Should every country have a design minister? | by Darren Yeo | Aug, 2025

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Why national design policies and even design ministers could reshape our collective future

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Walking into Dear Designer

It was a little surreal to see throngs of familiar faces streaming into the convention hall. After picking up a digital yellow invitation, titled ‘Dear Designer’, I expected to see a small yet intimate session of a few designers in a focus group. To my amazement, I saw a sea of tables and chairs across the hall, with the chairs surely filling up with architects, educators, designers and creative people of various industries.

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This wasn’t your run-of-the-mill event. Dear Designer was an attempt to capture the voices of designers to co-develop the Design Master Plan 2035. Through emerging themes surfaced through past engagements, the event connected fellow practitioners and advocates to help shape strategies that reflect the hopes and needs of the design community of Singapore. A total of approximately 600 designers attended to speak up, making the session a resounding success.

Why national design matters