Council, SDW is a celebration of creativity and innovation, championing thought leadership and showcasing the best of design from
Singapore and beyond.

DesignSingapore Council

The DesignSingapore Council’s (Dsg's) vision is for Singapore to be an innovation-driven economy and a loveable city by design. As the national agency that promotes design, our mission is to develop the design sector, help Singapore use design for innovation and growth, and make life better in this UNESCO Creative City of Design. Dsg is a subsidiary of the Singapore Economic Development Board.