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Articles
Selling Your Design Globally_26-Sep-07
Have you considered going global? Exporting you industrial design services may be the way to break free of the constraints of the Australian market. It takes commitment and planning but can be tailored to the resources of a small consultancy.
The advent of China as the world’s manufacturing resource, coupled with the vastly changed communication environment of email and web, is bringing about a new equilibrium for Industrial Design.
The Ideal Industrial Designer_26-Sep-07
What should an industrial design graduate know? And what skills should they possess on their first day on the job?
The Design Education Debate_26-Sep-07
The apparent assumption from the education industry that there are no consequences in degrading the competence of designers must be vigorously debated.
Happy birthday, Australian design! This year the Design Institute of Australia turns sixty. Starting in Melbourne in 1947 as the Society of Designers for Industry, the DIA has spanned a period of significant social and technological change.
Giving it all away_18-Apr-07
Nothing arouses more emotion in design circles than free pitching - competing for a design job by providing free work.
Everyone agrees that the China iceberg has hit ship Australia but the mood in industrial design consulting circles is still positive.
Educating Professionals_18-Apr-07
Education quality is at the core of improved professional outcomes for designers and is accessible to influence from designers.
Better Briefs for Profitable Design_18-Apr-07
Design Institute of Australia research has indicated that, on average, designers are giving away one third of their time.
Designer Climate Change_18-Apr-07
Designers have more reasons than most to consider climate change and their response to it. Designers rely on the complexity of cities for their existence.
A state by state round-up of design policy produces a disheartening picture of the focus of Australia’s state governments on this problem.
Home Alone - The Home Office_25-Jan-06
If you’re a self-employed designer working from home sweating out a thorny detail of your latest project, you’re not alone.
For The First Time…Ever!_06-Nov-05
Ignorance of the past would seem to be a grand societal delusion in which we all collude, an agreed refusal to acknowledge the precedents established by past generations and the lessons of history.
Fame as a Role Model_18-Jul-05
Geoff Fitzpatrick epitomizes those design champions who have established design as an essential professional and commercial activity in Australian industry.
A Most Ingenious Paradox_21-Apr-05
Designers’ top five concerns about design education are commercial relevance, production skills, work experience, business training and quality. In short the adequate preparation of design graduates to participate immediately in professional employment.
Industrial Design Scorecard 2004/05_29-Mar-05
It's boom time for industrial designers. Nationally business activity is up, confidence is up, unemployment is down.
Are you a ‘Dirty’ Designer?_10-Feb-05
According to recent studies, it is estimated that up to 70% of a product’s environmental impact is ‘locked in’ at the design stage.
Design: A Hobby Industry?_31-Jan-05
At what stage will (did) design become a hobby industry? A source of employment for the few, a source of disillusionment lived out on the fringes for the many?
The industrial design profession has a vested interest in supporting the manufacturing sector and helping it find a path through adverse global trends.
The Invisible Designer_07-Oct-04
Despite huge growth in tertiary and pre-tertiary design education and a clear recognition in the education sector and the professional design sector of the distinct nature of professional design as a commercial activity, it is still treated as a fine art or cultural pursuit in some of Australia’s statistical collections or virtually ignored in others.
The Way Forward for Industrial Design_15-Sep-04
What are the strategies that industrial design businesses will need to survive?
So you want to be an industrial design consultant? Just how much room is there for another design business in Australia?
It’s All About Fees_14-Apr-04
Fees are a subject that designers never tire of. In the parallel survey the DIA did of design industry concerns it ranked equal sixth with Education as an issue for designers.
Selling Design (Short)_09-Mar-04
Design promotion, both planned and accidental, is creating an excess supply of participants in the industry with inadequate training, employment opportunities, post-tertiary mentoring, status and earning potential.
Designer Design Thyself_01-Feb-04
If designers are serious about wanting change in the design industry the most accessible point of influence is themselves
Design and the Holy Grail_11-Nov-03
The argument that will cement design’s value to society and redefine the rewards paid to designers
Designing the Future of Design_14-Jun-03
In designing the future of design in Australia we must understand the complexities of running the business that is Australia.
Designer Walking_21-May-03
Perhaps designers should consider how limited their understanding is of the needs of their clients
Quoting Time in Product Design_29-Mar-03
Quoting for a project is a messy mix of calculation, industry knowledge, human psychology and luck.
At The Spiky End_24-Feb-03
Getting a grip on the levers for the good of the design professions takes a little muscle
Make way for the (sustainable) future_25-Jun-01
maximise your design life, join the DIA as a student
Some thoughts on sorting out the communication maze in the digital age
Getting Paid to Design _09-Aug-00
some comments on the recent Salary and Fee Survey undertaken by the DIA.
Understanding Corporate Identity One _30-Jul-00
the first in a five part series to answer client's questions.
