TAPE by ICAD: Issue 04

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the icad mag

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ADVISOR Sean Lee EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ryan Cheah EDITORS Laura Chen, Sue-Jane Yeo ART DIRECTION & PUBLICATION DESIGN Kevin Chan ILLUSTRATION & VISUAL ELEMENTS Nicole Lian Kim Kim PROOFREADER Rachel Tan, Laura Chen FEATURING Omar Khayam Abdul Samad, Secubit for PPR, William Koong, Khor Jen Yen PROUDLY PRODUCED BY INTI Center of Art & Design (ICAD) SOCIAL MEDIA & PROMOTION Mike Teo FACEBOOK @inticentreofartdesign INSTAGRAM @icadmedianews EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES Ryan Cheah ryansy.cheah@newinti.edu.my, Laura Chen laura. chen@newinti.edu.my, Sue-Jane Yeo suejane.yeo@newinti.edu.my DISCLAIMER The views and opinions expressed or implied in TAPE are those of authors or contributors and do not neccesarily reflect those of ICAD.

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CRAFT changemakers beyond the beautiful

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PLACE seksyen 15 subang jaya

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icad design days 21: diversify design

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THE 5TH COLUMN william koong khor jen yen

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Welcome to Issue 04 of TAPE Magazine!

It has been more than a year since we started our fight against the pandemic. As we gradually acclimatise ourselves with the new normal, it is vital to keep our well-being in check periodically.

According to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, well-being refers to the general health and happiness of a person - be it from an emotional, physical, or psychological perspective. In this issue of TAPE, we explore the various facades of well-being in design and education. The stories we feature in this issue look at how we at ICAD adapt, reminisce, empower, and look ahead as we sought to maintain a healthy and contented state of mind.

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For the PEOPLE column, we had a chat with our faculty member, cikguomar, on his illustrious career as an educator and his experience tailoring teaching methods over the past 2.5 decades.

For PLACE, instead of featuring a local business, we turned to our alumni and asked them about what they have missed about SS15.

The result offers a glimpse into their memories as a student and their unique relationship with the place where they spent their youth. As for CRAFT, we spoke with our BA (Hons) Graphic Design students, who put their design skills to good use by creating a campaign to raise funds for the PPR community.

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ICAD continues to see events taking place online. For HAPPENINGS, we are featuring the INTIChange06 annual fashion showcase and our yearly ICAD Design Days 2021, both successfully held virtually. The former features the works of our final semester students from the Diploma in Fashion Design program, who managed to produce an entire fashion collection during the 2020 lockdown. The latter, with the theme of “Diversify Design”, focuses on encouraging discourse surrounding design for inclusivity and well-being.

editor This issue also sees the debut of the Fifth Column, a new, flexible editorial space dedicated to contents beyond the above core columns. For this issue, we highlight the views and opinions of various design professionals regarding issues and trends on well-being in their respective industries.

We hope you will enjoy reading this issue, and we wish all readers perseverance and determination as we weather these challenging times together.

RYAN CHEAH Editor 5

dean Greetings from ICAD!

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TAPE Issue 04 angles on the value of wellbeing in different practices, which means a lot during this trying and recovering time. I remember very clearly during the Industry Advisory Board last year, Alvin Teoh, the Executive Creative Director of Naga DDB, shared that design for wellbeing is to focus on problem-solving with a human-centred approach.

Together with the theme “Design for Each and All” for International Design Days celebrated by ico-D, ICAD has collaborated with industry partners to encourage inclusivity and wellbeing in the field of each expertise.

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As an individual, we can start to engage stories that will inspire us to practice simple things that are oriented towards inclusivity & wellbeing. Design is a journey and a process; it connects dots to dots, and people to people.

In the course of our practice, we should make a conscious effort to include the different communities in the society who are thirsting for safety, security, comfort, happiness and a sense of belonging, and we should always explore and examine how our problem-solving designs can help us to cater to the needs, create the wants and stay sustainable.

I hope that TAPE Issue 04 can inspire us to create better well-being for people from all walks of life and to recognise the gaps where we can design more inclusively moving forward.

Stay well, stay safe and stay inclusive.

