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1. What talents must I have?
2. What must I have to be a designer?
3. What characteristics would inhibit my full potential as a designer?
4. What skills is the industry looking for?
5. Does SDN develop the skills that industry is looking for?
6. What is the difference between the three design courses?
7. How do I get into SDN?
8. What is the cut-off point for application into SDN?
9. Can I use my CCA points for application into SDN?
10. I want to join SDN; how do I increase my chances to enter the course?
11. Are the SDN courses tough?
12. How hard do I have to work in SDN?
13. What's the pay for the graduates?
14. What jobs do SDN graduates have now?
15. Is it necessary for me to have career counselling?
16. I am a foreigner. Can I apply for SDN? What are the fees like?
17. Where do your lecturing staff come from?
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1. What talents must I have?
If you have some of the following, you have a natural advantage:
>> handicraft skills, to make models and prototypes,
>> ability to sense relative complex spatial relationships of
objects,
>> ability to see relative complex solutions 'in your mind's
eye',
>> good sense for patterns, shapes, colours and details,
>> passion/interest for observing, monitoring and
forecasting fashion or trends,
>> active, open, curious and inquiring mind, and
>> most importantly, a genuine concern for people and
places.
Talents aside, SDN provides you with all the necessary training to be a designer with a carefully planned curriculum founded on a well established design tradition and our affiliation with universities and industry.
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2. What must I have to be a designer?
To be a designer, you will need to have the following soft skills:
>> a passion and an unwavering belief in touching people's
lives,
>> resilience to accept ambiguity as part of design work,
>> willingness to accept feedback in the spirit of continuous
improvement,
>> eloquence to communicate and express your thoughts
and ideas, and
>> humility to work with people from all walks of life.
Through our studio programmes, we will also impart the soft skills to you, so that you are prepared for the reality and expectations of the design industry.
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3. What characteristics would inhibit my full potential as a designer?
>> Full or partial colour-blindness
>> Full loss of vision in one eye
>> Partial loss of vision in any eye
However, we have had students who have achieved personal victories in their chosen field of study despite the physical limitations.
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4. What skills is the industry looking for?
Every company has different needs when recruiting design staff. While the industry expects designers from Polytechnics to have excellent technical competencies; increasingly, they look for:
>> good design thinking,
>> innovativeness and creativity,
>> good attitude and positive outlook,
>> hardworking and willingness to try out new ideas, and
>> the ability to continuously pick up new knowledge on-the-
job.
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5. Does SDN develop the skills that industry is looking for?
It has always been SDN's approach to work directly with the creative industry in order to formulate a compatible curriculum for our students.
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6. What is the difference between the three design courses?
SDN adopts the full definition of design by the Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts (MICA). The Diploma in Industrial Design focuses on 'object-making', the Diploma in Space & Interior Design focuses on 'space-making' and the Diploma in Visual Communication focuses on 'image-making'.
Having said that, a successful designer can choose to specialise in a chosen area or work on diverse design projects across disciplines.
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7. How do I get into SDN?
You may get into SDN through one of the following:
Joint Admissions Exercise (JAE)
JAE is for fresh (first-time) 'O' level students. The aggregate of five 'O' level subjects (EL1, Maths, Science and two other subjects) is matched against the cut-off point stipulated by MOE for that year. All who qualify will be offered a place in the course.
Joint Polytechnics Special Admissions Exercise (JPSAE)
JPSAE considers fresh (first-time) 'O' level students who have special aptitude and talents, based on our own, independent criteria. Such criteria may include students who demonstrate a strong passion and/or aptitude either through work attachments, sustained involvement in course-related areas, and outstanding performance in projects or competitions as well as students with outstanding talent/achievements in leadership, community service, entrepreneurship, sports, artistic and creative areas.
Direct Admissions Exercise (DAE)
DAE provides an avenue for candidates who are able to demonstrate a strong inclination for creativity and innovation, design thinking and drawing skills via rigorous portfolio review process. Candidates who may not meet this years' cut-off point, or those with previous years' 'O' level results, or a qualification similar or equivalent to the GCE 'O' level certification are encouraged to apply online.
For detailed entry requirements, please click here.
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8. What is the cut-off point to get into an SDN course?
The cut-off point changes year to year and is only announced by MOE after the JAE is closed. If you need advice, please come and visit us during the Polytechnic's Open House and JAE for career counseling. Again, we emphasise the importance for the potential candidate to have a strong passion for object, space and image design.
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9. Can I use my CCA points for application into SDN?
For SDN, you cannot make use of your CCA points for enrolment.
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10. I want to join SDN, how do I increase my chances to enter the course?
A consistently good collection of design works in your personal portfolio showing experimental, conceptual and detailed sketches, drawings and renderings with verification in the form of models and/or prototypes to showcase your talent is definitely a must when applying through SAE.
For a fair assessment of your talents, bring your work with your preliminary or 'O' level results during the Open House and JAE/SAE to talk to our staff. They will be able to advise on the best approach to apply for the course.
For your portfolio, bring original works only. Examples include human figure drawings, still life, outdoor sketches or paintings, original illustrations, original and experimental photography, idea sketch book, and design journals, documentations, etc.
One thing to avoid is to bring illustrations (manga) or photographs (especially of celebrities) that you have copied or traced. Put some thought into how you would present your work to show your art and/or design competencies and how it is relevant to your desire course.
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11. Are the SDN courses tough?
Yes, there is no denying that our design courses are somewhat tough in that they force you to be creative and pragmatic at the same time. However, our teaching staff are professionals with many years of industry experience and they will guide you through your projects systematically. We know exactly what it takes and how best to pace and to develop our students to become competent designers.
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12. How hard do I have to work in SDN?
You would have to work hard in any course, not just at SDN. If you wish to excel and go beyond just getting a job later on; you would have to put in effort. Setting for yourself the right priorities, and the time and resource management are important considerations.
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13. What's the pay for the graduates?
The remuneration is tied in with your technical competence, how you positioned yourself and how well your portfolio is prepared to impress. The potential is there and it is entirely yours to earn it. That said, our SDN graduates are amongst the highest earners in the creative industry.
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14. What jobs do SDN graduates have now?
Many of our graduates are working in professional design studios or design manufacturing companies specialising in industrial and consumer product design, graphic design and packaging design. Some have set up and are running their own design consultancies.
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15. Is it necessary for me to have a career counselling?
If you still have questions or have a unique situation, you may write to us or approach us for counselling. Everyone has different talents and may do well in different subjects. To get a fair assessment of your talents, a face-to-face discussion and a review of your portfolio will give us a good idea of whether a design course is suitable for you and whether it will offer you a career that you want.
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16. I am a foreigner. Can I apply for SDN? What are the fees like?
For more information, please click here.
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17. Where do your lecturing staff come from?
We hire our design lecturers and managers both locally and internationally. Many are practising designers in award-winning multi-national corporations, and design entrepreneurs with proven experience plus a passion for teaching.
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Last updated on 09 June 10 by Garry Tan and Siti Zahara
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