Studying Abroad: Where Should I Go?

With globalization these days, it is common for parents to send their children abroad for their education. Considering how easy it is to get around and stay in touch with today’s technology, parents are less concerned with sending their children to countries with a more established education system. While the traditional western destinations like the United Kingdoms and the United States remain a popular destination, Asian countries in particular have climbed up the rankings tremendously in the past decade. In fact, 4 out of the top 5 best education systems in the world rank as 1) South Korea 2) Japan and 3) Singapore 4) Hong Kong and 5) Finland with the United Kingdom taking the 6^th spot and the United States hovering outside the top 10 at 14^th spot.

Of course, that is not the only variable when it comes to choosing the ideal location for your child. In this article, we will discuss the pros and cons of the top 3 education systems in the world.

1) South Korea

The country itself is a beautiful place, and the weather there is beautiful as well. For a developed country, it is also relatively cheap to live in, and the country itself is steeped in culture. The only con is the language barrier. Only a minority of Koreans speak English, and most lessons are conducted in their own native tongue. South Korea is known for their advancements in hardware and software technology, citing a strong education in the IT sector as a factor.

2) Japan

Very much like Korea, Japan is a developed nation with beautiful scenery and weather. They are also renowned for their food, and not unlike Korea is steeped in culture. However, they also suffer from the language barrier, and while English is more widespread in Japan than it is in Korea, most foreigners will have to adapt to the Japanese language to be able to survive in Japan. Cost of living is also more expensive than it is in Korea.

3) Singapore

Singapore is the first nation amongst the list where English is the most widespread language in use. Singapore is a mish-mash of different cultures and foods, being a country of immigrants, and while they are a small nation, is as much a developed nation as anyone on this list, if not more so. Boasting the 2^nd lowest crime-rates in the world (behind Switzerland), and many world-class amenities (world’s best airport, world’s best port… the list goes on), and has even been listed as the number 1 spot to visit by the Lonely Planet for the year 2015. With regards to education, Singapore has always been known to produce some of the brightest minds, and of late, the island nation has begun to focus on creative education as well. Those seeking Game Development Courses, or say, a Diploma in Graphic Design will find that there are many world-class institutes offering these programmes as well. Cost of living is reasonable, although housing can be expensive. There is however, a large number of student hostels that are relatively cheaper than the average house.

Well, that’s it for today; but for those who wish to add on to the other countries or have any questions, please feel free to do so in the comment section below. In the meantime, good luck with your search, and take care!

Studying Motion Design and other Creative Technology Disciplines in Singapore

Motion Design in Singapore has certainly gained traction over the years, with a number of industries looking at this particular design discipline as an effective and creative avenue to release its message to the masses across several interactive media vehicles. Whether it is for branding, marketing or advertisement (the savvy amongst you will know the difference), the versatility and simplicity of motion graphic design takes the principles of print media design to the next level.

Of course, Motion Design Degrees and Diplomas are not the most common of disciplines, and thus finding one in Singapore might be a little tough, but fret not! MAGES has come up with not one, but two motion design diplomas catered to an individual’s needs, and graduates would be fit to work in the industry or pursue a motion design degree.

The Unity 3D courses at MAGES have also been a big hit with MAGES having already run several batches. Professional game studios have also sent their staff to MAGES for Unity 3D courses in order to take their staff’s familiarity with the game engine to the next level.

The full-time game design students at MAGES of course, have profited from MAGES’ expertise with the game engine, and are ahead of the curve as per compared to their student peers due to the unity 3d courses and modules that they go through.

For those of you who are still unfamiliar with Unity 3D, it is a game development engine/tool that has a low learning curve (only scripting, no programming knowledge required!) and a low entry barrier (you only pay if you’re making money off of it!). Certainly its accessibility and ease has sped up many a production timelines.

MAGES’ commitment to the development of the Creative Technologies sector means that their core strength is staying relevant to industry practices. This is apparent in the closeness with which they work with their industry partners. Many of MAGES mentors are practising professionals, and for them it is a way to help their students rack up industry experience.

Are you interested in picking up a discipline from a Creative Technology? Check out the many courses on offer in our website. In the meantime, that’s all the time we have for now. Don’t forget to leave your comments below!

Character Game Design & Graphic Design in Singapore

The 10 Aspects of Good Design: Part 2 of 2

My last post talked about the aspects of good design, and mostly covered motion design. Today I wanted to speak about the remaining 5 aspects as well as cover other design disciplines. Character game design, a design discipline often taught in courses like animation, concept art, illustration and game design also takes much from the aspects on discussion here. There are however, aspects on discussion here that would only largely affect design disciplines such as product and interior design.

