Design and National Identity

On "Singapore design" and the pursuit of a national style

20/20 (2004—2007)

by Jackson Tan for DesignSingapore Council

Four showcases on Singapore's new generation of creative talents. ”Vision” (2004), “Under Construction" (2005), “Movement” (2006) and “Base“ (2007) were held in the city-state, and a 2006 edition traveled to the London Design Festival.
Creative Cultures: The Singapore Showcase (2012)

by Hjgher

Showcase of over 120 Singaporean creatives at the DesignTide Tokyo in Japan.
Defusing the “Big Bomb”: Modernisation and the Streamlining of Multilingual Singapore (2020)

by Justin Zhuang for the Bangkok Art Book Fair Co-op

An essay on the streamlining of multilingual signage in Singapore through the use of modern design.
Design Journal: International Magazine for the Entire Design Portfolio (1990)

by Art Center and Designers Association Singapore

A Korean design magazine featuring a special on Singapore design and portfolios of works by members of the Designers Association Singapore.
East and West: Graphic Design in Singapore Today (2014)

by Justin Zhuang for Design Observer

Looking at the search for cultural identity in Singapore’s contemporary design scene.
Enter the Dragon: Look Back to the Future of Singapore Design (2014)

by Justin Zhuang for Design Observer

Examining the trend of using heritage as the new muse for Singapore design.
Fifty Years of Singapore Design [1965-2015] (2015—)

by WY-TO for DesignSingapore Council

A commemorative exhibition featuring Singapore designs over the last five decades since its founding. The exhibition was refreshed in July 2019 and is a permanent showcase at the National Design Centre.
First International Design Forum · Singapore 1988 (1989)

by Singapore Trade Development Board

Catalogue documenting the inaugural gathering of international designers by the Singapore government. The forum consisted of a conference and exhibition of national pavilions held at Raffles City Convention Centre from 19-23 October 1988
From International to National: A Singapore Design Journey (2020)

by Justin Zhuang for Design Anthology, Asia Edition, Issue 26

Singapore’s journey to becoming a design-led nation is inextricably linked to its history of visual communication
Got Singapore Design (2012)

by Justin Zhuang for The Design Society Journal No. 05

Is “Singapore design” a question of form, process of narratives? A survey of the emergence of a new generation of Singapore souvenirs.
History of Design Protection in Singapore (2022—)

by Kodai Kimura

An overview of design law and copyright law in Singapore.
New Wave: Singapore’s Contemporary Design Culture (2008)

by Jackson Tan

The new wave Singapore design talents based on the 20/20 exhibitions. It was hosted at the centre of creative communication in Japan.
Shiok! A Gastronomy of Singapore Design (2010)

by Jackson Tan

An exhibition on the intersections of food and design culture in Singapore. It was commissioned for the inaugural Asian Design Conference organised by the centre of creative communication in Japan.
SINGAPOREdge: Design Culture in Singapore (2005)

by DesignSingapore Council

A showcase of 100 Singapore design talents as part of the Singapore Season in London.
Singapore Fashion Histories (1949—1999)

by Singapore Fashion Histories

An open-access resource documenting the written and oral histories of fashion in Singapore from 1950 to 1999 through the lens of our everyday broadsheets and national press.
Singapore: Inside Out (2015)

by Randy Chan for Singapore Tourism Board

A traveling showcase of Singapore’s art and design scene to position it as a creative city. It traveled to Beijing, London and New York City, before returning to Singapore. In 2017, an edition curated by Clara Yee was held in Tokyo.
Singapore Supergarden (2008)

by FARM for DesignSingapore Council and Urban Redevelopment Authority

Singapore's national pavilion at the 11th Venice Architecture Biennale showcased its next generation multidisciplinary creative community.
The Rise of Style: Singapore Architecture and Media (2006)

by Tan Kok Meng for Quarterly Literary Review Singapore V6 No. 1

The rise of "representation" in Singapore architecture and design.
Visualizing Multi-Racialism in Singapore: Graphic Design as a Tool for Ideology and Policy in Nation Building (2011)

by Leong Koon Chan in Design Issues Vol. 27, No. 1

A study of how graphic design is used to visualise multiracialism in Singapore as part of a national ideology.