Ang Tong Yin Dean, INTI Center of Art & Design

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the 24/7/365 design educator

Yellow, Untitled.

ople Despite being one of the most experienced educators at ICAD, Omar Khayam Abdul Samad has never stopped to rest on his laurels. TAPE chats with cikguomar (“cikgu” means teacher in the Malay language), as he is affectionately known, about his early career, his teaching experience, and his continuous effort to improve himself and to stay relevant with the changing tides of design education.

TEXT Ryan Cheah IMAGES Omar Khayam

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1983, Malaysian Institute of Art Graduation Show

Early Career After graduating from the Malaysian Institute of Art in 1984, cikguomar worked as the Art Director of Avon Cosmetics for nearly 5 years before setting up his own studio, TandemWorks, with his wife as partner.

“There were lots of job opportunities - the client base was diverse and we got to experiment with different outputs, such as brochures, wayfinding projects, and wearables,” he recalled.

However, the 1994 recession cut back a lot of jobs from his retainers. “We received notices of cutback in their budget, so there were no jobs available for us,” cikguomar said. With freelancing opportunities getting scarce and payments to them being delayed, it was back to job hunting for him. In 1996, cikguomar landed a teaching role at Saito College, thus kick-starting his career as a design educator.

1985, Biggest job - Billboard for theater show, Regent of Kuala Lumpur Hotel

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Affin Bank, New Identity Proposal

KLTV Channel 8 Identity Design

Subang Parade 25th Anniversary Identity

PEOPLE The 24/7/365 Design Educator

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Being an educator “When I started at Saito, teaching was still a very analogue process.

Drawings and illustrations were still done by hand, and many activities were done using cut-and-paste,” reminisced cikguomar.

Towards the late 90s, many art and design schools started going digital, and he was offered to manage the Multimedia department and programs. “I was in charge of overseeing the course structure as well as the lab, which consisted of Apple Macintosh computers, and conducting desktop publishing classes.”

After a decade with Saito, cikguomar was headhunted, and he joined PJ College of Art & Design (PJCAD) in 2007. While his role at Saito was mainly teaching, he took on a wider range of responsibilities at PJCAD besides his main teaching role, such as marketing and promoting courses at education fairs, providing academic counselling, and also coordinating short courses in Digital Graphic Design. In 2013, PJCAD shifted operations to the current INTI Subang campus at SS15 and was rebranded into INTI Center of Art & Design (ICAD), where cikguomar continues to teach.

As a graphic design lecturer, cikguomar’s specialisation is in typography, even though it was not his major during his tertiary education. “It was more of a hard-core interest of mine that I wish to share with students,” he enthused with a grin. He cited Neville Brody, the English graphic designer and typographer, as his biggest influence - since Brody also worked in art direction and transitioned from an analog to a digital medium.

Fieldtrip to The Royal Press Malacca, 2013

cikguomar’s preferred method of teaching typography is by giving students an immersive experience via study trips. “I like to take students out for typography walkabouts. We’d bring students to

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PEOPLE The 24/7/365 Design Educator

Typography Walkabout Downtown, 2016

downtown KL, around the Pasar Seni (Central Market) area, where there are lots of signboards to observe,” he said. “For example, [we see] how the immigrants working along Jalan Silang (now Jalan Tun Tan Siew Sin) brought in their own handwritten styles and applied them to shop and street signs.” cikguomar believes that these kinds of walkabouts would allow his students to understand typographical applications in the real world, as opposed to projects on a computer.

“I also took them on industry visits to The Royal Press in Melaka,” he continued.

The Royal Press is one of the oldest surviving polyglot letterpress museums in the world dedicated to preserving the craft of letterpress printing. “By exposing students to these, they would be able to appreciate the historical part of the craft,” cikguomar added. “Some of the typefaces we use in projects are over a 100 years old, so learning about their history is totally worth it.”

Aside from visits, cikguomar’s classes were also filled with hands-on activities.

Students would be using cardboards and newspaper cuttings to learn how to make their own layout, such as forming grids, columns, and placement of text boxes.

“Even if the subject is for computer graphics, I try to stay away from computers for the first few weeks,” he said, adding that students would find it easier to understand if they tried something with their hands first before going digital.

