DQ 43 preview

design quarterly people products parties

2011 spring $9.00 AUD $9.00 NZD

benjamin hubert honest insights rich brilliant willing creative chemistry power of process sketching vs. software

saturday in design design takes centre stage in sydney and singapore

design quarterly issue 43 spring 2011

inside word DQ Editor Alice Blackwood dq@indesign.com.au Art Direction

Senior Designer Emma Warfield emma@indesign.com.au Senior Designer Lauren Mickan lauren@indesign.com.au Junior Designer Frances Yeoland frances@indesign.com.au

I

Alice

Production Manager Sarah Djemal sarah@indesign.com.au Advertising Traffic / Office Administrator Kelly Pickett kelly@indesign.com.au Online Manager Rish Raghu rish@indesign.com.au Online Coordinator Ramith Verdheneni ramith@indesign.com.au Advertising Enquiries / Online Advertising Enquiries Dana Ciaccia (61 2) 9368 0150 dana@indesign.com.au

design quarterly people products parties

Contributing Writers Annie Reid, Anne-Maree Sargeant, Ben Morgan, Giovanna Dunmall, Kate Stokes, KT Doyle, Lisa Kappel, Marg Hearn, Mark Gambino, Nicky Lobo, Ola Bednarczuk, Paul McGillick, Peter Sackett, Ross Colebatch, Stephen Crafti CEO / Publisher Raj Nandan raj@indesign.com.au

benjamin hubert honest insights rich brilliant willing creative chemistry power of process sketching vs. software

2011 spring $9.00 aud $9.00 nZd

started thinking on this editor’s note from the departures lounge of Sydney airport, using my 15 minutes before boarding to reflect on what we’ve brought together in this issue, mentally collating the whirlwind of openings and awards presentations which took place in the week of Saturday in Design – not to mention the kaleidoscope of projects and installations discovered, and an impressive volume of new products, fresh to the Australian market.

The 2011 edition of SiD took place in Sydney this year, 19 – 20 August, and saw a record-breaking 90 exhibitors open their doors to the design public, staging some of the coolest installations and showroom displays yet.

They say the sun always shines for Saturday in Design and after a week of blustery weather, thankfully it did! The balmy day really transformed the event, bringing crowds out into the streets, fluorescent orange lanyards flying. Many showrooms took part in The Project – and here visitors were wowed with long leafy vines creeping up staircases and into showrooms, towering structures cleverly formed from removalists’ boxes, and elegantly dressed Mad Men-esque characters... to mention just a few!

The sheer size of the event, not to mention each and every action-packed showroom, can barely be contained within these pages. But we’ve made a really good go of it, with a special 16-page Saturday in Design section, starting page 49.

Also contained within this section is a complete run-down of the first ever Saturday in Design Singapore. This international debut really ramped up the long-time Australian event, with a completely fresh take on The Project, and the full steamy Singaporean climate driving design-goers indoors to cool off and get creative.

It’s really the input of every exhibitor that makes Saturday in Design what it is today, and we’ve used every DQ section to tease out those special elements underpinning the Sydney and Singapore events, while also taking the time to go deeper into specific highlights and stories.

In our People and Events sections we introduce you to visiting international designer, Benjamin Hubert (page 32), while also taking a closer look at Spiro Grace Art Rooms, who exhibited work by Singaporean and Brisbane-based designers as part of SiD Singapore (page 68). In Business we look at what the design industry has to offer within the flourishing Asian market (page 77), and investigate a series of new showrooms in Sydney’s revitalised AlexAndria precinct (pages 83–86).

In summing up what has been two highly successful events, I’d like to say how impressed I was by the beauty of presentation and immaculately styled product displays in each and every space at Saturday in Design – it made for a rich sensory experience, and most importantly a really fun day.

saturday in design design takes centre stage in sydney and singapore

Rebirth, The Project

by InterfaceFLOR for Saturday in Design, Sydney 2011 Photo: Mark Gambino Alice portrait photo: Michael Gazzola, Studio 11 Correction – DQ#42 Porcelanosa was featured on pages 4 – 5, and incorrectly listed in the DQ#42 Advertiser Index as Apollo Kitchens.

