The Queensland Design Strategy 2020 is positioning Queensland as a leading centre for design in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. Through 2011, the impact of the strategy was evidenced by the increasing role and influence of the Queensland Design Council and increased activation of QUEENSLANDERSIGN™, an initiative which recognises objects, buildings, systems or services, events, projects and activities which embody outstanding and innovative design in our State. 2012 launches on the wave of two great successes of the Council and QUEENSLANDERSIGN™ supported events. On 23 November 2011, the Council supported the Honourable Rachel Nolan MP, Minister for Finance, Natural Resources and The Arts as she introduced Canadian designer Bruce Mau at the State Library of Queensland‘s annual Nielson Design Lecture series. The Nielson Design Lecture is a signature program that features internationally renowned designers and architects who present innovative ideas, works and methods on ‘designing our future’. As part of the series Bruce Mau, a designer, author and self-proclaimed ‘futurist’ with 25 years of design industry experience was invited to share his findings on Southeast Queensland’s built and natural environment. During the talk Mau called upon Brisbane designers to take up ‘one of the most extraordinary opportunities in history’ and invest in a design-led, sustainable future for the state. ...
Watch the Queensland Design Council discuss the secrets to good design, unique Queensland design and their ambitions for Queenslandersign.
Bamboo…the plant many think of as a menace, a pest, an invasive weed. Mention bamboo to Brisbane-based designer/maker Kent Gration and he thinks of nothing but endless possibilities. Kent’s love affair with this natural material goes further than skin deep, not only is his Wambamboo furniture range (using Moso bamboo) aesthetically remarkable but its environmental pedigree is second to none. The bamboo used in the range is biodegradable and recyclable and all other materials used are recyclable, water based or energy efficient. Kent’s passion for this environmentally credentialed material has only increased since being awarded the inaugural title of Emerging Design Leader in the 2010 Queensland Premier’s Design Awards. The designer used the award to fund a trip to the home of bamboo: China. Kent certainly made the most of his time abroad exhibiting his work at 100% Design Shanghai, visiting bamboo producers and manufacturers, attending World Expo 2010 Shanghai and presenting a guest lecture to product design students at Hong Kong Polytechnic. Although enjoying the Emerging Design Leader title, Kent’s design ethos, philosophy and products are anything but emerging, rather they are firmly established as the backbone to all he does: What does the title of Emerging Design Leader ...
Passionate is the word that springs to mind when thinking of Brisbane-based designer Alexander Lotersztain. His passion for the environment, for the role of design in life, for unique products, for educating kids on the power of design, for making design accessible to everyone. This passion drives his design and is palpable in the products he turns out, the ever-popular events with his creative talent behind them and the design partnerships he seeks out. A popular and deserving winner of the inaugural Smart State Design Fellowship as part of the Queensland Premier’s Design Awards, Alexander is not one to rest on his laurels. Since being awarded the fellowship, Alexander has taken on an international design commission with corporate giant Nestle, been recognized by Wallpaper magazine in its pick of Australian design, and has been commissioned to design a signature residential project. The fellowship funded travel to the United States last year for Alexander to research business possibilities in that market and allowed participation a number of design fairs. Alexander also used the fellowship funding to undertake a number of lectures on design throughout Queensland. Perhaps one of the most rewarding milestones for the designer thus far however is yet to ...
In conversation with Paola Antonelli, Italian-born curator at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and one of the world’s foremost experts on contemporary architecture and design. She received her MA in Architecture from Milan Polytechnic in 1990, and worked at the design magazines Domus and Abitare before coming to MoMA in 1994. At MoMA, where serves as curator for the Department of Architecture and Design, Antonelli has been a strong of advocate of treating design as art: she’s written that “everything is designed, one way or another.” Antonelli is known for her eclecticism, and has curated well-received shows such as Workspheres (2001), devoted to the workplace of the near future. Her recent exhibit SAFE included – among other materials – a UN refugee tarp, camouflage cream, and a baby buggy. Antonelli has taught design history and theory at UCLA and Harvard and is the author of Humble Masterpieces: Everyday Marvels of Design, and co-author of 2008 book Design and the Elastic Mind.
Paul Bennett, Creative Director of IDEO, talks about how to improve understanding of design thinking. Paul Bennett IDEO from Unlimited: Designing for the Asi on Vimeo.
Luxury French designer Philippe Starck delves into his ‘why’ behind design.
Janine Benyus sharing some heartening examples of ways in which nature is already influencing the products and systems we build.
Warren Berger on what designers actually do.
