The Asia Student Package Design Competition (ASPaC) is an international competition platform aimed at fostering talented young designers of Asia and better preparing them for careers in the global design industry of the future. This cultural exchange project was the joint effort between Japan Foundation, ASPaC Association and Japan Package Design Association (JPDA), in collaboration with Malaysia Design Council (MRM). The theme for this year was “Inspire”, and the Malaysian leg of the competition received more than 70 entries from all over the nation.
Putra Prasetya Mandala, recipient of the ASPaC 2019 Honourable Award, with his medal and certificate.
Having swept 14 Merit Award wins out of the total 20 were students from The One Academy’s School of Advertising & Graphic Design. They are Putra Prasetya Mandala, Woon Jia Yee, Caren Koh Chee Ying, Chia Jing Tong, Lee Ha Jin, Lee Jia Yi, Lieow Yong Qi, Loo Lian Zhou, Nikki Wong Qi Mei, Ng Pei Yee, Ng Wan Rou, Shokhida Rasulova, Tan Shang Jie and Yong Wen Jie. Furthermore, Woon Jia Yee and Chia Jing Tong were among the lucky ones who had their outstanding artworks selected to be featured in the exhibition in Japan; while Putra Mandala emerged as one of the Top 3 winners who represented Malaysia in the final round held in Tokyo, Japan.
The three winners from each participating country – Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, China and more, were invited to the ASPaC Awards Ceremony with all travel expenses covered. Putra Prasetya Mandala was awarded the Honourable Award for his winning design, Starbucks Via (AM to PM Productivity Kit), which is a coffee-making kit for people on the go, with one blend for the morning and one for the evening. He took home a medal, certificate and also cash prize.
During the ASPaC Week after the awards ceremony, all the prizewinning students participated in an exhibition of their designs at the exhibition space. They also partook in company trainings, workshops and more that helped them learn more about packaging design, other countries’ cultures and sparked deeper friendships between each other. Some of the activities included a visit to Good Design Marunouchi, a venue for events, exhibitions and workshops on design-related themes, as well as a visit to Dai Nippon Printing, a Japanese printing company established over 143 years ago.
“The continual assistance from my lecturer helped to refine my work, as well as the experience of learning how to operate the machines used to fabricate my packaging helped significantly in this competition,” said Mandala.
“Don’t be afraid to explore your options, even if it doesn’t get used at the end of the day. A lot of design work is really about learning from your missteps,” he said in advice to future competition hopefuls. “In regards to future participant’s submission, simple is the way to go. They (the judges) want to see the core message delivered in an easy to understand way with an impactful meaning. If you see the aesthetics of Japanese design, they are first and foremost function over form,” he elaborated.
Merit winner Woon Jia Yee said “it’s good for my portfolio because I am graduating soon, so I will be including my project in there. I would also like to go to Japan to further my studies, so this competition is really beneficial to me,” when asked about how joining ASPaC 2019 has benefitted her.
“Participating in ASPaC is a great opportunity for students to learn something new, and even stand a chance to visit other countries and learn from others. Furthermore, it adds as a good industry recognition for them,” said Deanie Cham, Senior Advertising & Graphic Design Lecturer at The One Academy.
The One Academy is committed to providing the best art education programmes and continues to nurture its students passionately through its “Masters Train Masters” coaching philosophy, which has been practised for the past 28 years, by providing diploma and degree courses namely Advertising & Graphic Design, Digital Animation, Digital Media Design, Film Visual Effects, Interior Architecture & Design, Illustration, Fine Arts and Paris Fashion Design & Pattern Making. For more information on The One Academy, visit www.toa.edu.my or call +603-7875 5510 or e-mail your enquiries to [email protected].
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