DesignSingapore

"Designers are becoming irrelevant.”

In an era of AI and automation, that’s the fear. The anxiety over design craft and designers’ jobs is hard to ignore.

Happily, the reality on the ground tells a different story.

So, what makes design a valuable mindset and skillset?

Find out in the DESIGN 2035 Masterplan: dsg.sg/design2035



*Source: Comprehensive Labour Force Survey, Manpower Research and Statistics Department, Ministry of Manpower. Sectors and occupations are classified based on Singapore Standard Industrial Classification (SSIC) 2020 and Singapore Standard Occupational Classification (SSOC) 2020, with DesignSingapore Council identifying design and non-design sectors and occupations.

The hustle is real.

Boutique firms and solo operations are the backbone of Singapore design. While being small means being nimble and agile, it can also mean constantly being stretched.

High-touch craft, but limited budgets. Creative freedom, but uncertain cashflows.

So, can small be mighty?

Find out in the DESIGN 2035 Masterplan: dsg.sg/design2035



*Source: Singapore Department of Statistics, 2025. Figures cover firms in sectors identified by DesignSingapore Council as design sectors, classified according to Singapore Standard Industrial Classification 2020.

The best designs begin not with answers, but with questions; as did the DESIGN 2035 Masterplan.

We asked designers what keeps them up at night. We asked businesses how design is valued. We asked everyday Singaporeans what they think Singapore design stands for. And from those answers, our roadmap takes shape.

Rather than a static blueprint, this plan evolves in tandem with the world around us. It’s a vision for a liveable, loveable, and ultimately limitless Singapore – built by many, belonging to all.

Explore the DESIGN 2035 Masterplan and have a hand in shaping what’s next: dsg.sg/design2035

Design has a role to play, whether it’s solving problems or translating opportunities into value, regardless of scale or geography.

Where can Singapore design make the biggest impact?

Image courtesy of Faezah Shaharuddin.

Design does not live in a silo and there’s more than one path to success for a designer.

What new roles can designers take on as they range across different fields?

Image courtesy of Lawrence Chong.

Design has shaped our society and continues to shape how we live, and who we become. How will design play a role in the next 10 years?

Image courtesy of Stefen Chow and BLACK.

Enter a living laboratory of ideas at 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗼𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 in Brera Design District), and experience 15 thought-provoking projects that unfold as real-world experimentation – testing new ways of thinking, living, and shaping future systems.

Plan your visit to Milan Design Week 2026, and journey with us to 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗼𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱, curated by Hunn Wai and Eian Siew.

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗼𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱
Exhibition: 21 – 26 Apr 2026, 10am – 7pm (CEST)
Singapore Night: 22 Apr 2026, 7pm – 11pm (CEST)
Panel Talks: 21 – 22 Apr 2026
Foro Buonaparte 54, Brera Design District
Free admission
Visit bit.ly/dsgprototypeisland to learn more.

Photos by Mark Cocksedge

–

𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘦 𝘐𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 is a showcase presented by the DesignSingapore Council, curated by Hunn Wai and Eian Siew. Open from 21 – 26 April 2026 during Milan Design Week, the showcase unfolds across three themes to holistically examine what it means for a country to treat itself as a living prototype.

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗼𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 has officially opened at Milan Design Week 2026 and is now in full swing!

From now until 26 April, step into an experiential showcase at the Brera Design District, where 15 diverse Singapore-based designers take the stage.

Under the creative direction of Lead Curator Hunn Wai of Lanzavecchia + Wai Design Studio and Assistant Curator Eian Siew, the exhibition unfolds as a landscape of experimentation: slender vertical structures, floating volumes and shifting heights evoke an intelligent urban environment, the material expression of a place that continually tests and reimagines possible futures.

Throughout the showcase, each work is presented as an active proposition, presenting Singapore as a dynamic nation. Look out for interactive installations, sensorial explorations, and thought-provoking objects that stir and invite reflection.

Plan your visit to Milan Design Week 2026, and journey with us to 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗼𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱.

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗼𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱
Exhibition: 21 – 26 Apr 2026, 10am – 7pm (CEST)
Singapore Night: 22 Apr 2026, 7pm – 11pm (CEST)
Panel Talks: 21 – 22 Apr 2026
Foro Buonaparte 54, Brera Design District
Free admission
Visit bit.ly/dsgprototypeisland to learn more.

Photos by Mark Cocksedge

–

𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘦 𝘐𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 is a showcase presented by the DesignSingapore Council, curated by Hunn Wai and Eian Siew. Open from 21 – 26 April 2026 during Milan Design Week, the showcase unfolds across three themes to holistically examine what it means for a country to treat itself as a living prototype.

There’s no shortage of Singapore designers at Milan Design Week 2026, who are presenting new works that continue to push material and formal boundaries. Don’t miss the chance to experience them across the city.

🇸🇬 𝘚𝘰𝘧𝘵 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘚𝘰𝘧𝘢 for ClassiCon by Gabriel Tan

A modular, asymmetrically assembled sofa system inspired by the stone terraces of Parque da Cidade in Porto, and the sculptural ambivalence of Isamu Noguchi’s work.

21 – 26 April 2026
Salone del Mobile 2026
Hall 22 Stand B06

🇸🇬 𝘚𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘺 𝘝𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 by Bryce Lim

A series of stone-like vessels that subvert perceptions of polyurethane foam, appearing monolithic yet remaining unexpectedly soft to the touch.

21 – 26 April 2026
SaloneSatellite 2026
Pavilion 7, Booth D15

🇸🇬 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 by Macarius Eng

A pop-up where visitors can press their own gelato spoon using a custom-built machine to reclaim a process typically reserved for inaccessible contexts.

20 – 26 April 2026
Alcova Milano, Baggio Military Hospital
Tempio A13

Explore Singapore’s creativity beyond 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗼𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 and don’t forget to check out the exhibition curated by Hunn Wai and Eian Siew too!

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗼𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱
Exhibition: 21 – 26 Apr 2026, 10am – 7pm (CEST)
Singapore Night: 22 Apr 2026, 7pm – 11pm (CEST)
Panel Talks: 21 – 22 Apr 2026
Foro Buonaparte 54, Brera Design District
Free admission

Visit bit.ly/dsgprototypeisland to learn more.

Images courtesy of Ines Silva Sa, and Bryce Lim and Mila Komor.

–

𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘦 𝘐𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 is a showcase presented by the DesignSingapore Council, curated by Hunn Wai and Eian Siew. Open from 21 – 26 April 2026 during Milan Design Week, the showcase unfolds across three themes to holistically examine what it means for a country to treat itself as a living prototype.