Published under licence by Indesign Publishing Pty Ltd ABN 96 101 789 262 Sydney Head Office L1, 50 Marshall Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 (61 2) 9368 0150, (61 2) 9368 0289 (fax) info@indesign.com.au indesignlive.com Subscriptions subscriptions@indesign.com.au AUSTRALIA $25 (inc GST) 1 year / $50 (inc GST) 2 years INTERNATIONAL $50AUD 1 year / $100AUD 2 years DQ is a wholly owned Australian publication, which is designed and published quarterly in Australia. DQ is available through subscription, at major newsagencies and bookshops nationally.

Subscriptions – never miss an issue by subscribing online at indesignlive.com, faxing us at (61 2) 9368 0289, or emailing subscriptions@indesign.com.au. Design Quarterly is a quarterly publication fed by who is doing what in the design industry, championing the personality behind design. It aims to promote and create the next generation of design as well as supporting those designers who are more established. The Editor accepts submissions from writers/photographers/illustrators for editorial consideration. We encourage those working in the design industry to submit news and announcements, so we can keep readers abreast of your new developments. Editorial submissions should be made out to the Editor alice@indesign.com.au. Any digital images should be supplied on CD at 300dpi with a minimum width of 15cm. Please also supply full contact details and captions with images. Contributions are submitted at the sender’s risk, and DQ cannot accept any loss or damage. Please retain duplicates of text and images. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any other means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise. The publishers assume no responsibility for errors or omissions or any consequences of reliance on this publication. The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the views of the editor, the publisher or the publication. Magazine Stock Our printer is Environmental Management System ISO14001:2004 accredited and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) chain of custody certified. Printing inks are vegetable based. Paper is environmentally friendly ECF (elemental chlorine free) and recyclable.

PA to Publisher Leanne Rogers leanne@indesign.com.au Editorial Director Paul McGillick editor@indesign.com.au Operations Manager Adele Troeger adele@indesign.com.au Financial Director Kavita Lala kavita@indesign.com.au Business Manager Darya Churilina darya@indesign.com.au Accounts Gabrielle Regan gabrielle@indesign.com.au Online Editor Ola Bednarczuk ola@indesign.com.au Events and Marketing Kylie Turner kylie@indesign.com.au Laura Sue-San laura@indesign.com.au Tegan Richardson tegan@indesign.com.au Hannah Kurzke hannah@indesign.com.au

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Events

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DESIGN QUARTERLY ISSUE DQ43 SPRING 2011

contents

25

Industry

SATURDAY IN DESIGN – full event coverage from Sydney and Singapore!

51

101 PARTIES

Saturday in Design Sydney

Saturday in Design Singapore Wilkhahn Poliform Australian International Design Awards

Launch Pad

Living Tiles

TAIT Outdoor 114

ON THE MOVE

116 DIARY

FEATURES 31 PEOPLE

Benjamin Hubert

Michael Jankie

Olivia Putman Container

Rich Brilliant Willing

Tide Design FormaFantasma 47 EVENTS Saturday in Design Sydney Launch Pad 2011 Saturday in Design Singapore State of Design Festival Spiro Grace Art Rooms FORM Project

36 REGULARS 12 Open Forum 14 News 16 News Bites 20 Products 26 Emerging Talent

75 BUSINESS

Report – Asian Connection

Comment – Brian Parkes Ke-Zu Gelosa

Cosh Living / Tsar / Tables,

Chairs & Workstations 91 between the

lines – the role of sketching 96 idea generation –

design thinking

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“ It’s having my own studio, controlling the process and doing something every day which is

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actually more like a hobby” Benjamin Hubert comments on his success as a designer, page 32

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NEWS

01 01 FURNITURE DESIGN

Whether it’s bathrooms or chairs, there’s a common sense of shape and sensuality to the Bouroullecs’ work.

It can take up to two years for a European-designed bathroom range to reach Australian shores – which makes the Axor Bouroullec range

by Erwan and Ronan Bouroullec a very new addition to the local market.

It’s exciting to have it here, and one thing’s for sure – we haven’t seen anything quite like it.