Minimalistic

A good design makes the most out of as little as possible. Now, I normally avoid using the term, “minimalistic” due to the commercialism of the concept in the past ten decades, but one cannot ignore the clean, simplistic nature of minimalism. Minimalism is the pinnacle of a play on space and form, allowing the essential aspects of the design to shine through, unburdened by any extra frills. It is important that the designer curbs his or her tendency to “over-design”, by adding in extra features for the sake of aesthetics, which might make the overall design look a little cluttered.

Thorough 

Being thorough down to the last detail, not leaving anything to chance and ridding oneself of the habit to put in arbitrary placeholders in one’s design is the mark of a great designer. Remember, it’s all in the details!

Useful

When talking about product design, it is obvious that these products are designed to be bought. Then what about character game design? Or Visual Communications for that matter? I once attended some short courses for graphic design in Singapore and asked my mentor how the aspect of usefulness embodied itself in a non-tangible design like graphic design? A useful design simply means the ability to satisfy function and aesthetics, but one that is able to affect its target markets psychological state. A good design emphasizes the usefulness of a product while leaving out anything else that could possibly detract from it

Unobtrusive 

Now this applies mostly for product design. Animation students and 3D modelers especially should take note that for product design, they are not meant to be decorative objects or art pieces. The design should therefore be both neutral and restrained, to leave room for a user’s self-expression, while at the same time not devoid of a brand identity.

Environmentally-friendly

Now, this one is again one for product designers, so character modelers do take note! The design of a product contributes to the preservation of one’s environment. Conserving resources and minimizing physical and visual pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product.

That’s all the design advice we have for this time, but please do check out the character game design, 3d modelling and graphic design courses in Singapore that we have! Until next time!

A Look at Design & Visual Communications

The 10 Aspects of Good Design: Part 1 of 2

Function, aesthetics, space and form. These are all fundamental ideas that designers have to wrestle with in their daily lives. As a matter of fact, there are 10 aspects of good design that every designer should be looking out for. Today we’ll be discussing five of these aspects. 

1) Aesthetics

We begin our list with the most obvious aspect. Aesthetics might very well be the most surface-level aspect that designers grapple with but while most may relate the term aesthetics to something that is superficial and subjective (beauty is in the eye of the beholder), it remains an integral part of design. An engineer could perhaps create a well-functioning product, but a good designer would take that design and add to its appeal through aesthetics, making its form a lot more appealing to the senses.

2)  Truthful

A good design is truthful and manages to convey to the consumer its intended use and information. A good design does not overpromise. For example, a student from a good Motion Graphic Design Diploma can tell you that a designer’s main job is to be able to communicate a message effectively and concisely through the use of animation and graphics. Of course, this falls mainly for designers who deal in visual communications, but the clarity of a product’s design identity has to stay true to its function in all aspects of design.

3)  Evergreen

It avoids being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated. Unlike fashionable designs that are seasonal, a good design lasts many years—even in today’s throwaway society.

4) Innovative

The possibilities for innovation are not, by any means, exhausted. Technological development is always offering new opportunities for innovative design. But innovative design always develops in tandem with the rapid advancement of technology, and can never be an ends to itself.

5) Understandable

It clarifies the product’s structure, and allows the product to clearly express its function by making use of the user’s intuition. It is at best, self-explanatory. Students partaking in motion graphic design diplomas, visual effects courses and other visual communication disciplines will be familiar with the concept of clarity through design.

So in summary, a good piece of design, has to be aesthetically pleasing, truthful, understandable, evergreen and innovative… amongst other things. We’ll be discussing the next 5 aspects of design in the 2^nd part of the post so don’t miss it!

In the meantime, if you are interested in picking up a design course, why not check out MAGES? Aside from the Motion Graphic Design Diploma, MAGES also offers visual effects courses as a specialization within the Advanced Diploma in Animation.

If you have any questions or want us to cover anything, please do let us know. Until next time!

Animation & Game Programming Courses in Singapore

The creative technology industry in Southeast Asia has not seen better days. Since the turn of the century, large firms have been turning to the region to look for talents, and many have since set up operations in what was long considered a backwater region for creativity. However, while top animation and game studios are yet to hire top executives and management from the region, there are those who have struck it out on their own and had success on their own.

Through my own observations, while large organizations turn to the region for talent, it is unlikely that these people will sit eventually at top management within the organization and there seems to be some reservations still as of now, to put these people in the top decision-making seats.

However, as more locally led international studios make their mark globally, the trend will eventually change. The doubt has never been on the region’s education system. Singapore in particular, has always had an education system that is highly regarded. A graduate student holding a diploma in animation from Singapore’s top institutions and polytechnics for example, could easily land a job in most studios around the world.

