Students celebrated fantastic creativity at Fantastic 8Belas.3 MIID Dulux Students Saturday.

Some participants excitingly took a group picture with Eric Leong, who is a famous interior designer.

Through vigorous thinking and strong teamwork, Interior Design students from various tertiary institutions around the country had wonderfully overcame a myriad of challenges during the Fantastic 8Belas.3 MIID Dulux Students Saturday.

Coming into the 18th edition, the Interior Design Students Saturday was initiated in 1991 by Malaysian Society of Interior Designers (MSID), one of the predecessors of Malaysian Institute of Interior Design (MIID). Held in Viva Home, the premier lifestyle and home furnishing mall of Kuala Lumpur recently, it’s styled as 8Belas.3 as this was the third event since MSID merged with another professional body, Interior Designers’ Institute of Malaysia (IPDM) to form MIID.

Proudly hosted by School of Interior Architecture & Interior Design, The One Academy for the very first time, the event this year saw Akzo Nobel Paints (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd coming onboard as the co-branding partner.

MIID was delighted that the values espoused by Fantastic 8Belas.3 MIID Dulux Interior Design Students Saturday in striving for students’ excellence, such as nurturing creativity through transformational activities that would motivate healthy competition and trigger new thoughts; and creating an avenue for the development of creativity, innovativeness, competitiveness and leadership skills throught the solving of on-situ scenario, had been openly embrased by the industry.

The event saw overwhelming turnout by students of 15 colleges, namely Alfa International College, Erican College, INTI Centre of Art and Design (ICAD), KBU International College, KDU, Kuala Lumpur Metropolitan University College (KLMU), Limkokwing University of Creative Technology (LUCT), Malaysian Institute of Art (MIA), Saito Institute of Arts, SEGI University, Sunway University, Taylor’s University, The One Academy of Communication Design, UCSI University and Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) (in alphabetical order).

In his welcome speech, Ar. Chris Yap Seng Chye, the President of MIID, stressed that by solving problems together in a limited time span, students from different institutes had much to gain from the sharing of thoughts and exchange of ideas. He also applaused the unwavering support Akzo Nobel (Dulux) as shown by their willingness to be the co-branding partner, who contributed not just financially, but also expertise in the form of advices to participants in completing their works.

Head of School of Interior Design in The One Academy, Dr. Eric Leong  gave  welcome speech

Dr. Eric Leong, Head of the School of Interior Architecture & Interior Design, The One Academy emphasised that the students today would be the creative experts of tomorrow, therefore they were the future of the profession. With over 500 participants from 15 tertiary institutions across the country, Eric was quite certain that this Students Saturday would set the perfect platform for students to acquire professional skills in overcoming challenges along their professional journey.

As a Corporate Partner of MIID and Co-Branding Partner, Dulux is proud to be part of this enriching event that benefits aspiring interior designers from various tertiary institutions. “Aligned with Dulux’s ambition to inspire people to decorate, our collaboration with MIID for the Fantastic 8Belas.3 MIID Dulux Interior Design Students Saturday allows us to communicate the exquisiteness and splendour in interior design to students pursuing a career in the field that is growing in reach and depth. This collaboration highlights an important, trendsetting aspect of the industry and allows for student networking besides providing them with an opportunity to exchange great ideas,” said CW Goh, Managing Director of Akzo Nobel Paints (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.

Goh further commented, “While we are passionate about adding colour to people’s lives, we are also committed towards developing sustainable answers for future generations of interior designers for the crucial roles they play in the development of the industry. Through this partnership with MIID, we hope to provide an avenue for greater level of exposure and to appreciate the benefits and role of interior design in society, as well as attracting future generations to continue this mission.”

Students were working together in creating a unique chair for the Chair Design competition.

8 different competitions were held for the Students Saturday, most were on the spot while for a handful of categories, students were allowed to prepare their artworks beforehand. The competitions included Category A Fantastic Design - Residential, Commercial, Hospitality and Institutions Design, Category B Fantastic Personal Branding - Poster & Commercial Break, Category C Fantastic Surprise - Treasure Hunt, Flash Mob & Performance, Category D Pre-Installation – Chair Design, Table Light Design, Fashion Design & Installation / Sculpture, Category E Fantasticor - Flower Arrangement, Category F Fantastic Shot - Photography, Category G Fantastic Sketch - Students Sketching & Lecturers Sketching, as well as Category H Fantastic Dulux. Every college managed to pick up a few awards in the competitions!

In order to enhance the educational values of Fantastic 8Belas.3 MIID Dulux Interior Design Students Saturday, the organiser has engaged with professionals from various design backgrounds in sharing ideas and input with the participants during the competitions. Besides, the panel of judges was also comprised of architects, professional photographers and other prominent industry players, not just interior designers.

Students charmed their fellow participants by dressing up in fancy apparels to compete for the top prizes in the Fashion Design competition.

For over 20 years, The One Academy had been committed to its pivotal mission in providing top-notch creative education and nurturing future creative pioneers towards world class achievement. With the fast expansion of cutting-edge creative industry, The One Academy is keen to recognize young talents and sharpen their creative skills through industry-driven syllabus, as envisaged by our Masters Train Masters educational philosophy. As such, hosting the Fantastic 8Belas.3 MIID Dulux Interior Design Students Saturday suits the educational goals of The One Academy profoundly.

It is MIID's aim to encourage and support good design and competence through continuing professional development, and MIID Dulux Interior Design Students Saturday was one of such intiative. By hosting such a wonderful event successfully, it is hoped that our creative aspirants nationwide are now one step closer to the noble aims.

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