The British Council has been supporting creative hubs’ communities in Malaysia, Thailand, Viet Nam, Indonesia and the Philippines through its regional creative hubs programme since 2014 (Hubs For Good in Malaysia). This directory was the result of British Council Malaysia’s mapping of creative hubs in the country.

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Creative Hubs Malaysia

The performing arts landscape in Penang is unique due to its cultural, heritage, and community values. This ecosystem mapping presents an overview of performing arts components and practitioners in Penang and their interrelationship. The performing arts map consists of a directory listing, an ecosystem diagram and some scenarios to capture a wider understanding of the performing arts landscape.



PA-Map-Digital-Version (1) (1).pdf

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Penang Performing Arts Ecosystem Map

The visual arts landscape in Penang is unique due to its cultural, heritage, and community values. This ecosystem mapping presents an overview of visual arts components and practitioners in Penang and their interrelationship. The visual arts map consists of a directory listing, an ecosystem diagram, and some scenarios to capture a wider understanding of the visual arts landscape.

Penang-VA-Map-(2).pdf

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Penang Visual Arts Ecosystem Map

Human-centered design isn’t a perfectly linear process, and each project invariably has its own contours and character. But no matter what kind of design challenge you’ve got, you’ll move through three main phases: Inspiration, Ideation, and Implementation. By taking these three phases in turn, you’ll build deep empathy with the communities and individuals you’re designing for; you’ll figure out how to turn what you’ve learned into a chance to design a new solution; and
you’ll build and test your ideas before finally putting them out into the world. At IDEO.org and IDEO, we’ve used human-centered design to tackle a vast array of design challenges, and though our projects have ranged from social enterprises to communication campaigns to medical devices, this particular approach to creative problem solving has seen us through each time.

Field Guide to Human-Centered Design_IDEOorg_English-0f60d33bce6b870e7d80f9cc1642c8e7 (1).pdf

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The Field Guide to Human Centered Design 

**Advantages of the Logical Framework approach**

The major advantages of the Logical Framework approach are:  
ㅤ  
**_It brings together in one place a statement of all key components of the
project or programme._**  
Having all key components of projects or programme in a systematic,
concise and coherent way helps you clarify and demonstrate the logic
of how projects and programmes are expected to work. It can also
help you separate the various levels in the hierarchy of objectives, and
consequently ensure that inputs and outputs are not confused with
each other or with objectives. This can be particularly helpful when
there is a change of staff.  
ㅤ  
**_It meets the requirements of good project design and enables possible
responses to past weaknesses in many designs._**   
 It can help ensure that fundamental questions are asked and
weaknesses are analysed in order to provide decision makers with
better and more relevant information. It can also guide you in
systematically and logically analysing the inter-related key elements
which constitute a well designed project. This approach can help you
improve planning by highlighting linkages between project elements
and important external factors.  
ㅤ  
**_It is easy to learn and use_**   
Effective training in the basics of the Logical Framework approach can
be given in a few days. If this is combined with follow-up training and
process consultancy to sort out difficulties a key group of project staff
can be trained effectively in a short period of time.

Logical-Framework-Centre-For-International-Development-and-Training.pdf

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A Guide for Developing a Logical Framework

This report concerns the creative hub, an idea that is commonly associated with other
terms such as the creative city and the creative economy. Our aim in this report is to sift
the hyperbole and slippery usage of the term ‘creative hub’ (and similar but different terms
such as creative quarter, creative district, etc.) and refocus those tasked with making hubs
successful operations. We review the history and usage of the idea of the hub, and the
particularity of the UK experience, and consider which aspects of this could be translated
into other settings; and crucially, which should not. However, we caution against a one-sizefits-all approach to creative hubs, especially one that may seek to generalise from what are
particular, albeit enlightening, UK experiences.

HubsReport.pdf

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Creative Hubs: Understanding the New Economy

The international trade of creative goods has seen sustained growth and expanded strongly
in the last decade (see Chart 1). The total exports of creative goods rose in value terms by
47 per cent to $473,791 million in 2012. In terms of imports, the value expanded by 56 per
cent for the same period.

