Design Education Summit 2025 

Details

The Design Education Summit returns for its fourth edition on 6 November 2025 at The Star Performing Arts Centre! Organised by the DesignSingapore Council (Dsg) as part of its Learning by Design initiative, this one-of-a-kind summit, held every two years, is the only event in Singapore that brings together passionate educators, curious researchers, and creative trailblazers to explore how design can shape a more inclusive, accessible, and sustainable future for learning.

Curated by Dsg’s Learning by Design team and co-curated by Dr Jeffrey Koh, Associate Professor at Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and Head of the Design Factory@SIT, this event explores the theme – The Wonder Lab: Bringing Design Mindsets to Life. It invites participants into an immersive, hands-on experience where design mindsets are not only discussed, but lived.

Participants will be invited to explore questions such as: what are the mindsets our students need for the future? Why do they matter now more than ever? And how can we cultivate these capacities in meaningful, enduring ways? 

More than a conference, it is a vibrant, action-oriented space to reimagine education together with visionary educators, practitioners, entrepreneurs.  

The Wonder Bites 

Playful and hands-on, The Wonder Bites offers a series of bite-sized experiences that bring design mindsets to life as a lead-up to the Design Education Summit. Whether you’re diving into a creative workshop or exploring an immersive showcase, each session is a chance to see how design can spark imagination and reframe the way we teach and learn. Co-created with our vibrant community of partners, these dynamic experiences spotlight diverse perspectives and show how design can enrich education in meaningful ways.

Spots are limited – register for your Wonder Bites experience now before they are snapped up!

1. Positive Futures: Sparking Curiosity with New Possibilities
1 & 2 October | 2.30pm – 4.30pm
Organised by ArtScience Museum

Join a guided visit to an inspiring ArtScience Museum exhibition on positive futuring, followed by a hands-on 3D modelling workshop for educators to explore design, technology, and creative innovation in the classroom.
Register here

2. Yes, You Can! A Design Adventure for Kids
1 & 2 November | 11am – 11.45am, 12pm – 12.45pm, 2pm – 2.45pm, 3pm – 3.45pm, 4pm – 4.45pm

Children become designers for a day in a playful city-building challenge with slime and surprises. It’s a space where creativity meets courage and anything is possible!
Register here
(Available under “Programmes”)

3. Leading Boldly with the Art of Improvisation
7 October | 2pm – 5pm
Organised by Catapult (CapitaLand)

Discover how improvisation can sharpen leadership instincts where you will be challenged to think on your feet, adapt with empathy, and lead with confidence!
Register here

4. Curiosity Unlocked: Gamify the Way You Learn and Lead
7 – 13 October (excluding the weekend) |10.30am – 11.15am, 12.15pm – 1pm, 3pm – 3.45pm
Organised by HIDDEN at Singapore Science Park

Unlock the power of play at HIDDEN’s Gamification Lab, where design mindsets come alive through bite-sized games, bold ideas, and hands-on discovery for the future-ready classroom.
Register here

5. Design with Heart: An Experiential Journey into Empathy and Inclusion
24 October | 2.30pm – 4.30pm
Organised by SG Enable

Experience inclusion in action through a two-part journey of guided exploration and interactive sharing, where design and lived experiences meet to shape more inclusive communities.
Register here

6. Pathways of Persistence: A Leadership Trail Through Time & Change
28 October | 4pm – 6pm
Organised by Catapult (CapitaLand)

Explore how design, place, and leadership intersect in a reflective walking trail through Singapore’s evolving built environment.
Register here

7. Curious Strokes: Sketch Your Way into Leadership
29 October | 2pm – 5pm
Organised by Catapult (CapitaLand)

Discover how simple sketches can unlock deeper insights into leadership, systems, and self in this hands-on, creativity-led workshop. No art skills needed!
Register here

8. Planet Disruptors Escape Room: Build the Courage to Expose the Green Lie
30 October | 2.30pm – 6pm
Organised by Chemistry

Uncover the truth behind bold green claims in this immersive escape room challenge set in 2045 Singapore – where sustainability, leadership, and courage collide.
Register here

9. Don’t give up on Planet Earth! Tenacious Design for Sustainability
4 & 5 November | 10am – 12pm, 2pm – 4pm, 4pm – 6pm
Organised by ipse ipsa ipsum

Explore sustainability as a design mindset in this reflective, hands-on workshop – where values meet action and ideas turn into real-world impact.
Register here

10. The Next Version of Me – Strengthening the Human Edge in the Age of AI
10 October | 6pm – 8.30pm
Organised by Ideactio x School of MetaSkills

Lead with purpose through AI-driven change by strengthening your MetaSkills™ – the human edge that fuels creativity, leadership, and lasting growth.
Register here

Curiously Curated By

Lead Curator: The Learning by Design Team

The Learning by Design Team, led by Tamsin Greulich-Smith, helms the transformative initiative by the DesignSingapore Council dedicated to nurturing the next generation of changemakers. They are passionate about empowering youths with design thinking mindsets, fostering creativity and the ability to navigate and shape the future. By integrating design thinking into education, this team has been cultivating a community of individuals who are not only problem solvers but also proactive contributors to a sustainable and inclusive future.

Co-curator: Jeffrey Koh

Dr Jeffrey Koh is a transdisciplinary experiential designer with a diverse background spanning fashion show design for PRADA, gallery curation for KesselsKramer, and exhibition design with the Office for Metropolitan Architecture. He holds degrees in Monumental Art, Narrative Environments, and a PhD in Integrative Sciences & Engineering. With peer-reviewed publications across disciplines and multiple international patents, Jeffrey has also served in roles such as Peer of the Australia Council for the Arts, Lecturer at UNSW, and Partner at Chemistry. Currently, he is an Advisory Board Member at Chemistry and Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s School of Design, Associate Professor at the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), and Head of the Design Factory@SIT. He is now the Co-curator for the Design Education Summit 2025 by DesignSingapore Council.

Organiser

DesignSingapore Council

The DesignSingapore Council’s (Dsg’s) vision is for Singapore to be an innovation driven economy and a loveable city by design. As the national agency that promotes design, our mission is to develop the design sector, help Singapore use design for innovation and growth, and make life better in this UNESCO Creative City of Design. Dsg is a subsidiary of the Singapore Economic Development Board.

Contact

Email: [email protected]