Design council will help S'pore firms create iconic brands

HELPING Singapore companies design iconic brands is emerging as one of the key targets of the DesignSingapore Council.

The council is drawing up a fresh five-year plan to get them to compete with the best in the world.

It wants local companies such as audio technology firm Creative Technology and massage chair maker OSIM International to use breakthrough design to make a big impact on the global scene.

The four-year-old council, which is the lead national agency for design, says it has laid the groundwork for its goals in the first five-year plan that ends at the end of next year.

The first five years were spent developing an understanding of the creative scene in Singapore and abroad, says the council's executive director, Dr Milton Tan.

He says the council will focus on outcomes in the next five-year period - from 2009 to 2014.

'We are targeting specific outcomes where design will be the key driver for innovation and turning brands into icons,' he says.

'Our aim is to help local brands such as Creative and OSIM design iconic experiences for their customers.'

The council has laid out three programmes to give Singapore firms a boost when it come to competing with the Apples of the world.

Firstly, it will organise seminars in collaboration with associations such as the Pasadena Art Centre in the United States to enable companies to see how design can impact their bottom line.

The council will also set up workshops with design consultants to help firms with design development.

Last year, it tied up with renowned Japanese product designer Toshiyuki Kita to help local firms Aspial-Lee Hwa Jewellery and Enzer Electronics on product designs. Some of the finished products were displayed at trade fairs overseas.

Finally, DesignSingapore will also offer an Overseas Partnership Promotion Programme that allows small and medium-sized enterprises to showcase their products at international trade fairs such as the Milan Fair in Italy.

OSIM head of branding and strategic marketing Alan Tan said that any assistance DesignSingapore could provide would be appreciated.

He said: 'Any form of assistance that can be made available to promote better designs by local brands is welcome.

'Two of our products...have won the prestigious Red Dot design award, a testimony to the importance we place on product design.'

Council deputy chairman Tham Khai Meng, who is also co-chairman of Ogilvy & Mather Asia-Pacific, emphasises the importance of design for firms aiming to differentiate themselves on the global stage.

'What we're seeing more and more is that companies and products do not necessarily compete solely on price or quality any more, but on aspects of design.

'Just look at products like Apple's iPod and iBook. Consumers attach almost visceral emotions to brands like these and their products, and that's what makes them so successful.'

Dr Tan says the Republic's profile at major creative events such as the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, held last month, is also on the rise.

'We have been asked to host a 'Singapore Night' next year at the event, which previously was a privilege extended only to traditional powerhouses like India and Japan.

'For a small nation like us to be invited to host our own evening to showcase our work and individual talent, it's a sign that we are definitely punching above our weight.'