The global market for traded creative goods and services totaled a record of $547,513
millions of dollars in 2012, as compared to $302,058 billion in 2003. It is important to note
that several countries reported a decline between year 2011-2012 data. This is due to
changes in methodologies related to the transition to the HS 2012 version in which many
countries did not report data at the time (it was recently launched). This will be corrected
with an update of the UNCTAD database.


webditcted2016d5_en.pdf

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Economy Outlook : International Trade Trends

The LFA is an analytical, presentational and management tool which can help planners and
managers
• analyse the existing situation during activity preparation
• establish a logical hierarchy of means by which objectives will be reached
• identify the potential risks to achieving the objectives, and to sustainable outcomes
• establish how outputs and outcomes might best be monitored and evaluated
• if desired, present a summary of the activity in a standard format, and
• monitor and review Activities during implementation.

LFA can be used throughout AusAID's management of aid activities in
• identifying and assessing activity options
• preparing the activity design in a systematic and logical way
• appraising activity designs
• implementing approved Activities, and
• monitoring, reviewing and evaluating activity progress and performance.

LFA is best started early in activity design. (It is more difficult to use the LFA to review
and/or restructure ongoing activities which were not designed using LFA principles and
practices). As LFA is an ‘aid to thinking’, it has widespread and flexible application. 

AUSAID 2005 The Logical Framework Approach.pdf

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AusGuideline : Design – Framework Approach

Fundamental to an understanding of the creative economy — what it comprises and how it functions in the economies of both developed and developing countries — are the concepts of “cultural industries” and “creative industries”. Much debate surrounds these terms. This chapter provides an overview of the development of the concepts of “creativity” throughout this decade leading to what became known as the “creative economy”. Our intention is not to reach a final consensus about concepts, but to understand its evolution. It also considers the emergence of the associated concepts of “creative class”, “creative cities”, “creative clusters”, as well as the most recent innovative notions relating to the “experience economy” “creative commons” and “creative ecology”. The major drivers of the growth of the creative economy and its multiple dimensions are examined in the light of recent developments including the world economic crisis

ditctab20103_en.pdf

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Creative Economy Report (2010)

The two intended outputs of the study were a database of creative hubs and a report
summarising the findings of the mapping exercise. A succinct and focused literature review was
undertaken to provide contextual knowledge, identify gaps, patterns and key insights on which
to build. Fieldwork included a targeted survey issued digitally and circulated via direct emails, a
social media campaign and sector specific mailing lists. Survey questions were tested and
iterated with the British Council’s Creative Hubs Advisory Board. A series of case studies were
produced drawing on both survey results and interviews with selected hub leaders. Rather than
random sampling, case studies were selected to illustrate the depth and breadth of hub models,
scales and impacts.

A database of creative hubs was developed starting with the British Council's Creative Economy
team's contacts. This was then expanded through desk research and ‘snowball method’, with
survey respondents suggesting additional hubs to contact. 311 hubs were identified initially;
139 returned a survey of which 130 completed all compulsory questions. An additional five
hubs were added after the survey closed, bringing the total map to 316.

Mapping_Creative_Hubs_In_England_.pdf

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Mapping Creative Hubs in England

Today, online engagement can be understood as operating within a ‘dual economy’. In this dual economy, established models of intellectual property rights and revenue creation sit uneasily alongside ‘new media’ concepts of easy access and sharing for common good. Negotiating this ‘dual economy’ requires understanding the new-found power of audiences but also the influence of commercial platforms that trade on user data. The internet has provided new opportunities to circumvent traditional and commercial models of culture through sharing and accessibility. But it has also created new intermediaries in the form of dominant platforms. These platforms have sprung up to ‘capture and commodify’ the participatory impulses of digital cultural engagement (for example, gifting, sharing and collaboration). 

In-Real-Life-Digital-Engagement-Research-Report-1 (1).pdf

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In Real Life: Mapping digital cultural

Good planning, monitoring and evaluation enhance the contribution of UNDP by establishing clear links between past, present and future initiatives and development results. Monitoring and evaluation can help an organization extract relevant information from past and ongoing activities that can be used as the basis for programmatic fine-tuning, reorientation and future planning. Without effective planning, monitoring and evaluation, it would be impossible to judge if work is going in the right direction, whether progress and success can be claimed, and how future efforts might be improved

UNDP handbook.pdf

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Handbook on Planning, Monitoring Results 

The research started in February 2020, just as the international impact of COVID 19 was being
realised in the UK. This report acknowledges that the creative industries will be affected for the
foreseeable future by the pandemic. However, the creative hubs in Scotland are part of a global
community and now in particular it’s important to understand the opportunities within the sector. In sharing this work, it is hoped that creative hubs around the world will realise more than ever that they are not alone in the challenges they face.