For the Bouroullec brothers, who work predominantly on furniture and furnishings, creating a bathroom range was an experimental, touchyfeely kind of process. “At the beginning we started with shapes that were more edgy,” says Erwan Bouroullec. “A turning point for us was to develop a shape with a more human element,” thus freeing the shapes to become more organic, soft and easily adaptable to the end user.

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In some ways, furniture is a lot easier to design, says Bouroullec.

“A bathroom collection is something that needs to be complete and considered as a world.” Tables and chairs, however, can be brought into this “world” somewhat independently.

“With furniture, we can try to provoke a space or disturb it partially.”

On the subject of furniture, the Bouroullecs have brought out a number of new pieces this year, including the ‘Osso’ for Mattiazzi. The seat base and back is fashioned from four ovular components, which come together in a way that resembles the wings of a Christmas Beetle.

“It’s made out of plain wood” fashioned into four panels. These panels are an efficient way of using less wood in order to make more shapes. It’s a chair borne of logic and character. “If you try to make a chair, but try to be inventive, you can really find a new character,” says Bouroullec.

RONAN & ERWAN BOUROULLEC info@bouroullec.com bouroullec.com

02 ECO DESIGN

One person’s trash was another person’s treasure at the inaugural Repair Workshops.

The theme of this year’s State of Design Festival was ‘design that moves’, and it’s safe to say that few other events moved quite like The Repair Workshops. They transported products from landfi ll, shifted understandings of ‘discardability’ and profoundly shook the perceptions of the public.

Presented by Emma Grace and Leyla Acaroglu, The Repair Workshops rescued three tonnes of discarded products destined for landfi ll and brought them to the historic Donkey Wheel House where

they were repaired or re-imagined

by Melbourne’s top artists, designers and technicians.

The public was then invited to view and bid on the works (with all proceeds donated to Environment Victoria), and encouraged to register their own broken items for repair.

“The driving force is about raising awareness and stimulating debate around the lack of repair that we have in society, and also the loss of control that we have as consumers over consumer goods,” explains Acaroglu.

Industrial design student Timothy Denshire-Key comments, “When something breaks I see it as a chance to reinvent it and give it my own character. There’s a bit of magic to taking something that people see as rubbish and then reusing it in some way.”

The finished pieces ranged from the practical, mesmerising and sophisticated to the downright wacky.

You can relive the journey of The Repair Workshops through the DQ video blog, available to watch on designquarterly.com.au.

THE REPAIR WORKSHOPS therepairworkshops.com

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03 03 furniture design

Lou Weis talks about a new joint project – Broached Commissions.

Cultivated under the creative directorship of Lou Weis, Broached Commissions taps into the Australian design scene, creating new avenues for creativity and, if all goes well, prosperity, within the local market. It’s a project which reflects on Australia’s rich – if short! – history, and fuses it with our contemporary culture and needs.

At present, it’s a partnership between Weis, and Australian designers Adam Goodrum, Trent Jansen and Charles Wilson.

“Relationships with each developed at different times,” explains Weis.

“We wanted a more sustained way of collaborating and when Trent and Adam requested I assist in finding a gallery for an exhibition of limited edition pieces, I responded by saying, ‘Why don’t we set up a brand and create new ranges, each one based on a different historical event in Australian history?’ Thankfully, they agreed.”

The first commission focusses on the Australian colonial period.

Curated by colonial and decorative arts expert, John McPhee, ‘Broached Colonial’ sees the addition of international guest designers, including Lucy McRae and Max Lamb, chosen for their adaptive re-use of found objects.

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The outcomes of this collection are pieces rich in historical reference yet quintessentially contemporary (and also Australian), in their visual vernacular. “Broached Commissions is based on extensive research into the limited edition bespoke furniture and object market. No such company exists in Australia currently,” says Weis. “We also see Broached as a content creator in the media sense; creating a digital and workshoporiented dialogue around the design investigations we initiate.”

Broached Colonial Commission is on show in Melbourne, 27 October – 6 November, and will be showing in Sydney, 10 – 20 November 2011.

Broached Commissions info@broachedcommissions.com broachedcommissions.com

“ Why don’t we set up a brand and create new ranges, each one based on an historical event in Australian history?”

