Need to invest more in design culture
WHILE Malaysia‘s industrial design capabilities are progressing steadily on par with its international counterparts, there needs to be an increase in public recognition and acceptance of local brands and capabilities, particularly among manufacturers.
This is essential to move the industry from an original equipment manufacturing (OEM) phase to original design manufacturing (ODM) and consequently to original brand manufacturing (OBM).
“Manufacturers have to be willing to invest in the design process. There must be a design culture that everybody in the organisation can appreciate. When the management can value the importance of design, then the organisation will be able to move forward,“said Malaysia Design Council (MDC) general manager Associate Professor Dr Mohamad Hariri Abdullah.
“We need to push the industry to move towards OBM... from a copying ethic to a creating ethic.“
To ensure people are truly able to grasp the importance of design, MDC aims to foster better linkages with industry, academia, government agencies and the public. This will hopefully pave the way for the industry to see the significance of investing in and moving towards commercial products. This is where SIRIM plays an integral part as well.
“In addition to acting as the secretariat of MDC, SIRIM is also essential in linking MDC with industry, helping us get our name out to industry players,“said Mohamad Hariri.
One way for MDC to move forward in enhancing the country‘s design capabilities is with the development of a design roadmap that will become a guideline for everybody involved in design-related activities.
The goal of this roadmap is to assist the industry to have a successful future. This requires the equal involvement of various parties, including support from other government agencies and higher institutions that nurture future designers and administrators as well as public participation to enable the monitoring of local design acceptance by consumers.
MDC‘s efforts to increase awareness within the industry of the importance of design in attracting customers include various programmes such as design conferences, workshops, industrial linkages and project collaborations. The increasing willingness of organisations to move from OEM to ODM is evidence of the effectiveness of these programmes.
Therefore, the council is also setting its sights on establishing a design centre that will become a reference point for any issues related to design. There, people will not only be able to find out more about designs, but also connect with others. The centre will be an ideal platform to cultivate young talents towards boosting the country‘s economy in the future through designing work.
“If we see the potential for a product to be commercialised, we can provide them with the right resources to hone their innovation and design skills, and build their entrepreneurial skills,“said Mohamad Hariri.
In its efforts to increase awareness and acceptance of the important role that design plays in our daily lives, MDC rolled out the Good Design Mark award as one of MDC‘s signature initiatives. This international award aims to highlight the definition and importance of good design, and how it can be part of an organisation‘s marketing strategy. Another popular award organised by MDC is the Young Designers Award — to encourage Malaysia‘s young talents to hone their passion for design. The award is open to those in the industry aged 35 and below, as well as school children.
Other programmes organised by MDC include design innovation exhibitions, design and innovation skills as well as training sessions, seminars and workshops to educate industry players, particularly those in the management level, on the importance of design.
The council hopes to be able to increase its significance to the country by being more involved in other designrelated areas such as the designing and planning of amenities, housing and even cities.
“I think what is notable is that we are getting our name out there, and together with it, the awareness of the importance of design. This, is a testament of MDC‘s capabilities in shining the spotlight on design and innovation in developing the nation‘s economy,“he added.