Creative hubs are integral to the sustainability and growth of the creative economy, as well as to
balanced societies. While the British Council has a definition of a creative hub, for many people
even within the creative industries it raises a lot of questions. What do we mean by a creative
hub? What is and what is not a creative hub? How do you know if you are a creative hub? While
you may be seen as a hub working in the creative industries, it's possible that you don't see
yourself as a creative hub. During the call out for this research, it was clear that many
organisations working in the tech or digital sector, for instance, declined to participate as they
did not consider themselves to be creative hubs. As such, gathering a truly authentic and
representative picture of the sector is a challenge as the term 'creative hub' has many complex
meanings.

Mapping_Creative_Hubs_Scotland_report.pdf

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Mapping Creative Hubs in Scotland

Creative Hubs have recently been recognised by the Malaysian government as an essential
building block in its strategic plan to grow the creative and cultural economy. They are seen as
a way of providing much-needed infrastructure to this fast-growing sector, particularly in Kuala
Lumpur. Indeed, they are a key pillar of Kuala Lumpur’s five-year plan as laid out in ‘Kuala
Lumpur as a Cultural and Creative City’ (Cultural Economy Development Agency - Cendana,
2018).

Outside of the capital, Creative Hubs are working with regional government to create new
cultural (hub) opportunities - such as Penang Art District in Kuala Lumpur, an initiative mooted
by the state government to catalyse the economic growth of the creative industry in Penang,
and Projek Rabak in Ipoh which has been commissioned to develop and manage a new Artists
Village, ‘30300 IPOH: ARTIST VILLAGE’. This indicates that from a political standpoint, hubs
are increasingly seen as key social and economic drivers. 

situational_analysis_of_creative_hubs_in_malaysia_2020-07.pdf

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Situational Analysis of Creative Hubs in Malaysia

To encourage greater participation of the private sector in sponsoring arts, cultural and heritage activities, the Government allows a tax deduction from gross income of the relevant company or organisation for sponsorship of arts, cultural and heritage activities approved by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia.

Garis Panduan Potongan Cukai Penajaan.pdf

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Sponsorship Tax Deduction Incentives

There are many ways to make freelancing work around an individual’s schedule and responsibilities. So it’s not surprising that freelancers report having extensive professional expertise beyond the field of design; architects, musicians, photographers, translators, developers, and even nurses and doctors are all finding unique ways to bring freelance design into their world.

With freelancers choosing their hours, yet again, flexibility and freedom are the key motivators in 2020. With only 6% of designers saying they freelance because they can’t find work elsewhere, a number that is unchanged from last year’s data, one thing remains clear: Freelancing is aspirational


99d_DesignWithoutBorders_2020Report.pdf

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Design Without Borders: The Freelance Revolution 

In the contemporary world, a new development paradigm is emerging that links the economy and culture, embracing economic, cultural, technological and social aspects of development at both the macro and micro levels. Central to the new paradigm is the fact that creativity, knowledge and access to information are increasingly recognized as powerful engines driving economic growth and promoting development in a globalizing world.

“Creativity” in this context refers to the formulation of new ideas and to the application of
these ideas to produce original works of art and cultural products, functional creations, scientific inventions and technological innovations. There is thus an economic aspect to creativity, observable in the way it contributes to entrepreneurship, fosters innovation, enhances productivity
and promotes economic growth

ditc20082ceroverview_en.pdf

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Creative Economy Report (2008)

Art schools are the breeding ground for new generations of local talent (bearing in mind many Malaysian art students and artists also study or complete their training abroad). The first art schools to be established, in 1967, were the Faculty of Art & Design, Institut Teknologi Mara (now a university, UiTM with branches across several states), and the Malaysian Institute of Art. Today, UiTM, Unimas, USM and Lim Kok Wing University offer fine art degree courses, while visual art forms a part of the foundation for many design and multimedia courses. A number of smaller institutions offering diplomas dot the Klang Valley and beyond, such as the Equator Academy of Art in Penang and New Era College in Kajang. Graduation shows are good opportunities for talent-scouting.

ote0609.pdf

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Where Art Happens (2009) 

The creative industries are widely defined as activities that are focused on creativity, skill and
talent; and that have the potential for wealth and job creation through the generation and
exploitation of intellectual property. Some examples include advertising, music, film, art,
architecture, museum and fashion.

The concept has been in use since the 1990s, and marks a broad wave of the digital era in
creating demand for the commercial application of design, text and music, with IT support. In
the post-industrial service economy, creativity has very quickly emerged as a prime driver in
developing a knowledge economy — the quaternary sector.

