The must have skills of great designers for the 21st century - when good-enough is never good enough

1. Designing Your Future
must-have skills of great designers
(when good-enough is never good enough)
Presented by:
Timothy Chan, Director
First Media Design School
Nurturing Tomorrow’s DesignPreneurs

2. Tim Chan
Director
First Media Design School

3. • The changing marketplace
(from price driven to design driven)
3
Key Points
• The changing needs of employers
(from designers to designpreneurs)
• The must-have skills of designers
(from skill-based to whole brain education)
Nurturing Tomorrow’s DesignPreneurs

4. • The changing marketplace
(from price driven to design driven)
3
Key Points
• The changing needs of employers
(from designers to designpreneurs)
• The must-have skills of designers
(from skill-based to whole brain education)
Nurturing Tomorrow’s DesignPreneurs

8. Knowledge
is Power

27. • The changing marketplace
(from price driven to design driven)
3
Key Points
• The changing needs of employers
(from designers to designpreneurs)
• The must-have skills of designers
(from skill-based to whole brain education)
Nurturing Tomorrow’s DesignPreneurs

28. changing roles of
design(ers)

30. Access to safe drinking water

31. Design an electric bicycle to inspire everyday riding

32. A reconfigurable seat that complements the way students learn

33. Brand strategy for a iconic
footwear to accessories

34. Shift focus for a major
women's clothing brand

35. Re-designing the
brand experiences

36. Redefining the intimate apparel shopping experience

37. Empowering children to make their own
one-of-a-kind stuffed toys.

38. An interactive, visual media-sharing application for BlackBerry

39. A holistic, color-based guide to healthful eating.

40. Using arts and new media to fight AIDS in Africa

45. 100 Most Inspiring Real Women
Cozycot – 2011

54. 21st Century
Conceptual Age
(Concepts Workers)
20th Century
Information Age
(Knowledge Workers)
19th Century
Industrial Age
(Factory Workers)
18th Century
Agricultural Age
(Farm Workers)

55. “Design is not just what it
looks like and feels like.
Design is how it works.”

56. design-aware
or beware

57. … doesn’t happen by
accident.
Success is by design

58. • The changing marketplace
(from price driven to design driven)
3
Key Points
• The changing needs of employers
(from designers to designpreneurs)
• The must-have skills of designers
(from skill-based to whole brain education)
Nurturing Tomorrow’s DesignPreneurs

60. • Multi-disciplinary
(holistic, systematic, critical)
Tomorrow's
designpreneurs • Multi-dimensional
(whole brain designers) (left brain + right brain)
• Multi-functional
(designer, manager, leader)
Nurturing Tomorrow’s DesignPreneurs

61. The vertical part of the "T" as your
core talent and the horizontal line as
reflecting your interests and your
curiosity in involving diverse partners
Nurturing Tomorrow’s DesignPreneurs

63. An example:
A Whole Brain
approach to
design education

64. Design Aptitude Test

65. Herman Whole Brain Test

66. Multi-dimensional Thinking
Design
Thinking
®First Media Design School

67. Design Competency
CREATIVE
CONCEPT SKILL
Enhance mind mapping;
Unleash creative thinking and
creative conceptual skills
‘LIVE’ PROJECT SOFTWARE
EXPOSURE You as EXECUTION
SKILL
Undertake design projects;
Plan and execute with
Designer Proficiency in design
professional standard. operating software skill.

68. Management Competency
PERSONAL
MANAGEMENT
Acknowledge and
understand individual
management styles; Build
and develop personal style
through teamwork &
development.
STUDIO PROCESS
BRAND/BUSINESS You as a MANAGEMENT
MANAGEMENT
Plan, build and execute
Manager Develop processes and implement
systems to ensure quality operation in
the studio.
brand/business successfully.

69. DesignPreneur Competency
ENTREPRENEUR
SKILL
Analyse and evaluate growth
opportunities; Conceptualise and
develop commercially viable ideas.
ORGANISATIONAL LEADERSHIP
SKILL You as a SKILL
Build business structure, Manage and motivate human
corporate philosophies; Imbue
corporate vision into the
Designpreneur resources; develop sustainable
work culture. Nurture and
business system. influence team spirit.

70. To Be Who They Want To Be
Soft Skills Hard Skills
Business
Communication Office Managerial
Skills Administration Skill
Improving Sales &
Leadership Business
Personality & Marketing
Skills Skill
Characters Skill
Design
Interaction Accounting Knowledge
Skill Skill & Competency

71. empathy
experiment
curiosity
adaptive
positive values
spirit of enterprise

72. Career & Life Planning Chart
Golden Years
Working Years 51 - 75 years
Education Years 26 - 50 years
0 - 25 years
Life Expectancy Average 75 years

73. Always Start with
the End in Mind
(Set Goals)

74. Chart Personal Progress

75. Personal
Reflections

76. Breadth of
knowledge & skills
Depth of
Expertise

77. • It’s never a better time to be a
designer (the world is yours)
• Companies now need people with
In Closing: empathy, emotions and a keen eye
with a heart to connect
• A Right-Left brainers has a true
competitive advantage in the new
conceptual economy
Nurturing Tomorrow’s DesignPreneurs

78. Something you
can take away:
Nurturing Tomorrow’s DesignPreneurs

79. Thank You
Questions?
Nurturing Tomorrow’s DesignPreneurs