1-Day Workshop · 25 Sep 2026 · Amara Singapore

Design Hacks
for Non-Designers

Practical shortcuts for people who don’t enjoy design — but still have to do it.

You don’t need creativity, artistic talent, or a love for design. You need a few reliable shortcuts that make almost anything you create look clearer, cleaner, and easier to understand. That is what this 1-day workshop teaches.

Canva-based · Fast application No design interest required Govt billing via Vendors@Gov
1 Full Day
4 Core Modules
23 Yrs, Your Trainer
★★★★★ Past Participants
Upcoming run 25 Sep 2026
Following Run 25 Feb 2027
Time9:00 am – 5:00 pm
VenueAmara Singapore

Fees (SGD, nett, per person)

Normal Rate (fr 05 Sep 2026) $837.90
Early Bird (by 04 Sep 2026) $766.50
Group of 3+ (by 04 Sep 2026) $698.25

Large-group rates for 10+ · Govt billing via Vendors@Gov / InvoiceNow

Past participants from
Enterprise Singapore Singapore Prison Service People's Association Ministry of Education

What Past Participants Say

Useful, Practical, and Built for Non-Designers.

★★★★★

"Trainer was knowledgeable and provided relevant 'hacks' on how to get better design. I felt like I learnt a lot about design."

Development Partner

Enterprise Singapore

★★★★★

"Trainer is concise and clear in his delivery of training content. The design websites recommended by the trainer are very useful and extensive!"

Staff Officer

Singapore Prison Service

★★★★★

"Easy to use and convenient to tap on resources. Useful hacks and sharing of online resources."

Head

People's Association

★★★★★

"I have used Canva slightly before and this course opened up more ideas and usage for me."

Assistant Manager

Ministry of Education

★★★★★

"It has help us better appreciate how design and layout helps improve our communication."

Deputy Director

HOUSING & DEVELOPMENT BOARD

★★★★★

"Golden ratio is an interesting concept that is really helpful. Thanks for including this in the session."

Senior Manager

HEALTH PROMOTION BOARD

Is This You?

You Know It Looks Messy. You Just Don’t Know Why.

You are not trying to become a designer. You just want to stop guessing every time you need to make something look presentable, readable, and clear.

You Spend Too Long Moving Things Around

You adjust the layout, change the font, resize the image, then move everything again. After all that effort, something still feels off.

Templates Help — Until You Customise Them

Canva gives you a good start, but once you replace the text, add your own images, or change the layout, the design can quickly fall apart.

Poor Visuals Undermine Otherwise Solid Work

A cluttered slide deck or a visually chaotic infographic signals carelessness — regardless of the quality of thinking behind it. First impressions in professional communication are visual, not verbal.

About This Workshop

You Don’t Need Another Design Course. You Need A Shortcut.

Most design courses teach you to think like a designer. Design Hacks is different. It is built for busy professionals who do not enjoy design, but still need to produce work that looks clear, organised, and credible.

No heavy design theory. This workshop focuses on easy-to-understand principles of human visual perception that create the biggest visible improvement in your work.

  • 01Designed for people who want fast, usable fixes — not a deep dive into communication design.
  • 02Uses Canva as the application tool, so you can practise quickly without starting from a blank page.
  • 03Shows you how to stop guessing by using simple rules designers rely on every day.
  • 04Gives you shortcuts you can apply across almost any workplace communication output.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

This is for professionals who create or adapt workplace communication materials and want them to look clearer, cleaner, and easier to understand — without learning design in depth.

No design background required. No prior Canva experience needed. What matters is that creating visuals is part of your work — and you want to do it better.

Officers preparing internal comms Staff creating notices or updates Teams using Canva or PowerPoint Programme & project staff HR, L&D & admin teams Comms support staff Managers reviewing outputs Anyone who wants quick design fixes

Programme Outline

Four Modules. One Full Day.
Less Guesswork, Better Output.

The course keeps the learning practical. Each module turns core design principles into shortcuts you can use immediately, especially when adapting templates or improving existing work.

Part 1 Why Some Things Just Look Better

Understand the basic perception shortcuts that make layouts feel clear, connected, and easy to follow.

  • How people group and scan information
  • Proximity, similarity and closure
  • Symmetry, continuity and common region
Part 2 Simple Rules Designers Use Every Day

Learn the small design decisions that create order, focus, balance, and a more professional finish.

  • What makes work look clear instead of cluttered
  • Lines, shapes and negative space
  • Unity, hierarchy, balance and contrast
  • Scale, proportion and emphasis
Part 3 Better Choices Without Guesswork

Choose colours, images, icons, and graphics more confidently without relying on personal taste alone.

  • Colour terms, harmony, mood and palette
  • Choosing and adjusting images and graphics
  • Basic image composition
  • Icons, clip art and infographic elements
Part 4 Quick Fixes That Make Text Easier to Read

Make text-heavy content cleaner, more scannable, and less tiring to read.

