In August 1965, Singapore left the Malaysia Federation against its will, in a context of total uncertainty. Previously colonized by the United Kingdom, the young nation does not have natural, army resources and has not yet been equipped with a solid economy, which will make it one of the “four Asian dragons” (with South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong). Its gross domestic product (GDP) annual reaching barely $ 400 per capita, the city-state appeared at the time on the list of poor countries. Prime Minister since June 1959 (he remained so until November 1990), Lee Kuan Yew crushed a few tears on national television.
The founder of the modern city-state faces a major challenge. The small archipelago of Southeast Asia then does not measure more than 580 km2housing 1.9 million inhabitants with various cultures and practicing four different languages (English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil). Sixty years later – the candles were blown on August 9, 2025 – the nickname “Little Red Dot” (The “small red point”) became the richest second in the world, in the ranking based on adjusted GDP per capita, just behind Luxembourg. Its high debt rate is in line with the development policy initially implemented by Lee Kuan Yew in the 1960s.
Design is one of the motor elements of this vision. But while in Europe, it is more readily associated with the art of living, it must be understood that Singapore sees it as a multidisciplinary field with deep and lasting repercussions on the interaction between individuals and their environments, which shapes their culture as well as whole society, urban space or economy.
Design, a strategic tool of an emerging nation
Son of Lee Kuan Yew, Lee Hsien Loong held the post of Prime Minister between August 2004 and May 2024. “Singapore is a nation with design, born from designhe recalled in April 2018. Nothing we have today natural or fell from the sky. Someone thought about it, did it … Nothing was left to chance. ”
From 1965, the creation of a national identity, capable of establishing a feeling of belonging common to a split population, imposed itself as a priority subject. The designs of the Singaporean flag, the seal of the state or the currency must symbolize the unity and the prosperity to come. The red of the flag will embody courage and equality, the motifs of the moon and the stars will refer to youth and democracy.
The graphic design will play a key role in the development and implementation of public policies. To build a bridge between the different communities, civic campaigns – inviting the population to politeness, cleanliness, learning English or controlling the birth rate – decline short slogans and marking graphics logos, on highly colored posters or brochures published in four languages.
Education and “Design Thinking”
In the 1970s, Singapore established a compulsory bilingual education system, associated with individualized monitoring and systematic performance evaluation. From the 2000s, the Design Thinking (called “design approach” or “creative conception”, in French) is essential in Singaporean schools. This method of creation and innovation, which combines logical and intuition reflection, implies users to find together creative solutions.
In the eyes of Mark Wee, former director of the National Agency specialized Designsingapore Council, design “Is not only what we see, it is the way we live and think our solutions”. From primary school, Singaporean students are now learning empathy, co -creation and rapid prototyping.
Build and transform
Since 1965, Singapore has gained ground, literally, thanks to extensions on the sea. In 2025, the area of the country reached 734 km2almost as much as Paris and its first crown (for a human density half as much, since the city-state now has around 6 million inhabitants). In the 1960s, the government agency Housing & Development Board has built 400,000 dwellings, relieving 20% of the population in districts of autonomous buildings including schools, markets and green spaces.
During the following decade, the jurong industrial zone project (Jurong Industrial Estate), built on 9,000 hectares “Marshy infested with crocodiles”has succeeded in attracting multinationals, especially in electronics and chemistry. This site has made Singapore a hub for world production. Its port, astonishment electrified in 1878, before that of Marseille, is today in the second position in number of containers and in volume of tonnage, after that of Shanghai (China).
Since 2014, the program Smart Nation made the country a living laboratory of urban technologies (PDF). More than 10,000 sensors collect data, energy and air quality in real time, allowing authorities to optimize the urban network. The Newater Recycle project daily 430,000 m3 water, covering almost 40% of domestic and industrial consumption – a global reference in water management.
Design, agent of “silent resistance”
If Singaporean citizens say they are mainly proud of the success of their country, some deplore some of the corollary effects of the particularly dynamic urbanization policy. This is the case of architecture photographer Darren Soh, who wants the government to benefit from the next sixties for “Help remember the ancient buildings that were where we have rebuilt, since the construction and reconstruction of the city seem to be a constant”. He also entrusts his hope of seeing Singapore “Take more risks for actors in our creative industries”.
A wish shared by the hotel and restorer weekend Weng. Spearhead of the rehabilitation project of the New Bahru commercial and creative complex, he wants to believe that in 2085 “Singapore will have designed a version of itself which dares to be soft, strange and deeply human, with districts and public spaces as generous on the emotional as precise level”. And add: “In a world of uniformity, good design becomes a form of silent resistance that invites us to feel and belong.”