Lou Weis

04 04 lighting design

Just because we can provide light, doesn’t mean we have to use it, says Mark Major.

In Sydney to present a keynote speech at the inaugural SPARC lighting event in June, Mark Major of Speirs + Major spoke of the importance of looking to nature when designing light. “We all have a connection with natural light that is inbuilt, and I think we’ve always used artificial lighting as a very blunt instrument,” Major explains. “The miracle with electric light was that it worked at all, and the fact that we can provide light doesn’t mean to say we have to. I think sometimes we forget at our peril as to why we’re even bothering to use it.”

Major and his practice find constant inspiration in natural

light, studying its effects and trying to replicate its subtlety. “There is something intrinsically emotionally beautiful about candlelight and firelight, and to a certain extent we try to get [this effect].”

Major is concerned that, as lighting technology continues to advance, designers will end up using more and more light and energy, to the detriment of our environment. “[Better technology] doesn’t necessarily mean that we will use less energy. I think we may just use more LEDs,” Major explains.

“I think we should be questioning the use of light. If we use less light, we will save energy. People are telling us to save energy; what I’m saying is no, save light. Debate with yourselves whether you actually need to use this much light. The quality of light is the issue, rather than the quantity of light, all the time, and the quantity of fittings.”

Speirs + Major (44 0) 20 7067 4700 speirsandmajor.com

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PRODUCTS 02 red carpet collection Luxury meets sustainability in the ‘Red Carpet Collection’. Available in 28 colourways across three patterns, in fashion tones of camel, grey, navy and luscious red. interfaceflor 1800 008 101 interfaceflor.com.au

03 Motif Experimenting with materials and light, ‘Motif’ is a hand-etched floating basin that reflects shadowed patterns on bench tops below. Available in three individual designs.

Omvivo (61 3) 9339 8130 omvivo.com

04 Spring Peeper On

Wheels

Look out ladies, Crumpler’s girly range is here! These travel bags feature an internal compression panel, a lockable main compartment and a smart wet pocket.

Crumpler (61 3) 9372 1204 crumpler.com

05 Chloe Curious as to why table legs are almost always single pieces, Helen Kontouris designed just the opposite.

‘Chloe’ is a centre-less legged table that demands a second look.

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Dedece (61 2) 9360 2722 dedece.com.au

02

06 Forest Arik Levy took inspiration from a tree in the wintertime, re-imagining it in a sculptural, functional form.

Chrome branch segments elevate the aesthetic appeal and allow for varying leg lengths.

03

Bernhardt Design (8 28) 759 6648 bernhardtdesign.com

07 Yanos Featuring ergonomic design and a modern look, ‘Yanos’ by Girsberger is fully adjustable to suit the needs and comforts of all users. Its back can be upholstered in fabric or leather.

Baseline (61 2) 9571 7333 baselinecf.com.au

01 Guggen Designed by Ligne Roset for New York’s Guggenheim Museum restaurant, the ‘Guggen’ transforms a casual meal into an impressive affair.

Now available for domestic use.

Domo (61 3) 9277 8888 domo.com.au

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08 SHELTER Dreamt up by design duo Busk + Hertzog, ‘Shelter’ is a statement piece that offers users a luxurious place of refuge. Ideal for foyers and breakout areas, the high back allows for private conversations or quiet relaxation.

09 JACK A bathroom collection that exudes real character, ‘Jack’ by Pom d’or uses straight lines and rounded angles to achieve an elegant but masculine effect. Includes a large range of bathroom accessories and mirrors.

INTERSTUDIO 1300 785 199 interstudio.com.au

ARGENT 1300 364 748 argentaust.com.au

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10 PEAS Even technology has a cute side.

Milanese studio Spalvieri/Del Ciotto has created this adorable ‘Peas’ USB hub to inject modern-day quirk into any computer space.

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TOP 3 BY DESIGN 1300 867 333 top3.com.au

11 WATCH OUT The ‘Watch Out’ pendant light brings a fun, modern twist to industrial aesthetics. Available in a variety of colours, it’s suitable for indoor and outdoor use.

OBJX (61 7) 3310 4767 objx.com.au

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11 12 TOUCH Born from a desire to collaborate with glass-blowing artisans, Ross Gardam’s ‘Touch’ light adapts to all uses and settings.