The establishment of the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) in 1996 in line with Vision 2020
signified the beginning of Malaysia’s pledge to become a developed nation, with an emphasis
on knowledge economy. Closer to home, the Penang Creative Industry Conference and
Showcase (PCICS) in 2014 highlighted the importance of local creative industries to promote,
develop, and build an interactive connection between creative industries and end users.

In reviewing the state’s current social capital and resources, this brief proposes a clearer
future direction that is immediately implementable in consideration of aspects such as
culture, art and technology.

feb_22_2019_PAL_download.pdf

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The Future of Creative Industries in Penang 

Over the past 50 years or so, there has been a shift in focus, with art in public spaces becoming more about the collective spirit of the space and less a commemoration of figures and events of national importance. Coinciding with this shift was the growing awareness that public art can help with urban regeneration and placemaking. City governments around the world embarked on programmes that brought an array of sculptures and murals to streets, parks and squares. Public art has become more democratised. A spatial shift in art in the last several years has seen artwork in Malaysia move out of conventional white cube spaces into larger social and public space. Public art is appearing on walls, trees, lakes, back lanes, empty lots, on and above buildings.

With public art becoming more commonly used for the regeneration of our cities, there is the
risk that cities will become saturated with poor quality art that can in fact detract from its aims.
In Malaysia, the demands of mass culture and tourism have made their mark on public art in our
cities. It is time to think more deeply about how public art can provide our cities with a quality visual environment and high aesthetic values, yet meaningfully express society’s collective memories, hopes, identity, culture and values. We could discover a genuine national narrative in the process. According to one artist, “public art provides a source of reference to understand the social semiotics of the city”. In this light, Think City regards art as one of the important tools for regeneration. We work on community-centric solutions to make our cities more liveable, and improving the public realm is a key element of that strategy.

A-Guide-for-Public-Art-Projects_thinkcity (1).pdf

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A Guide for Public Art Projects

It is unsurprising to find that in the four Southeast Asian countries surveyed, the capital city is where we find a high density of creative hubs. This is where young people are drawn for education and jobs, and it is also where access to technology, cultural events and supporting international institutions are most prevalent.

However, the four research projects also note that creative hubs are having an impact in many places outside of the capital. Indeed, the very absence of cultural activity is what sometimes leads to individuals starting their own movements and collectives. This section explores the geography of creative hubs in each country, as well as the broader national context.

bc-regional-creative_hubs_report_sea.pdf

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Connecting Creative Communities – Creative Hubs

A creative hub is a place, either physical or virtual, which brings creative people together. It is a convenor, providing space and support for networking, business development and community engagement within the creative, cultural and tech sectors.

Based on this definition, it would be possible to compile a list of hundreds of hubs in Malaysia. As we started to go through our list, however, we felt it was worth creating a more specific set of criteria to focus our research. Jon Dovey and Andy C. Pratt’s report, “Creative Hubs: Understanding the New Economy” (2016), presented further qualities to consider in this process:

Three important themes emerge from our study. They are specific to the nature of creative enterprises and to the wider creative economy, which alerts us to the differences between creative hubs and hi-tech, maker, new media, etc. hubs. The first is that the creative
hub is more than a building and more than a network. Success depends on collaboration and exchange between its members. Second, that creative hubs are embedded in their communities
and regions, their economic, cultural and social activities. Every hub is different and dependent
on its local context. Third, that multi criteria evaluation of creative hubs should be used to articulate their success or failure.


malaysia_creative_hubs_report_final.pdf

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Mapping Creative Hubs in Malaysia 2017

Peterborough Presents is working with The Audience Agency and Culture Counts to carry out the evaluation of its programme. Peterborough Presents first used the Culture Counts metrics while it was in its development phase, prior to being awarded the CPP grant. Culture Counts asked many of the questions that Peterborough Presents wanted to explore, however, at time of writing this CPP Place was still in the early phases of embedding the metrics into their evaluation plan and understanding its value for evaluating quality in a range of community contexts. 

The Culture Counts metric takes the form of an app used to carry out a quality assessment of a sample of Peterborough Presents events between 2015 and 2017. It collects qualitative artist, peer, audience and participant feedback and audience data. It uses a set of core quality measures which have been developed to understand self, peer, and public assessment of quality. It will also aim to contribute to an integrated story of the impact of the programme on the local cultural sector. 


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