Programme Leader, MA Design

Joselyn Sim

  • Masters of Arts (International Communication), Macquarie University, Australia
  • BA Design, Curtin University of Technology, Australia

Joselyn Sim is a design educator who ardently advocates for the seamless integration of design thinking into education. Her visionary approach to design has not only ignited her students' creativity but also propelled them into becoming influential trailblazers within Singapore's vibrant creative industries. 

Commencing her career at LASALLE in 2003, Joselyn embarked as a lecturer and coordinator for the MA Design programme in the Faculty of Design. From 2007 to 2015, she served as Programme Leader for both the Diploma in Design Communication and the BA (Hons) Design Communication programmes.  In this capacity, she orchestrated profound curriculum advancements and innovative pedagogical strategies, culminating in the programme's prestigious validation by Goldsmiths, University of London in 2012. 

Under Joselyn's astute guidance, the design communication programme achieved remarkable triumphs in regional and international design arenas. Victories at prestigious competitions such as D&AD New Blood Awards, The Young Ones, Cannes Young Lions, Design for Asia, and The Crowbar Awards underscored the excellence she cultivated within her students. 

Joselyn's dedication extends beyond the classroom, as evidenced by her engagement in transformative community projects. She spearheaded initiatives within Changi Women's Prison, a cornerstone of the Yellow Ribbon Project, where she designed courses empowering incarcerated women with employability-enhancing creative skills.

Before LASALLE, Joselyn's global perspective was honed through roles held in Hong Kong and Australia. As a Creative Head at a Hong Kong-based content provider specialising in global branding, she orchestrated exceptional projects, including award-winning portals for iconic brands such as MTV Asia, Asia E!Online, CNET Asia, ELLE Hong Kong, British Telecom, Moet Hennessy and Sun Microsystems. 

Joselyn's inquisitive mind fuels her ongoing research endeavours, which delve into the evolutionary trajectory of design education. Notably, she presented her findings at regional conferences, where she articulated insights into pedagogical progression. Additionally, her research explorations interweave issues encompassing design education pedagogies, advertising, and burgeoning social media trends in the Asian context. 

Joselyn's academic contributions have materialised in the form of published papers and dynamic presentations. These insights have resonated both within regional academia and amplified her presence within the realm of design education and innovation.

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Key research papers and conferences

  • Presented ‘Transforming design practice: framing research at the intersection of culture and disciplines’ as a guest speaker for the Interdisciplinary and Intercultural International Conference (IDNC) EMERGENCE-Hubei Institute of Fine Arts; Wuhan, China (2025)
  • Host Committee for the Nineteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices: Thinking, Learning, Doing: Plural Ways of Design. A part of Design Principles & Practices Research Network (2025)
  • ‘The Rise of the Social Media Siren: investigating TikTok’s influence on the Design and Construct of Singaporean Female Identity’ for the Nineteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices: Thinking, Learning, Doing: Plural Ways of Design (2025)
  • Served as a jury member for the AAMS Crowbar Awards, across categories including Digital Innovation, Film & Photography, and Branding (2018, 2022–2024)
  • Session chair for the track: Interdisciplinary, Multidisciplinary & Transdisciplinary Education and presented the paper ‘Closing the Loop in Design Education: Surviving Disruption in a Digital World’ for The Asian Conference on Education; Tokyo, Japan (2022) 
  • ‘Evolving the conventional curriculum: innovative learning interventions to enhance learning competencies’, Cumulus Roma 2021: Design Culture – Cumulus Conference ROMA 2021 by Cumulus International Association of Universities and Colleges of Art, Design and Media (2021)
  • ‘Reflect – Engaging and Empowering Critical Thinking Through Creative Process Journals’ for International Academic Forum: The Asian Conference for Education (2019) 
  • ‘From design thinking to design knowing: An educational perspective’ for Journal: Art, Design & Communication in Higher Education (ADCHE) 18.2 by Intellect Books (2018)
  • ‘Social Innovation through Design – A Model for Design Education’, paper presentation for Cumulus conference Paris 2018 – To get there: designing together (2017) 
  • ‘The future of social – a study on how digital content creators build trends through social media so that it can lead to meaningful social experiences’ for Semiotics and Visual Communication III: Cultures of Branding (Cambridge Scholars Publishing) (2017)
  • ‘Beyond Social Media Cool: a case of social experiences as a strategic approach to creativity’ for The Theory and Reality of the Convergence in Arts: Korea-Singapore Joint International Conference on Arts and Design Interdisciplinary Studies, SungkyungKwan University; South Korea (2015) 
  • ‘Thinking Out Loud: a retrospect on the evolution of design education in Singapore and how new priorities in learning pedagogies can ignite these changes’ for Ubuntu International Design Symposium 2014, SangMyung University; South Korea (2014)
  • ‘Everything you pin turns to gold: dissecting the Pinterest effect’ for the 1st International conference of the Department of Interdisciplinary Program in Studies of Arts, Sungkyunkwan University; Seoul, South Korea (2014) 

  • Digital media and advertising trends
  • Culture, communication and consumer dynamics
  • Design for social change
  • Generational consumer insights (Gen Z and Gen Alpha)