Available in pendant, chandelier and table versions.

ROSS GARDAM (61) 401 866 144 rossgardam.com.au

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PEOPLE rich brilliant willing

CREATIVE CHEMISTRY Melbourne designer Kate Stokes travels to New York for an action-filled internship with design studio Rich Brilliant Willing. She gives us an insight into their unique "design laboratory".

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ew York design studio Rich Brilliant Willing first caught my attention with their cheeky name and unorthodox approach to furniture design. As a relative newcomer to the industry, I suggested visiting the studio for a brief inter-hemispheric exchange – a rare opportunity to see behind the scenes of one of the United States' most exciting emerging design studios. My six-week sabbatical in New York was timed to coincide with the annual International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) held each May at the Javits Center.

Rich Brilliant Willing would be exhibiting there for the first time, as well as being involved in two satellite exhibitions, so my assistance during this exceptionally busy month was going to be most welcome.

The Rich Brilliant Willing studio is made up of three young, witty and talented designers who seem to have an almost fraternal camaraderie.

Theo Richardson, Charles Brill and Alex Williams met while studying industrial design together at the Rhode Island School of Design, and in 2007 they combined their last names and distinctive design processes to form Rich Brilliant Willing – and have not looked back since.

Working alongside Rich Brilliant Willing in their tiny studio provided a valuable insight into their early successes. I was exposed to their creative practice – a fluid and collaborative approach – as well as the business end of the studio's work, in manufacturing, retailing and marketing – all roles in which the three appear very comfortable.

Working in an off-the-cuff, laboratory-style process, Rich Brilliant Willing has had a dream run, receiving much acclaim from industry and media, and winning several awards during their start-up phase. Richardson humbly puts this down to “extreme luck”, but after working alongside Rich Brilliant Willing in their fifth-floor, Lower East Side Manhattan studio, it’s obvious that their success is attributed to much more than good fortune.

Their practice embodies a resourcefulness that radiates novelty

and freshness and they work hard at breaking with convention. These characteristics come through in much of their work; the clever use of ready-made components and the adaptability of the pieces themselves showcase the group’s enterprising dexterity. Four years after setting up the business, Rich Brilliant Willing has pieces in production with many reputable brands, such as Areaware, Artecnica, Innermost, Roll & Hill and SCP, as well as continuing to manufacture selected products in-house. It seems this is just the beginning of the studio’s luck as they continue to be approached by large, international companies, all vying for a piece of the innovative Rich Brilliant Willing edge.

The studio’s success continued during the 2011 ICFF where they picked up the award for Best New Designer and launched three new products, as well as adaptations of some old favourites. Their new 'Delta' lighting series, which takes inspiration from propulsion systems and rooftop vents, proved an instant success. It was a busy week for the studio, with all three designers hurrying between the Javits Center, NoHo design district and Park Avenue where they took part in two of the many satellite exhibitions that popped up throughout New York during ICFF. In collaboration with creative consultancy Partners & Spade, the studio presented an impressive solo exhibition of new work as well as displaying old prototypes, sketch models and manufacturing tools to demonstrate a deeper understanding of their design process. They also featured the 'Russian Doll' end table in a group exhibition, Night Stands, curated by Pin-Up magazine and hosted by art auctioneers Phillips de Pury.

It seems to be an important, transitional time for this innovative studio, which is working hard towards designing new products for several international brands, and there seems to be no sign of things slowing down in the near future.

Clockwise from top left » Rich Brilliant Willing » 'Light Without Darkness' » 'Excel' chandelier » 'Branch' chandelier

Rich Brilliant Willing (1) 212 388 1621 richbrilliantwilling.com

2A Whiting Street, Artamon NSW 2064, Australia +61 2 9906 1705 www.forestftt.com.au

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EVENTS SID SYDNEY – SURRY HILLS CENTRAL

“A mini village featured the Speakeasy, the Greenhouse and the Farmhouse – perfect for lounging and interacting”

SURRY HILLS CENTRAL Who: Art Hide; Hub Furniture Lighting Living; Kvadrat Maharam; Living Edge Residential Studio/ Launch Pad; Schiavello; Spence & Lyda; Streamline Products » Full coverage at designquarterly. com.au/surryhillscentral