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PEOPLE The 24/7/365 Design Educator

Recent Years The recent pandemic has brought the biggest disruption to cikguomar’s teaching style. As classes have to be shifted online, he has to find ways to adapt. “It is very challenging because I am not able to see the students physically and gauge their understanding,” he said. The biggest challenge when it comes to teaching online is the heavier preparation needed for each class. “I have to take into consideration the students’ internet access, their software and hardware availability, and many more,” he recalled, “This semester, I have a student from Brazil, and he is about 12 hours behind, so I also have to consider the time zone, too.” cikguomar has also gone to great lengths to set up an ad-hoc DIY workstation at home where he can do live video recordings of his lessons and broadcast it for his class - something he has never done before.

Another disruption, albeit a positive one, in his teaching career is the Internet, which opens up an entirely new world of inspiration to cikguomar. “I find myself following various teaching communities

PEOPLE The 24/7/365 Design Educator

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PEOPLE The 24/7/365 Design Educator

online, such as the American International Graphic Association (AIGA), Graphic Design Association of Malaysia (wREGA), and Adobe for Education,” said cikguomar. He appreciates the numerous resources, references, white papers, and journals available that would allow him to further his understanding in design education and best practices in teaching. “The world is getting smaller because of the internet; there are lots of communities and people tend to share a lot on social media,” he said regarding design knowledge today.

“I’ve also joined a few Clubhouse sessions organised by the local chapters like wREGA”.

The internet also empowers him to improve his craft. So far, he has completed online courses like “UX Research 101” and “Instagram Strategy for Business Growth” from platforms like Udemy, Domestica, and Coursera. “Every day I’m still learning something new,” cikguomar said about his prolific appetite for continuous learning. “With all these resources available, the ball’s in your court what do you do with it?”

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Moving Forward cikguomar observes that one of the biggest challenges to teaching design today is how easy it is for ordinary folks to access and learn design tools, such as Canva, even without a design education. However, he firmly believes that the teaching of design will still be relevant despite these technological disruptions - it is up to design educators like himself to adapt and update the way principles and fundamentals are taught.

For those aspiring to learn design, he offers some words of advice. “Go for it if you have the interest and the passion,” he said, “Be curious, and be resilient”. As for cikguomar himself, does he intend to continue teaching?

“I would like to teach for as long as I can and am needed that is why I call myself the twenty-four-seven three-sixtyfive design educator!”

cikguomar teaches in ICAD’s Diploma in Graphic Design program.

Find out more about the program at https://newinti.edu.my/programme/diplomain-graphic-design/

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kers beyond ul An assignment brief for the general Community Service course in college blossomed into an initiative to help improve the quality of life of the lower-income community of Malaysia.

10 friends from the BA (Hons) in Graphic Design program bring us through their fund-raising journey, their struggles, and aspirations for future collaborations.

TEXT SUE-JANE YEO

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In Malaysia, the B40 category refers to the Bottom 40% of the population who earns a median income of less than RM3000 per month. The majority of the B40 community lives under a governmentfunded housing plan for underprivileged citizens called the “Projek Perumahan Rakyat” (PPR).

The Covid-19 Pandemic has created a huge impact, particularly on the B40 community and those who were already vulnerable and struggling to make ends meet.

10 friends from the BA (Hons) in Graphic Design program decided to make a change during this pandemic.

Secubit PPR is a student initiated fund-raising project which aims to raise awareness and aid the underprivileged community in Malaysia during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic.

From Left: Kevin Tan, Chloe Siew, Sarah Haswani, Joanna Lai, How Gui Teng, Siti Nurkaiyisha, Siti Amira, Tam Xueh Jing, Fara Diyana, and Hanan Nabilah.

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CRAFTS changemakers beyond the beautiful

Through their Community Service course, they came up with a project entitled ‘Secubit PPR’ - a student-initiated fund-raising project aiming to raise awareness to aid the underprivileged community in Malaysia last year. Taking their project to higher grounds, they collaborated with ADYA Empowerment Association. Together with ADYA, they were able to provide financial aid and educated the masses on the social issues faced by the underprivileged living in these areas. They also hoped that the project will recruit more supporters on board this initiative in the future.