  • Choosing and pairing fonts
  • Common text mistakes to avoid
  • Callouts, blurbs and CTAs
  • Layout grids and simple structure

Why This Workshop Is Different

Design Without Designing — That Is The Difference.

Design Hacks is for people who want quick, practical ways to make everyday work look clearer without studying design deeply. It is a productivity design course — built around speed, shortcuts, and visible improvement.

Shortcuts, Not Mastery
Visual Communication builds deeper design capability. Design Hacks focuses on fast, repeatable fixes for people who just need to get the work done better.
Built For Reluctant Designers
This workshop assumes you do not enjoy design. The content is stripped down to what helps you improve output quickly, without unnecessary theory.
Canva As A Speed Tool
Canva is used because it reduces friction. The goal is not to become a Canva expert, but to apply better decisions faster.
Rules That Reduce Guesswork
You learn what to align, group, remove, resize, emphasise, and simplify — so you stop tweaking randomly and start fixing with intent.
Applies Across Workplace Outputs
The shortcuts apply broadly to visuals, layouts, announcements, handouts, digital materials, slides, posters, simple infographics, and other communication pieces.
Designed For Immediate Payoff
You leave with practical ways to improve what you already produce, so your work looks clearer, cleaner, and more credible the very next day.

What You'll Gain

Leave With Shortcuts You Can Use The Very Next Day.

This workshop is measured by practical improvement: less guessing, faster execution, clearer layouts, and work that looks more deliberate without depending on creative support.

01

Stop Guessing What To Fix

Know why something looks cluttered or unclear, and use simple rules to improve it quickly instead of endlessly experimenting.

02

Use Canva With More Confidence

Work with templates more effectively by knowing what to change, what to preserve, and how to avoid breaking the design.

03

Make Work Easier To Scan

Use spacing, hierarchy, grouping, and emphasis so readers can understand key information faster and with less effort.

04

Reduce Dependence On The “Design Person”

Handle more routine design tasks independently, so simple communication materials do not keep bottlenecking with the same few people.

05

Produce Cleaner, More Credible Output

Make your materials look more organised, intentional, and professional — even if design is not your strength or interest.

06

Build A Practical Shortcut Toolkit

Leave with curated resources, references, and simple decision rules you can reuse whenever you need to create or improve materials.

Your Trainer

Led By A Creative Director Who Makes Design Practical.

Eugene Chen
Creative Director · Design Consultant · Adjunct Lecturer
23 Years Industry Experience Award-Winning Agency SMU Mentor ACLP 2.0 Certified Masters of Design Cambridge-Certified Trainer

Eugene Chen is the Creative Director of ELEFANT, an award-winning brand, communications, and creative consulting agency. He is concurrently an Associate Principal Consultant at i1920, a strategy-based brand consultancy.

Over 23 years, Eugene has led branding, design, and advertising projects across the private and public sectors. His work includes the brand identity for the 1st Asian Youth Games — among numerous other campaigns developed for organisations across Singapore and the region.

Outside his practice, Eugene teaches Branding and Advertising at M.A.D. School and Orita Sinclair School of Design and Music, where he has served as Adjunct Lecturer for over 11 years. He also mentors students and entrepreneurs through two SMU-UOB enterprise and undergraduate programmes. Eugene is a registered ACLP 2.0 Certified Adult Educator.

What participants consistently note: Eugene makes design feel less intimidating by teaching it as a set of practical rules and shortcuts — not as a talent you either have or do not have.

Before You Register

Frequently Asked Questions

No. The course is suitable for beginners and occasional Canva users. Canva is used as a simple application tool, not taught as a software certification course.
Bring an internet-enabled laptop with a Canva account set up. The free plan is sufficient. A mouse is useful. You may also bring a past or current work sample for practice.
Yes. Senior officers who review or approve communication materials will gain a clearer way to assess whether an output is readable, focused, and fit for purpose.
Yes. Canva is used for hands-on practice because it is easy to apply quickly. The shortcuts taught are transferable to PowerPoint and other tools.
Yes. The workshop does not try to turn you into a designer. It focuses on the few design decisions that create the most noticeable improvement in everyday work.
Definitely. This course is built for that exact situation. It gives you practical shortcuts so you can improve your work without developing a deep interest in design.
Government agencies are invoiced through Vendors@Gov or InvoiceNow on 30-day payment terms. Include your BU code in the registration form and we will handle the rest. No payment is required upfront.
Yes. In-house runs can be customised to your agency’s communication materials, templates, branding needs, and staff capability gaps. Email info@maitreallianz.com to discuss scope and availability.

Register Now

Design Hacks | 25 Sep 2026

Amara Singapore · 9:00 am – 5:00 pm · Early Bird closes TBC

Booking Person
Government agencies only — leave blank if unsure

Invoice Attention To (leave blank if same as booking person)

Participant(s) Attending