Suddenly going to the library is a colourful and rich experience for the children of Stanmore Public School in Sydney. Redefining the reading context Frost* Design turns reading into a surprising and inspiring experience, inside and out! “Working in conjunction with Neeson Murcutt … Continue reading
While the world recently focussed attention on the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London, an opportunity was provided in Australia for a look into the historical relationship between the Olympics and graphic design via A Call to the Games, an … Continue reading
Create or Die, a sort of creative hub, was started by Deb Morgan to encourage and showcase the work of people who do not make a primary income from their own art and to foster a community to inspire one … Continue reading
Artists Andrew Quilty and Dean Sewell are changing the landscape of our daily journey to and from work. Having chosen a site along Elizabeth Street between Goulbourn and Campbell streets, their guerrilla activity has taken hold with the Sydney City Council authorising … Continue reading
Technologies are often pitted against one another. Print, for instance, is often cast to play the role of the has-been, the also-ran, while digital and network technologies prepare for yet another close up. In this scenario any passion for printed … Continue reading
Established in 1919 The Institution of Engineers Australia, now known as Engineers Australia, is the national organisation that represents and promotes the interests of Australian engineers and the advancement of engineering in all disciplines. The origin of a serious collaboration between the … Continue reading
EMERGENCE by artist Craig Walsh, is a collaboration between Art & About Sydney and the Australian Museum. As night descends on Hyde Park South in Sydney’s CBD, the trees are illuminated as faces emerge from the leaves and branches. The effect is … Continue reading
During July, Master of Architecture students took part in Sydney South Central, a 26-day intensive design studio held in partnership with the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority and funded by the UTS Deputy Vice Chancellor Resources, Patrick Woods.
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As Arts funding in Australia continues to shrink so does the hope that the nation will promote creative thinkers who will shape our future and lead us to developing a better one with improved outcomes. Funding creative thinking may seem extravagant and financially risky … Continue reading
It’s nearly 10 years since Thomas Heatherwick’s ‘Plank’ first featured in the Great Expectations: new British design stories exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum. Alongside his work were also works by Tom Dixon, Stella McCartney and Marc Newson. I recently met … Continue reading
The 2012 instalment of the Australian International Design Awards (AIDA) was launched recently without a parbuckle, or should I say hitch? For those who don’t know about AIDA, each year, since 1992, the Powerhouse Museum has made a selection of … Continue reading
When I was 18 I witnessed something truly fabulous: the removal of pastel furniture from my family home. The eighties were over, bring on the final decade of the 20th Century I thought. What I didn’t know at the time … Continue reading
Design is one of those words, it means many things to many people. It’s been defined, deconstructed, damned and deified. Architect William McDonough famously stated that design is the first signal of human intention but for most people it is decoration, mere … Continue reading
New Year’s Eve on Sydney Harbour will ‘ring in’ the New Year by celebrating Australia’s spirit of love, inclusiveness and connection. The vibrant Embrace colours, bridge effect and theme are designed by Imagination’s creative team, with artistic input from global pop icon … Continue reading
iD2012 Award announcement ‘The school photo portrait records our progression through childhood and early adulthood, presenting a composed and formal visual account of our school years. Laura Moore’s digital portrait evokes other levels of school day memories. The work is … Continue reading
Say hello to some of the hot designers from the 2012 Young Blood Designers Markets. Continue reading
Complex, intricate work in less time and with less errors – that’s the promise of rapid prototyping, a relatively new design paradigm that allows concepts to be visualised, tested and realised via three-dimensional (3D) printing technology. “Rapid prototyping enables ideas … Continue reading
There may not be a design solution for winter but as the temperature starts to drop, I can’t help but covet cosy designs like Patricia Urquiola’s Mangas rugs produced by Spanish company, Gandia Blasco. Inspired by a knitted sleeve, Ms … Continue reading
“Design is the purposeful, technical, imaginative, thought process that shapes our country, helps our lives and fills our GDP. It is, in short, a life-enhancing activity.” His Excellency Michael Bryce AM AE Design is in everything we do and come … Continue reading
State Library creates a new online home for design thinking State Library of Queensland has launched Design Online, a new public web space for exchanging ideas and generating knowledge around design in the Asia Pacific. State Librarian Janette Wright said design … Continue reading
