1-Day Workshop · 25 Sep 2026 · Amara Singapore
Design Hacksfor Non-Designers
A one-day workshop that gives you a small set of reliable rules for making almost anything you produce look clearer and cleaner.
Serving Singapore’s public sector since 2004
Why This Matters
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 something needs to look presentable.
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 falls apart and you cannot tell why.
Your Work Gets Judged Before It Gets Read
The thinking behind a slide deck or a notice may be sound. But the first judgement anyone makes about it is visual, and it lands before a single word is read.
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 built for busy professionals who do not enjoy design, but still need to produce work that looks clear, organised and credible.
There is no heavy design theory here. The workshop focuses on the handful of principles that create the biggest visible improvement in ordinary workplace materials — and on applying them fast, in Canva, to work you already produce.
Who Should Attend
This is for professionals who create or adapt workplace communication materials and want them to look clearer without learning design in depth.
No design background required. No prior Canva experience needed.
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, and work that looks more deliberate.
Stop Guessing What To Fix
Know why something looks cluttered, and use simple rules to improve it quickly instead of endlessly experimenting.
Use Canva With More Confidence
Work with templates properly: what to change, what to leave alone, and how to avoid breaking a design that was working.
Make Your Work Easier To Scan
Use spacing, hierarchy and grouping so readers find the key information faster and with less effort.
Improve Work You Have Already Done
Apply the same shortcuts to existing decks, notices and handouts, so past material gets better without being rebuilt.
Handle It Yourself Instead Of Waiting
Take on routine design tasks without queuing behind the one person in the office who is good at this.
Build A Shortcut Toolkit You Keep
Leave with curated resources and simple decision rules you can reuse every time you need to create or fix something.
Why This Workshop Is Different
Design Without Designing — That Is The Difference.
Design Hacks is a productivity design course. It is built around speed, shortcuts and visible improvement.
What Past Participants Say
What Past Participants Say
“Golden ratio is an interesting concept that is really helpful. Thanks for including this in the session.”
“I have used Canva slightly before and this course opened up more ideas and usage for me.”
“Trainer was knowledgeable and provided relevant 'hacks' on how to get better design. I felt like I learnt a lot about design.”
Programme Outline
Four Modules. One Full Day. Less Guesswork, Better Output.
Each module turns a design principle into a shortcut you can use immediately, especially when adapting templates or improving work you have already done.
Why Some Things Just Look Better
- Why some layouts feel organised and others feel messy
- How to group related information so it reads as one idea
- How the eye moves through a page, and how to direct it
Simple Rules Designers Use Every Day
- What separates clean work from cluttered work
- How to use empty space instead of filling it
- How to make the important thing look important
- What to enlarge, what to shrink, what to delete
Better Choices Without Guesswork
- Picking a colour combination that works, and why it works
- Choosing and adjusting images so they support the message
- Cropping and positioning images without damaging them
- Using icons and graphic elements without clutter
Quick Fixes That Make Text Easier To Read
- Two fonts that always work together, and when to stop at one
- The text mistakes that make work look amateur
- Pulling out key points so they get read
- Using a simple grid to stop things drifting
Your Trainer
Led By A Creative Director Who Makes Design Practical.
Eugene Chen is Creative Director of ELEFANT, an award-winning brand, communications and creative consulting agency, and Associate Principal Consultant at i1920, a strategy-based brand consultancy.
Over 23 years he has led branding, design and advertising projects across the private and public sectors, including the brand identity for the 1st Asian Youth Games. He has taught Branding and Advertising as an Adjunct Lecturer for over 11 years.
"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
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
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 upfront payment is required.
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Design Hacks
9:00 am – 5:00 pm | Amara Singapore