“One of the ways we chose to go about this initiative was to use art as a mediator, by creating an online platform for local artists to connect and to sell art that resonates with the objective. As a team of graphic designers, we believe that it was fitting to use art and design as a way to make a difference.”

During the campaign, the team managed to engage over 18 local illustrators and photographers to participate, some of which includes the design students themselves.

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Why did you choose to reach out to only local artists? “We found it more relatable as the campaign is for the local community.

Simultaneously, we were able to promote the art community in Malaysia, so it was a winwin situation.”

By selling beautifully curated artworks as digital wallpapers and art prints, and through the kind support from those who were simply just giving, Secubit PPR managed to go beyond their goal and raised over RM1500 (3 times more than their initial goal).

Phone Wallpaper, Illustration by Fara Diyana.

“We did not expect the passionate response from the audience and the community. With the money raised, we were able to support 10 families from the B40 PPR community” Each family received daily groceries which includes rice, cooking oil, eggs, canned goods and more.

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CRAFTS changemakers beyond the beautiful

Desktop Wallpaper, Photography by Kevin Tan.

Desktop Wallpaper, Illustration by Siti Amira.

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“Brain Dump” by Tam Xueh Jing

What were the challenges you faced during this fundraising project? “One of the main struggles that we faced was having a tight schedule. By the time we really understood the weight of this whole project, we were left with little time to plan it. We also had our own core subjects to focus on, but even so we did not neglect the importance of giving back to the community. However, thanks to competent teammates and clear communication, it was made possible. We worked our way together, step by step. Whenever we had any problems or doubts, we would discuss the best way to come out with a solution and it all turned out just fine.”

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“May” by Joanna Lai

What was the one takeaway from Secubit PPR? “Every year, students will receive the same brief – either to raise funds or to give back to the community in one way or another.

To be honest, we have always been viewing general subjects like these as our least important subjects. But as graphic designers, we decided to use our knowledge and practices to elevate the PPR community. By utilizing technology and social media, we were able to connect with the community around us to create a social awareness. Through this experience, we realize that there is beauty and synergy when creative makers come together. One of the key things we learnt was to develop good communication skills. Not only did we need to cooperate with each other, but we also had to convince the artists and community to be onboard with our plans.

Without each member’s participation and the support of the amazing artists whom we worked with, this campaign would have not been a success.”

CRAFTS changemakers beyond the beautiful

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Are there any future plans for Secubit PPR? “The experience of working with the team was a good and memorable one. As students, we really did not expect this campaign to blow up and receive such a great response, so if we do have the resources and time, we will definitely consider a sequel to the Secubit PPR campaign.”

“As creatives, we are not only called to make beautiful things, but to be changemakers beyond the beautiful.”

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CRAFTS changemakers beyond the beautiful

Follow the Secubit PPR initiative at: https://www.instagram.com/for.ppr/ Find out more about ICAD’s 3+0 BA (Hons) Graphic Design program here: https://newinti.edu.my/programme/ba-hons-graphicdesign-3-0-sheffield-hallam-uk/

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pl One major factor that influences how students perceive their college experience is their interaction with the physical environment of their campus site. The PLACE column is dedicated to featuring interesting establishments in the SS15 area, where students of ICAD call home throughout their studies. Many continued to hang out in the area even after completing their studies, as SS15 remains a popular locale known for its food, fashion, and various trendy subcultures.

In March 2020, Malaysia entered the first Movement Control Order to curb the spreading of the COVID-19 pandemic. Physical classes were shifted online and deprived many students of an on-site campus experience. Up until today, the situation remained uncertain - even though there were times when the campus reopened, a quick rise in cases would again force the campus to close. Today, more than one year on, there would be a batch of students who have completed their first year of studies entirely online without seeing their classmates and lecturers physically, and not having stepped foot on SS15 before.

In light of this, we turned to ICAD’s alumni and senior students for ideas. Having spent time at SS15 before the MCO, we asked them several questions about their favourite spots and recommendations for the area.

This resulting graphic - created using data collected from nearly 100 responses - offers a retrospection of a bustling student township that many have grown to love.

