Why does this survey exist? +

In an industry where our occupations rarely appear as official options on national survey forms, how do we learn more about ourselves, strengthen our identity as a community, and our value to society? As we navigate through an industry shrouded in mystery and age old legends (You'll never achieve work-life balance / expect a low pay / promotions don't exist), where do we go in search of answers beyond our own information bubbles and move forward collectively as an industry?

We believe that having data on the industry can help us make informed decisions about how we move forward collectively as an industry. Through an array of quantitative, qualitative, demographic, experience and perception-based questions , we hope the survey will give us the knowledge and power to move beyond age old myths and legends by identifying possible gaps in our industry and reflecting on the collective concerns of the community. A community-led design census is not a new concept, AIGA has run their versions for many years with great success, and the data published on their site helps creatives learn about themselves and the industry they labour for. Unfortunately Singapore does not have its own equivalent and that is why we've taken it upon ourselves to create one.

What do you want to find out? +

Some topics that may be addressed as a result of this survey may include but not be limited to:

• What do the demographics of our community look like?
• Is there a gender bias?
• What is the connection between age and income?
• Is this an industry that people plan to stay in for long?
• Does everyone in our industry work for ‘long hours and low pay’?
• What is our global footprint as Singapore-based communication designers?
• Is our industry growing?
• What are our feelings towards the future of our industry?
• How is our industry & community impacted by COVID-19?
• Are we happy?
• How can we unite and advance the industry together?

Why is it important for our community to do this? +

Through the collection of demographic data and qualitative reflections on each individual's experience in the industry, we hope that the communications design community will be able to identify possible gaps in our industry and understand the cumulative concerns of the community. It is also our wish that through ‘Don't Mind If I Ask’, the communications design community in Singapore can begin to map out and shape what they wish their community to look and feel like.

Who is this survey for? +

This survey is tailored for engagement across the communications design industry for employees, freelance professionals, employers/business owners, students and recent graduates based in Singapore.

It will be particularly relevant to everyone (both creatives and non-creatives) practicing in (and not limited to) the following trades, disciplines & professions.

Trades
3D Design | Advertising | Animation | Branding | Character Design | Commercial Videography | Copywriting | Digital Design | Exhibition Design | Experience Design | Graphic Design | Illustration | Installation Design | Motion Graphics | Commercial Photography | Print Design | Set Design | UI & UX Design | Visual Communication

Professions
Admin & Finance | Business Owners | Client Service & Account Management | Copywriters | Creatives | Curators | Designers | Executive Producers | Fabricators | Human Resource Professionals | Operations Management | Project Managers | Senior Management | Strategists | Students / Fresh Graduates | Planners

Please tell everyone you know in the creative community about this initiative to help ensure the results are as inclusive, objective and insightful as possible. While we might not be able to attain the participation and feedback from every member of the community, we hope this will serve as a positive and meaningful starting point towards the creation of new ideas and deeper narratives for the future of our industry.

How will the survey be conducted? +

The ‘Don’t Mind if I Ask’ survey will be conducted digitally via Typeform and an independent report of our findings will be published online for the community to access for free.

This survey is PDPA compliant and our data collection principles are as follows:

• Responses will be totally anonymous. No personal information will be collected and as such, there is no way to be identified through your response.
• With the development of a community-driven data set, only objective observations, big picture facts and insights will be drawn and reported.
• The survey is designed to be as relevant, inclusive and beneficial to all stakeholders of the communications design industry as possible.
• Once all responses have been collected and reviewed, an independent report of our findings will be published online, for the public to access for free.

What happens to the data? +

The data collected will be analysed to uncover objective industry insights that might be helpful to share with the industry. An industry report containing these insights will be designed and released to the community for free.

More detailed insights may be available for a fee to help to sustain this initiative and develop other resources that will best benefit the community.

