The One Club for Creativity’s ONE Asia Creative Awards will hold a free Student MasterClass and portfolio review in Kuala Lumpur on October 20, for the first time, immediately following three days of 2026 ONE Asia judging in the city.
The “Resist The Robot” MasterClass will gather six creative leaders to speak on how to harness AI without surrendering human judgment, instinct and original thinking.
Speakers include:
- Pathida Akkarajindanon, Chief Creative Officer, BBDO Bangkok
- Simon Au, Executive Creative Director, The Kitchen North America, Toronto
- Rizza Garcia, Founder & Chief Designer, Lennon Group Manila
- Gigi Lee, Founder & Principal Designer, Klinik Gigi, Kuala Lumpur
- Asheen Naidu, Group Executive Creative Director, LEO Singapore
- Nick Noh, Creative Director, Rethink Toronto
The event is organized by ONE Asia/The One Club for Creativity and Level Up Professional Training. It is supported by 4As Malaysia, Cotra Enterprises, Directors Think Tank, Wow Broadcast and Rtist Creative Platform.
Along with the MasterClass, the day will include one-on-one portfolio reviews with creative leaders from the region.
Reviewers:
- Mo Nazmi Ahmad, Senior Creative Director, Leo Malaysia
- Shireen Ang, Creative Director, Havas Malaysia
- Chee Wee Choo, Creative Partner, MUMA Malaysia
- Christyna Fong, Creative Director, Chariot
- Jaz Lee, Executive Creative Director, Leo Malaysia
- Kekfeng Lee, Founder & Designer, Studio Kekfeng
- Claudia Low, Creative Director, Ampersand Advisory
- Loo Swee Mei, Senior Creative Director, NagaDDB
- Justin Phang, Former Global Group Creative Director, Riot Games
- Surya Salleh, Executive Creative Director, VML Kuala Lumpur
Entry is free for all lecturers and students, but portfolio review spots are limited and require registration.
The “Resist the Robot” Student MasterClass and Portfolio Review take place on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, 9:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m., at Limapulo, Tong Shin Terrace, 27 Jalan Tong Shin, Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur, located 10 minutes from Bukit Bintang MRT, Gate A.
“Resist the Robot” handcrafted visual identity
The theme of the MasterClass is reflected in the visual identity created by Borderless and Klinik Gigi, both based in Kuala Lumpur.
“‘Resist the Robot’ is about using AI responsibly”, said Edward Ong, Founder and Creative Director at Borderless.
“It’s a great tool and helper, but if we’re not careful, our work will start to look and sound the same, and we will slowly lose our ability to ideate and develop original thought.”
“AI can enhance creative ideas, but it shouldn’t replace our thinking, and certainly not the ideas we show clients,” said Gigi Lee, Founder and Principal Designer, Klinik Gigi.
“For young people, it can be very tempting to use AI for everything. Not using AI can be hard work. It’s lonely, difficult and time-consuming. But developing that ability to think for yourself will benefit you in the long run.”
Rather than relying on AI-generated imagery, the team commissioned a hand-drawn illustration by Klinik Gigi designer Shin Shin, filled with deliberate AI-related symbolism.
The robot has six fingers and wears different rings for every execution, its head is a box as a rejection of inside-the-box thinking, and the signal above its head reaches all four corners of the globe, acknowledging that AI is inevitable and inescapable.
Entry is free for all lecturers and students, but portfolio review spots are limited and require registration.