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TEXT LAURA CHEN

As the pandemic and lockdowns loomed over the year that was 2020, our Diploma in Fashion Design student’s anticipation of having a grand, physical finale show - the annual INTICHANGE graduate fashion show was dampened by the uncertainly of the pandemic. Although having a physical show was not possible, it did little in breaking their spirits to push on and forward to complete their final semester and graduate as aspiring young designers and fashion professionals.

To celebrate their achievements, we have put together a press kit to commemorate the students’ ‘debutante’ into the fashion industry.

Unlike others who graduated before them, this is a cohort projected out of an unexpectedly challenging situation, making them unique in their skills set as they prepare themselves for the industry and economically hard-times ahead.

happe As campus closed, re-opened and closed again throughout the year, students were faced with many obstacles, from having to work within the confinement of their homes, traveling restrictions, acquiring materials and supplies and Wi-Fi disruptions. They learnt quickly that they did not only have to survive the challenging times ahead but to thrive in it.

The nation-wide movement control orders in Malaysia may have slowed many things down but it advanced these students forward in their ability to adapt quickly to unique working and learning situations that are new to them, as their environment changed courses again and again. Along the way, they picked-up new tech and software skills.

They adapted to online-learning where they received feedbacks and support virtually and digitally, created contents for videos to present their works and transformed their hands-on garment-making skills into digital applications. Perhaps the most creditable skill acquired during the lockdown was their ability to find creative solutions to overcome the many barriers of a lockdown, all in the spirit of completing their final major projects.

Without further a-do, we would like to present our top 6 graduates from this cohort in the following pages:

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arina yasmin, womenswear COLLECTION Arcana Papillion Instagram @arinayasmin.work Portfolio behance.net/arinayasmin2704

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How would you describe your collection? The affinity I have with butterflies heavily inspired my work, signifying a variety of meaning in life. During my research, I came to discover the beauty of their exoskeleton. It symbolizes an encapsulation of death and often the remains that represent our truest, barest self. They are our structure in the physical world. Like a butterfly, ‘Arcana Papillon’ Spring/ Summer 2021 displays a young women’s strength and beauty in her youth, as she metamorph into adulthood.

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What was most challenging for you? My first problem was acquisition of the funds needed to purchase materials, as my family faces a financial crisis, especially when I had selected costly materials prior to the pandemic. I had to search for alternatives and calculate my costs carefully. There were also unforeseen circumstances along the way, such as closure of the fabric stores and travel restrictions, limiting face-to-face interactions which slowed the process down.

Having a stable internet connection at home has also been challenging and I had travel outside to find WiFi, which exposed me to risks of contracting the virus. I would say that it has been a difficult journey to complete my project but on the other hand, I attained valuable skills such as critical thinking, fast decision making and time managing skills during the Covid-19 pandemic.

What was most challenging for you?

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lim shim yi, casualwear COLLECTION Convenience Instagram @shimyi_ Portfolio behance.net/shimyilim

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How would you describe your collection? I was first inspired by my father, who works in construction. I looked at the work nature of a heavy equipment technician who is responsible for the repair, maintenance, and testing of mobile heavy equipment and was inspired by the versatility and practicality of the high-visibility clothing. The collection is designed with functionality first in mind, reflected through multi-pockets and compartments in each garment. Details from the original heavy-duty workwear could be found in the features. This collection aspires to bring the convenience (as the name suggests), functionality and practicality that can be worn by both sexes.

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What are your hopes for the future, postgraduation? I have always been interested in handcrafts, particularly in embroidery. I do feel that traditional hand-embroidery is a highly valued and dying skill as technology advances. Also, it has always been categorized as a clothing detail belonging exclusively to feminine womenswear, intricate couture, and evening dresses. I do aspire to change that through starting my own line of clothing one day, providing quality casual garments with my unique and custom handmade embroideries.

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kam hui ying, womenswear COLLECTION Equations Portfolio behance.net/yingkam

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How would you describe your collection? Equations Pre-fall 2021 Ready-To-Wear is a collection inspired by two of the most complex subjects (in my opinion) I learnt in secondary school - Additional Mathematics and Chemistry. Both studies use equations to express and/or to symbolise. To me, the variables or chemical reactions signify ‘uncertainty’ and ‘volatility’, words which I resonated with my teen years in secondary school. The prints are inspired by the way I studied in school, taking down doodles and notes in grid and line papers and exercise books. The styles of the clothing are inspired by the love/hate relationship I have with our national school uniforms, something I believe most of us can relate to the idea of being conformed to wear the uniform while in school but the reminiscence we feel now that we have left school.

