ED RANKS 2022 TOP CREATIVE SCHOOLS : REGIONAL

Singapore Polytechnic is top-ranked in Singapore. Raffles University take top honours for Malaysia.

Based on a proprietary platform – with lecturer, student, intern and alumni achievements as well as creative work judged by top creative directors, Ed Ranks has come up with a list of the top creative schools on both sides of the causeway.

Established in 1954, Singapore Polytechnic is the first and oldest diploma-conferring tertiary institution in Singapore. Widely-regarded for engineering and the sciences, the latest Ed Ranks Awards indicate that SP is also a top school for media, arts and design. In 2020, Singapore Polytechnic integrated eight separate courses into one single diploma course so that graduates are exposed to multiple creative disciplines and develop an innovative and entrepreneurial mindset.

Founded in 2011, Raffles University Malaysia is a private university with an intensive practice-based curriculum. Focused on preparing graduates for future workplaces, the results of Ed Ranks Awards 2022 show them edging out The One Academy to take top spot. As a design-centric tertiary institution, their emphasis is on “Doing while Learning, and Learning while Doing”.

On being top-ranked, Singapore Polytechnic had this to say: “Such an achievement would not have been possible without our family of dedicated and passionate staff, as well as our supportive industry partners.”

Raffles University said: “We are honoured (to be) ranked as the top 1 school for creativity in Malaysia. Raffles University continues to strive for excellence in delivering high-quality education.”

The Ed Ranks team added: “There are good schools for creative education in Singapore and Malaysia, but not everyone knows who they are. This list seeks to give credit where credit is due – with clear criteria and yardsticks.”

It is noteworthy that Singapore Polytechnic and Temasek Polytechnic from Singapore scored highly across integrated platforms in work that’s for good. Malaysian schools like City University, SEGi, MMU and INTI did well in digital, 2D design, film and print craft.

Woon Hoh, Chief Creative Officer of Ogilvy Indonesia and a member of the awards jury, said: “Ed Ranks is important on many counts. As there is currently no guide to the best schools for creative education, Ed Ranks lets creative leaders know who is good – based on objective data. I must say the winning work submitted for Ed Ranks is comparable to professional output from creative agencies. I must congratulate the winning students for their creativity and the schools and lecturers, for harnessing this creativity.”

Creative awards are widely recognized by the wider creative industry – as well as global brands like Apple, Burger King and Nike, for raising the bar in creativity. In 2022, WPP, the world’s top ad holding company by revenue, was also recognised as the most creative company in the world by Cannes Lions, the creative industry’s most prestigious awards festival.

“2022 is just the start,” according to the Ed Ranks team. “This year, we focused on identifying the top schools in two important centres of education: Singapore and Malaysia. Moving forward, we hope to take our mission further. Our vision is to make Ed Ranks the universal benchmark for creativity in education.”