Local Interior Design Student Wows at The Asia Young Designer Awards!

The Asia Young Designer Awards is one of Asia’s premier annual awards and part of Nippon Paint’s vision to nurture the next generation of design talents. Since its inception in 2008, it has impacted many talented student designers, giving them various opportunities to engage with key figures in the design industry through personalised coaching, mentoring and more. In AYDA 2020, TOA-ian Lim Joe Yi of the School of Interior Design and Architecture has bagged an Honorary Mention Award for her work ‘City Stories- Art Beyond Sight’. Her keen eye for design has resulted in a truly amazing piece of work.

Asked how she felt upon winning this award, Joe Yi said “I felt overwhelmed and excited for winning the Honorary Mention as this platform is well known for many young designers to compete on and be exposed to more industry knowledge”. She also stated that the award will go down as a meaningful accomplishment in her life.

Joe Yi’s submission was her final year project which she had took over two semesters to complete under the guidance of her lecturers. Recounting her journey, it was a memorable one filled with idea development, research, brainstorming and critique from tutors and peers. She also received coaching from AYDA on how to prepare for the final presentation which was a huge help.

However, Joe Yi’s journey was not all smooth sailing as time constraints were among the biggest challenge faced. “The allocated presentation time was only ten minutes, but with guidance from the judges and numerous practice sessions, I managed to overcome this hurdle”, she stated.

She also expressed gratitude to The One Academy as the design subjects and technical skills she picked up during her time there had helped her progress as well as the useful advice and unwavering support of her lecturers. When asked if she had any words of advice for future participants, Joe Yi said “besides having a creative mind in your design, you must fully understand and research thoroughly on the design idea to be confident with what you have designed which will help a lot in the final presentation”.

Joe Yi’s winning entry ‘City Stories- Art Beyond Sight’ is a multi-sensory exhibition plus community centre that caters to the visually impaired. The lack of accessibility and facilities for them causes a great inconvenience in enjoying installations as most displays are to be visually experiences. Joe Yi’s design project tackles this issue head on by forming an inclusive art, culture and society avenue that helps to visualise the senses. Her concept is applied by integrating various layers, materials, sensation and flow that acts as a guide for the visitors as they move through the space.

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 over three decades, 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].