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What type of customers did you have in mind for this collection? Ideally young women between the age of 18-25 who has a fun-loving and outgoing personality.

Perhaps a little bit of a geek (or not!) but she is definitely “experimental” and quirky with her personal style. She is bold, quirky, loves being outstanding and unique in a crowd.

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tan yen li, readyto-wear COLLECTION Persephone Instagram @ylt.atelier Portfolio behance.net/koiiiyenli

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How would you describe your collection? This collection was inspired by Persephone, the goddess Queen of The Underworld, wife of the god, Hades and also the goddess of spring growth, who was worshipped in the Eleusinian Mysteries. The collection mirrors her duality as both, a benevolent goddess of Spring as well as the daunting Queen of The Underworld. The colours black and red are representative of a woman’s confidence, sophistication, strength, and courage. A ‘Persephone’ woman is

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an individual who is defined by her boldness and passion, someone who knows what she wants, who seizes every opportunity to get it. However, the Persephone woman’s edge is tempered by gentler virtues and she freely embraces her femininity. Complementing the rich shades of the collection, the pink and beige tones embody the compassion and empathy of the spring goddess. Her sensitivity, openness, and kindness show that a strong woman is multifaceted and does not have to only possess masculine qualities to be respected.

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How was distance-learning for you? The major problem that I faced during my final semester was getting my materials for my collection. Travelling was restricted during the lockdown and I had to resort to buying everything online. Because of this, I also had to plan far ahead. I was struggling quite badly, both on my fashion collection and my mental health. Luckily, I had my lecturer’s reassurances and mutual support from my classmates. What I found surprising was that Blackboard (the learning management system used by the college) is more tech-forward and convenient than I thought. We never had the chance to use Blackboard for class calls previously. Overall, it was an interesting final semester. It was not what I expected it to be, but it is an unforgettable one, for better or for worse.

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siti zubaidah, menswear COLLECTION Endurance Instagram @justmyartonly Portfolio artsthread.com/profile/siti-zubaidah-norkhamar

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How was distance-learning for you? ENDURANCE is a menswear collection that is inspired by cactus plant. Cactus is a symbol of endurance and resilient as it is a plant that can survive even when it seems impossible. Literally, this collection reflects myself and my journey as a fashion student.

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In respect of the garments for this collection, which is inspired by cactus plant, I chose to emphasize on fabric manipulation of the texture and colours. Endurance collection is to tell story of to keep being story even in a difficult situation.

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What do you think the future holds for the fashion industry? In my opinion, the industry was already moving towards transforming themselves digitally before the pandemic.

However, it will be much more competitive than before, as the pandemic has advanced digital marketing years ahead of expectation prior to this. There will positive and negative outcomes to the new ways that consumers buy fashion, especially during this pandemic.

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adriana anuar, ready-to-wear COLLECTION Endurance Instagram @adana.kl Portfolio behance.net/adrianaanuar

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How would you describe your collection? I was first inspired by a building in Morocco called Ben Youssef. As I delved deeper into my research, I found that Morocco is a city intertwined between its historical cultures and values, as well an evident desire to be modernized and westernized. In my observation of the city, I found it interesting to see how both, tradition and modernity clashes and co-exists. I wanted to portray that through ‘Moussaka’. I drew inspirations

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for the prints directly from the Islamic mosaic patterns observed on the building, which is the highlight of the collection, while the silhouettes are inspired by both, the structure of Ben Youssef and the way young, fashionable Moroccan women are dressing. It is a Ready-To-Wear collection targeted among empowering, career-driven women aged between 25-35 who loves modest and effortless styles and someone who enjoys embracing tradition with a modern twist.

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What are your hopes for the future, after graduation? I am currently working on my startup brand; it is called Adana. It is up and running since the beginning of the year, catering minimal and effortless styles to Malaysian women.