We are surrounded by signs in our daily city existence, sometimes we notice them when driving or crossing the road but often they meld into a melange of street scenery. The growing abundance of signs in our urban landscapes as … Continue reading
Letterbox director Stephen Banham delves into the Powerhouse Museum archives and discusses the future of typography. Continue reading
Having returned from the agIDEAS conference in Melbourne, it is one phrase that resonates – ‘the future of civilisation is a common design problem’. Of course, I’m quoting David Berman, the Canadian graphic designer and author of Do Good Design. … Continue reading
The British Council has announced the 14 shortlisted participants, who will take part in the third year of ACCELERATE – a unique career-building experience for Indigenous Australians working in the creative industries. This year, judges from Australia’s arts funding bodies joined … Continue reading
Design critic, Alice Rawsthorn, believes design is one of the most powerful tools at our disposal to empower ourselves and other people by changing the way we live. Last week, Rawsthorn gave the keynote lecture at the event ‘7 Kinds … Continue reading
What better place than the Powerhouse Museum to contemplate our future. The Museum’s vast collection has archived over 200 years of Australian related history. By looking to our collection and exhibitions we are able to determine where we have come … Continue reading
This question will be at the heart of discussions at an upcoming symposium in Sydney. The event titled ‘7 Kinds of Happiness: Conversations on Design and Emotion’ is curated by Melbourne-based design studio, The Office for Good Design and will … Continue reading
Nostalgic, elegant, tacky, cheerful, tasteless, complex and superficial, it was everything and nothing. It was far more an attitude than an aesthetic searching to disrupt. Today postmodernism has become the movement we love to hate. Yet postmodernism gave us the … Continue reading
A few brightly lit, vinyl stencilled shopfronts give a small hint of the design momentum developing inside a few council owned buildings on Sydney’s once vital Oxford Street. In October 2011 the City of Sydney called for Expressions of Interest … Continue reading
Using the crowdfunding website, Pozible, the Australian Design Alliance (AdA) has launched a national fundraising campaign to raise money to create a national design policy. The Australian Design Alliance (AdA) is the alliance of peak professional organisations that represent designers … Continue reading
International ArtExpo is selecting all interesting video/short films and photo works to include in the next 2012 Exhibition: Hidden Cities - International Videoart Festival and Photo Exhibition at Koza Visual Culture and Arts Association in Istanbul, Turkey (May 10-12, 2012). The deadline for applications is … Continue reading
2012 marks a new chapter in the story of Electrolux Design Lab as it enters its tenth year. Electrolux therefore invited design students globally to create a special anniversary logo for the concept. The competition has been conducted in collaboration … Continue reading
Through market capitalisation analysis Apple Inc. is now identified as the largest corporation in the world. Apple’s first product was launched in 1976. Despite being on its knees prior to the introduction of the first iMac in 1998, it has … Continue reading
Locally sourced mud and moss was used to create an outdoor gallery of poetry on the walls of Sydney’s iconic Paddington Reservoir Gardens. The typographic installation, Modern Day Mossages, features words and phrases by emerging Sydney poets pays tribute to … Continue reading
Paperback. Softback. Hardcover. Dust-jacket. Words to comfort every book fetishist and print lover. This year, the Australian Publishers Association (APA) Book Design Awards will celebrate the best of book design in Australia for the 60th time. Much has changed in … Continue reading
If the rain abates and the sun shines, the city of Sydney will come to life as 1000s of men and women fly into Sydney from around Australia and the world for the 2012 Sydney Mardi Gras which kicked off … Continue reading
For graphic designer and typographer, Luca Ionescu, inspiration comes from the need to make things better. As the owner and director of Sydney based design studio, Like Minded Studio, Ionescu spends his days in a lettering, typography and illustration bubble. … Continue reading
For many designers, the National Year of Reading means one thing: typography. This is the case for the Sydney-based font fanatic, Gemma O’Brien. The young designer made a name for herself when she released the video Write Here, Write Now … Continue reading
The biggest name in architecture will be the subject of a major exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum. Australia’s first major exhibition devoted to the work of Le Corbusier will celebrate the work of the most influential architect of the twentieth … Continue reading
Dropping the anchor in New York City has been a chance for illustrator and comic creator, Matthew Huynh, to cross off some major career goals and ride the waves of international acclaim. The Australian emerged during what may be seen … Continue reading
