Jakarta, INTI - Deputy Minister of Creative Economy Irene Umar emphasized that future designers need to develop a broader range of competencies, including artificial intelligence (AI), business, leadership, intellectual property, and cultural understanding, to keep pace with technological advances and the evolving creative industry.
Irene said these capabilities can be cultivated through universities, which provide students with opportunities to gain knowledge while testing ideas, experimenting, and developing innovative solutions.
She stressed that campuses should serve as “sandboxes”, safe environments where students can freely ask questions, build prototypes that may fail, and explore unconventional ideas without fear of judgment.
Creative Talent Needs Broader Competencies
According to Irene, cross-disciplinary skills are essential for design talent to create work that generates economic value while delivering meaningful benefits to society and industry.
The experience of experimentation, including learning from failure, is also important in developing creative professionals who can adapt to changes across the industry.
Key competencies include AI literacy, leadership and systems thinking, intellectual property readiness, cultural intelligence, and the ability to design for meaningful impact.
Irene noted that design can play a broader role beyond producing visual work by helping identify problems, formulate solutions, connect different perspectives, and create relevant impacts for society and industry.
Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration Encouraged
Irene also encouraged designers to embrace cross-disciplinary collaboration to stay aligned with technological developments and evolving industry needs.
These efforts to strengthen competencies and collaboration were reflected in the BINUS Master of Design Program (MODB) 2026, held from August 19–22, 2026.
MODB featured three main programs: the MODB Thesis Exhibition, MODB Innovation Talks, and MODB Design Dealing Room.
Ferric Limano, Head of the Master of Design Department at BINUS Graduate Program, said MODB was designed as a platform connecting design ideas and innovations with society and industry.
The Innovation Talks series brought together perspectives from practitioners, investors, and government representatives, including WIR Group CEO Stephen Ng and investor and Corporate Venture Builder Richie Wirjan.
Ferric emphasized that advancing the design sector requires ethical technology, strong business understanding, and cross-disciplinary collaboration to create broader and more meaningful impact.
Conclusion
Future designers need more than creative skills. AI literacy, business, leadership, cultural understanding, and cross-disciplinary collaboration are increasingly essential to creating meaningful impact in the creative industry.
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