15/06/2026
What does it really mean to lead in the design industry today?
Not just creatively, commercially or strategically, but also humanly. To create meaningful work, sustainable businesses, healthy cultures, and genuine relationships all at once.
Friday evening’s conversations hosted by DBCS with the support of DesignSingapore Council were a thoughtful reminder that there are no perfect formulas for this. Just many people trying their best to navigate the tensions between creativity, business, technology, ambition, care, and sustainability.
Some of the questions that came up:
• In an AI age, should creatives become specialists or generalists?
• How do we pursue meaningful creative quality while building commercially sustainable businesses?
• How do we continue attracting, nurturing, and retaining good people in the creative industries?
No easy answers, but tonnes of honest and generous sharings.
One thing I reflected on during the session was that leadership in design is ultimately about people. Over the years at OuterEdit, we’ve learnt that culture is never something you simply build once and leave alone. It needs to be continuously nurtured, protected, repaired, and cared for. Some of our most meaningful work has also come from listening deeply to people and communities, and creating spaces where stories, identities, and relationships can come alive in fresh, relevant and unexpected ways.
We’ve definitely had moments where we pushed too hard creatively and learned difficult lessons about burnout, sustainability, boundaries, and balance. But over time, we’ve also learnt that meaningful work becomes much more possible when you find collaborators, clients, and teammates who genuinely believe in the same spirit and values together.
Huge thank you once again to DBCS, DSG, all the esteemed speakers Simon Ong Kingsmen - The Experience Company Adhiraj Mahajan PRISM+ Stacy Yellow Octopus and guests for such an open and energising evening of conversation. And congratulations once again to the inaugural graduating class of the Future Leaders Fellowship. It was genuinely heartening to see a new generation of thoughtful and empathetic design-led leaders stepping forward ✨