Adana aspires to be more than just a clothing brand; it aims to empower women through modest clothing. I do believe that through my time at ICAD, I have been instilled with a great foundation and knowledge to pursue my desire of being a successful fashion entrepreneur.

Find out more about ICAD’s 3+0 BA (Hons) Fashion Management and Communication program here: https://newinti.edu.my/programme/ba-hons-in-fashion-management-andcommunication-30-in-collaborationwith-sheffield-hallam-university-uk/ and ICAD’s Diploma in Fashion Design program here: https://newinti.edu.my/programme/ diploma-in-fashion-design/ HAPPENINGS inti change 06

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icad design days 2021:

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5 - 7 MAY

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presented by

ICAD Design Days is an annual celebration held by INTI Center of Art & Design (ICAD) in conjunction with ICoD’s International Design Day (IDD), (previously known as World Design Day) as well as IFI World Interiors Day 2021.

Alongside this year’s ICoD IDD theme of “Design for Each and All” as well as IFI WID’s “Design as a Global Conversation”, ICAD Design Days 2021 is organised in parallel with the aims to encourage and catalyse discourse surrounding designing for inclusivity and wellbeing.

Running from 5th to 7th May 2021, events such as talks and an online exhibition relating to intersections of design with inclusivity and wellbeing are held, engaging with topics such as mental and physical health, marginalised communities, and migrant & refugee rights.

Through the engagement with designers, artists, students and educators, these conversations hope to spotlight their practice and conscious work in promoting inclusivity and wellbeing in our communities through design. The online exhibition showcases students’ projects relevant to the theme done throughout the past year, with a majority of them produced during a national lockdown — a challenging yet sobering period which accelerated deep reflection on our role as designers from a humanistic viewpoint, not only within the current pandemic but also towards the future.

Along these lines, ICAD Design Days 2021 hope to not only celebrate what has been done, but more importantly to inspire and identify gaps where we can better wellbeing through designing inclusively moving forward.

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Design to Empower by Maxine Choo Maxine’s inspiring story and reflections as a designer and educator at Dignity, sharing with us the amazing work that the organisation is doing and her role within it.

As a graphic designer at Dignity, she also developed a Graphic Design program that empowered over 70 underprivileged children and refugees so far with design skills that opened doors and exposed them working opportunities such as internships in the industry.

Swipe to the last frame to hear her comments on how she approaches designing a programme which had to be diversified to cater for children of different backgrounds, levels of exposure and maturity.

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Creatives for the Community by Secubit for PPR Our first day yesterday came to a close with INTI Center of Art & Design’s graphic design students behind the fundraising campaign Secubit for PPR, who saw an MPU subject (Mata Pelajaran Umum, or General Studies) as an opportunity to do good through art for the B40 community.

Motivated by their motto “Art does not only ask questions, but solves them too”, they connected and collaborated with mutliple parties such as the social enterprise ADYA Empowerment Association (@adyaorg) and local Malaysian artists to raise funds for the benefit of those in need, especially during the pandemic. Amazingly, they smashed their own goal by tripling the initial target of fund raised!

For those who are interested to contribute, you can reach out to them @for.ppr !

Thank you Secubit team members for the inspiration Kevin Tan, Chloe Siew, Sarah Haswani, Joanna Lai, How Gui Teng, Kaiyisha Shabirin, Siti Amira, Tam Xueh Jing, Fara Diyana & Hanan Nabilah !

HAPPENINGS icad design days 2021

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day #2

On the second day of IDD2021, we had the honour of having Prof. Dr. Mohammad Hariri Abdullah as our guest for a sharing session with us on “Human Experiences and Good Design”.

Throughout the session, we were exposed to the important values of humans and its relationship to design.

As a designer and academician specialising in industrial design, he also spoke of his insights on redefining human experiences by designing not only for humans, but also animals and plants!

Thank you for the insightful sharing session Dr. Hariri!

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day #3 Our ICAD Design Days 2021: Diversify Design closed with a lecture by Matt Edgar, Principal Lecturer for Visual Communication at our partner university Sheffield Hallam!

Entitled “Finding Common Ground”, Matt’s lecture navigated between themes of division, inclusion and exclusion. A journey through books, graphic novels, films and history, the lecture reflected on these themes at different scales — an approach of moving out of oneself and within oneself, in hopes of finding common ground.