Is my data safe? +

We understand that sharing sensitive information about your work and perceptions of our industry requires confidence and trust in the organisers. The following project infrastructure has been set up to facilitate both the collection and management of industry data. These two areas are critically important to us and we are happy to share with you our commitment to each of them.

i) About the organisers.
Please kindly refer to ‘About Page’.

ii) About our digital data security & safety measures
Leveraging the trusted infrastructures of Typeform and Google Cloud, the survey has been built with the security, anonymity and integrity of your data in mind. You may refer to their respective privacy & security policies below:

Security at Typeform
Security at Google Cloud

iii) About our offline data security & safety measures

Handling and managing your data after the information gathering period has passed will also be dealt with care and a scrupulous set of security measures. Firstly, access to and management of the data will be limited to a select group of key & trusted ‘Don’t Mind if I Ask’ personnel. We will ensure that all data will be carefully screened and verified to guarantee your privacy is protected before we begin to analyze the data. This survey is PDPA compliant, and your anonymity is secured. The ‘Don’t Mind if I Ask’ industry survey does not ask for, or collect any personal information that can be used to identify any respondent.

We have been working hard to earn your trust for this initiative, and our ability to handle sensitive information provided by the community. You can expect robust internal checks for objectivity, accuracy and authenticity, as well as our unwavering desire to empower the Communications Design community by returning our findings to the community in the fullest and truest form.

iv) About the collection, security, usage and disclosure of any personal data you might choose to provide
Please kindly visit.

Why are you asking for donations? +

‘Don’t Mind If I Ask’ is an independent, ground-up initiative by industry volunteers who have sacrificed hundreds of hours of their free time to create this platform designed to safeguard and advance the future of our profession.

Your donations will have a direct and lasting impact in helping us continue this important work through meaningful initiatives, industry resources, covering more ground and effecting greater impact for our community.

Please consider making a donation as you are able.

You may also click here if you are interested to support this initiative and would prefer to help in other ways. We are also on the look out for volunteers to help with the data analysis, design and promotion of the initiative!

When can I expect to see the results of this survey? +

The report is currently scheduled to be launched in 2021.

*While this may be subject to change depending on the time and resources available for the initiative to advance, we will be doing our best to keep the community updated on our progress.

Please consider following us on instagram or signing-up for our mailing list to receive news and updates.

Are there errors in the data? +

Collecting and analysing all the data received from the inaugural Don’t Mind If I Ask industry inquiry has been a labour of love by a few volunteers who are keen to see our community uplifted, celebrated and supported. We acknowledge that is an imperfect science that has taken us roughly two years to actualise. Are there errors in the data? We’re sure there are! Some might have arisen from the data itself, while others might have been caused by us. If you encounter something amiss, please do email us at hello@dontmindif.com and we’ll do our best to address it as thoroughly and quickly as we can.

What are the limitations / shortcomings of the data and methods used? +

Some of the limitations we identified include:

• Limited Sample size
  • We are grateful to have collected 506 responses for the inaugural inquiry, however this is likely still a relatively small figure in the grand scheme of things.
  • We stand by our data and insights as straw-poll findings. Nevertheless, we do not assume this set of data (and the elicited insights) will be reflective of every elief and sentiment of everyone in the industry.
  • With our limited sample size, any inaccuracies or anomalies collected in the data will likely affect the findings in some way. As such, we explore this data and potential linkages intentionally as indicative & hypothesis-generating, as opposed to 100% conclusive.
    
    
• Relatively younger audience
  • Perhaps by virtue of the inaugural inquiry being conducted online and marketing over on social media, we received a strong concentration of respondents ranged between the ages of 18 to 30.
  • With that said, our older, more experienced target groups are indeed represented, however just in smaller numbers, which may affect the overall accuracy and representativeness of said data in these other age ranges.
    
    
• Deeper Studies Need
  • While we are grateful for this amazing start, we are mindful that further research and investigations are needed to cover more ground, in more depth and higher accuracy to generate greater meaningful impact.
  • If anyone is planning on referencing or using the data, we strongly recommend that further explorations / studies / investigations be undertaken in greater detail and with other data to strengthen our common understanding of these areas in question - rather than adopt any finding wholesale.
  • To our knowledge, there may be other entities capable of providing more full and accurate data on our industry and community and we hope to be able to work with more like-minded institutions in the interest of understanding, developing and safeguarding the visual communications design industry, profession and community. Such institutions (Singapore) may include but not be limited to:
    • Design Singapore Council (DSG)
    • National Arts Council (NAC)
    • Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS)
    • Department of Statistics (SingStat)
    • Ministry of Manpower (MoM)
    • Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS)
    • Economic Development Board (SG)