SEGi University and Colleges believes in going above and beyond to give our students a holistic learning experience. Lecturer Mr Nor Azizi of the School of Communication and Creative Design in SEGi College Subang Jaya recently arranged for his students to visit the Malaysian International Furniture Fair 2022, even though Furniture Design as a subject is not due to be taught immediately. As a lecturer his aim is to pique the curiosity of his students to explore more in their field of study.
Prior to the visit, he took the time to give his students a briefing on the fundamentals of good design in furniture and to inspire them in their future understanding and exploration of ideas in the subject of Furniture Design. He showed them past students’ works, specifically the “Velocity Table”, which won a competition organized by the Malaysian Institute of Interior Designers (MIID). This was an excellent example of creativity, originality, innovation, and trend.
Nor Azizi’s brief included a list of the criteria for good furniture design, of which the first is originality, meaning not to infringe on any design already existing in the market, and secondly, being sensitive to market needs and adopting critical thinking, such as what are better ways which can be applied to the proposed shape or overall image to fit in the particular interior space. He talked about harnessing creativity through lateral thinking to create new and previously unexplored concepts. One such example is being open to using new materials instead of the conventional ones such as wood and using creative fittings such as velcros and zippers instead of standard screws and nuts.
He then went on to talk about ease of installation, for example, the time taken to install a DIY-IKEAish type of furniture, saying that by using fewer loose parts or ideally, none at all, installation can be swift and simple, and concluded with detailing, adding that a good design must meet the actual needs of the end-user and must look appealing. His students were urged to relentlessly observe the market’s needs, identify current trends, and choose their target groups, be they contemporary, neo-classic or elegance (high-end luxury).
With more than twelve years of Industry experience in product design, Nor Azizi has been actively engaged as a design consultant and has won several awards from the Malaysia Timber Industry Board (MTIB) and the Institute of Engineers Malaysia (IEM). He has also been on the panel of judges for the ‘Malaysia Good Design Award’ organised by the Malaysia Design Council or Majlis Rekabentuk Malaysia (MRM), since 2013 and was a panel judge for the ‘World Invention Competition and Exhibition’ in 2019 and 2020.
The Malaysian International Furniture Fair (MIFF) has been a leader in the furniture trade scene for years, is the Number One furniture fair in Southeast Asia, and is consistently ranked among the top ten worldwide. Every year, quality exhibitors and buyers from all over the world converge on this global stage. Since its inception in 1995, MIFF has created fantastic business and networking opportunities for hundreds of thousands of participants, including academicians and students taking the Furniture Design subject under the Diploma in Interior Architecture at SEGi College Subang Jaya.
From top-quality modern and contemporary furniture to tried-and-true classics, it was an eye-opener for our students, with over six hundred international and Malaysian exhibitors showing off their latest collections and designs for bedrooms, living areas, kitchens, bathrooms, children, office, commercial foyers, hotel lounges and outdoor lifestyle.
The exhibition was an excellent opportunity for SEGi students to view and learn from the global market’s latest trends in furniture design, inspiring them to be the best designers they can be. Because at SEGi, we believe in educating our students to reach their full potential.