Students who take up game programming courses in Singapore also find themselves among the global elites of highly sought-after professionals. Those who are well-versed in the island-nation’s emphasis on developing its human resource talent pool will understand why. The government has pumped in a considerable amount of resource into the area, and its bevy of world-class educational institutions prove its dedication in the subject matter.

Its top University, the National University of Singapore (NUS), stands as Asia’s premier University, ranking 22^nd in the 2014 global ranking, whereas its counterpart, the National Technological University (NTU) is followed closely behind at 39^th position.

The truth is that with its accessibility, infrastructure, political stability, low-crime rates and global standing, there is no reason why one should overlook the tiny red dot of Southeast Asia.

Interested in studying in Singapore and picking up a Diploma in Animation, Game Programming courses or other such programmes in the creative technologies industry? Check out the programmes held at MAGES Institute of Excellence today.

Why Unity 3D is Being implemented into Game Development Education

It is heartening to know that Game Development Education has evolved over the years in Southeast Asia. While traditional strongholds such as the United States and Japan have always pushed boundaries, the rest of the world had always been a little less progressive when it came to the subject matter.

Since the advent of mobile gaming however, Southeast Asia has become a hub for mobile game development, and as a result, game development and related studies have also grown in the region. Singapore especially, has taken advantage of the growth in the industry, bringing in respected countries to set-up shop on the island’s shores to further boost the industry’s growth. Ubisoft, Electronic Arts, Konami, GungHo Studios, Gumi Asia—all huge industry players, have been hiring local and regional talents from their Singapore headquarters.

Local polytechnics and private institutions have also recognized the growth in the industry, having created and run game development specific courses to cater to the growing need for jobs in the games development market.

Unity 3D course modules in particular, have been very popular. Two years ago, most schools were still using obsolete development tools and engines such as Gamemaker, but the scene is very different today.

The reason for the sudden popularity of Unity 3D courses is not singular. Unity 3D holds a multitude of advantages—for one, its multi-platform capabilities means that it can be developed across multiple platforms. The second advantage is that it uses scripts, instead of actual programming language, and this allows designers and artists to assist the programmers with inputs into the game, shortening the production timeline.

The increase in popularity for Unity 3D courses can be attributed to the fact that game development studios themselves are adopting Unity as a core development tool. Private institutions like MAGES Institute of Excellence, have even gone to the lengths of getting Unity certification to train its students specifically in the course.

Don’t believe it? Check it out for yourselves!

Singapore: a Global Hub for Education?

How does Singapore fare as an education hub?

Singapore’s focus on its education system makes sense when you think of its meritocratic branding, and its reliance on its people as a resource, given its lack of natural resources. Given the result-oriented nature of Singapore, it’s education system has since emerged as one of the toughest—drawing as much flak for its survival-of-the-fittest stance, as it has praise. The challenge and prestige of their education system (amongst the best in Asia), has seen a steady increase of international students flocking to their shores.

However, it is not just the students who are flocking. Lecturers, and even foreign institutions and universities are making their way to the island’s sunny shores, showing that everyone wants a piece of the pie. However, some foreign universities have found a way to co-exist with local institutions. The University of London is one good example. Instead of erecting an offshore campus, it has integr\pated its courses into local institutions. Locally renowned institutions like SIM University, Kaplan University and MAGES Institute of Excellence all offer one of Universityof London’s various international programmes.

While University of London’s International Programmes have always had a tradition of being global, other foreign universities have also established themselves locally, with universities such as Curtin even going so far as to set up a Singapore campus.

The creative education sectors especially, has seen an increase of foreign students and academies in the last decade. Visual effects courses in particular, are doing really well—blockbuster hits such as Godzilla and Pacific Rim have all outsourced their work to Singapore, due to the increased quality of infrastructure, support and talent pool.

While foreign universities have made their mark in Singapore, locally founded institutions have also stepped up their game. One good example would be MAGES Institute of Excellence, set-up in 2010, the school has seen a rise in prominence in the last 4 years. Recognizing job market needs, the school has set up itself to specialize in tertiary education and professional training for members of the creative technology industry. With courses ranging from visual effects courses specialization to video game design and development, the institute has been rewarded with its quality education and foresight by gaining recognition from the Council of Private Education (CPE) with its Edutrust branding.

It is institutions like MAGES that helps Singapore maintain its competitive standing as an education hub. While not yet at the level of elite destinations such as America (Harvard, Yale) and England (Oxford, Cambridge), it is clearly the leading destination in its region, and one of the top destinations in Asia.