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william koong

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I am an upcycling and waste art expert, proficient in a range of materials from metal to discarded plastic waste. I am currently working at Me.reka Makerspace as a Co-Director.

I always try to use both conventional and unconventional methods in untying the knots of our designs and builds, and I strongly believe that where there’s a will, there’s a way!

My work encompasses design thinking in every step my team and I take, and I always practice this approach when conducting training for our learners.

the fif How would you define “wellbeing”? In my definition, wellbeing is the state of mind in which one balances between the need of being part of the society and the need of one’s inner self. Similarly, it is applied within human-centered design-.One must first be in a good state of mental & physical wellbeing in order to reach objectivity and empathy. Humanity is at its most sensitive state right now, where empathy is the crucial first step for almost every idea/ creation/narrative to be viable.

How has the pandemic affected product & service design? The pandemic has given a huge push towards digital product and service design. For example, while we still need physical food to survive, our food is first purchased in a digital form through an app, and later, its physical form will be delivered to us. I guess what I’m trying to say is that the idea of digital product and service design is not confined by shape, mass, size, or even dimension; rather, it is confined within the UI/UX of the creator. Where new designers today are born into the creative virtual industry, older designers are already on a huge migration towards it.

How has the pandemic affected product & service design? The pandemic has become a catalyst for getting the larger population onboard the digital world. The global collective digital intelligence has risen in tremendous rate ever since; thus, digital products (apps, in-game objects, NFT art, Bitcoin, web portals, content, etc.) have increasingly gained the general consumers’ trust, resulting in more purchases or subscriptions. Aside from the emergence of new product categories such as face shields and other pandemic devices, I believe “virtual product” is actually still at its infancy, and there’s definitely a new world of possibilities there.

What trends do you foresee happening in the future? Simplicity will be on a comeback in the future. In terms of UI/UX, there will be fewer steps, and instead of user friendliness, it will be user predictability. AI and Machine Learning will be the core incorporation within any field of product & service design.

There may also be a huge revolution in digital 3D design products which would be sold as working files, as one day, 3D printers and home-base creation tech may be as common as a printer at home. Who knows ;-) 77

khor jen yen UI/UX product designer based in Malaysia who sees design as a powerful tool for innovation and improvement of everyday life, treats product design as a great and fun challenge, and always looks forward to working on interesting projects.

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the fi How would you define “wellbeing”? A state of being happy and healthy, having work life balance and having a good balance of stress at work.

What trends do you foresee happening in the future? As we still can’t see when the pandemic will end, I foresee that more companies will adapt to remote working.

People eventually will need to get used to the remote setup. Following this, more tools and apps will be created for remote work collaboration purposes. We will have more choices of tools and the app scene will be very competitive.

What are the changes/disruptions you observed? One of the significant changes is the working environment. Companies are going remote or partially remote. I am lucky that the transition is easy for me as my recent company has been adapting to a partial remote working environment already even before the pandemic. It is a short adaptation period for us.

Remote work has impacted how collaboration takes place. It has taken away the precious face-to-face collaboration moments with fellow teammates. Fortunately, the online collaboration UX tools available on the market are quite good, and they allow us to get our work done. It makes remote

How has the pandemic affected your field/domain, i.e. UI/UX? With more people staying at home during the pandemic, the UI/ UX field has witnessed some major shifts.

People are converting their businesses to online which leads to a surge in demand for apps and websites in the technology field.

This surge has increased the demand for more user-friendly & improved UX design, and gradually increased the demand for talented UI/UX designers or more widely known as product designers. Overall, what I can say is that the UI/UX field is getting more competitive due to the pandemic.

collaboration as easy and as effective as face-to-face collaboration. Personally, I enjoy working remotely as I can focus on my work better and not get distracted by people and scenes in the office. However, for some people with family, remote work means more juggling between working and taking care of kids. It can be challenging, especially if you have young kids.

Remote work also creates some challenges for UX research. As shadowing or field study work cannot be carried out, research methods will need to be adjusted. Budget is cut since companies would want to go lean; hence, the research method will also need to be lean.

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