Clockwise from top left » The Project by Art Hide with Simon Fallon » The Project

by Living Edge Residential Studio with Woods Bagot » The Village, The Project by Schiavello with HASSELL » ‘28’ lights by Bocci at Hub Furniture, Photos: John Doughty

from flat to originaldesignsonly.com ph: 0450 328 724

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EVENTS SID SYDNEY – REDFERN/WATERLOO

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Clockwise from top left » Studio Becker » Reading up on AU.THENTIC, The Project by TAIT Outdoor with studio one8one7 » ‘Hut’ pendant light by Autumn Products at Artisan Workshop » ‘Roofer’ by Benjamin Hubert at Great Dane, Photos: John Doughty

REDFERN/WATERLOO Who: Abey; Artisan Workshop – Autumn Products, DesignByThem, Inde; Great Dane; Hali Handmade Rugs; Prototype Commercial Furniture; Site 207 – Blinds by Peter Meyer, Nook Nook, Skheme, Wall Candy Wallpaper; Studio Becker; TAIT Outdoor » Full coverage at designquarterly. com.au/redfernwaterloo

Bring an Italian designer into your kitchen.

Armando Vicario. Established 1974. Gozzano, Italy.

Embodying the vision of Italy’s most renowned tapware designer, the stunning Armando Vicario collection is now available in Australia. Crafted in Italy, the Armando Vicario name is synonymous with tapware of meticulous quality, effortless functionality and unmistakable style.

View the Armando Vicario collection at an Abey showroom.

VIC 208 York St, South Melbourne 03 8696 4000 NSW 1E Danks Street, Waterloo 02 8572 8500 QLD 94 Petrie Terrace, Brisbane 07 3369 4777 WA 34 Walters Drive, Osborne Park 08 9446 8255

abey.com.au

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BUSINESS gelosa

KITCHEN COMFORTS A

n originator in the high-end kitchen market, Gelosa was the first to offer kitchens in the component form now considered an industry standard. Established in Australia in 1971 as an offshoot of the Italian parent company, Gelosa has since forged a reputation for innovation, and celebrates 40 years in the kitchen industry with its first stand-alone showroom.

“There was no such thing as a ‘kitchen’ when Gelosa began in Italy in 1908. It was an icebox, a meat chest, a kitchen table and a sink,” Russell Sloss explains of the origins of the brand. “The advent of refrigeration evolved kitchen design into an industry.

“Initially, we offered fully imported designs. We were the first company to offer kitchens as we know it today – particleboard construction that replaced more simplistic timber frame and plywood panel construction.” After introducing European quality and cutting-edge design to the Australian market, Gelosa began manufacturing locally, importing hardware, lacquer and veneer that combined with locally produced cabinetry.

“We’d previously shared our showroom with furniture companies,” Sloss explains of the motivation to

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have the company’s own showcase, having previously co-located with Nick Scali and Artes Studio, and then for a decade with Space Furniture in Flinders Street. “The move offered a perfect opportunity for us to display the latest smart appliances, smart drawers and cabinets with programmable electronics,”’ he continues, referring to electronically operated touch-to-open touch-toclose drawers.

“Wow factor” electronics aside, it is simplicity of design in Gelosa’s displays that have functionality triumphing over flashy design. Colour palettes throughout span white through to warm coffee tones, with a combination of neutral materials.

Island benches, some with eat-in table extension, and integrated open storage feature flat, square doors, vertical and horizontal shadow lines, (traditionally, only horizontal were available), and thick, chunky-end panels. Contrasting colour can be seen in veneers or bench tops.

“We display the trends we see in Europe; engineered stone, bench tops manufactured from crushed quartz and resin; also natural stones, marble, in particular,” Sloss continues, explaining that marble teamed with stainless steel is in demand. “We import Artinox

stainless steel bench tops, used by elite companies like Boffi, Arclinea and Bulthaup. We’re one of a handful using water-based polyurethane lacquers that are Green Certified in Europe. By removing toxins, it minimises impact on both fabricators and end-users. I guess that’s what sets us apart from other kitchen companies,” Sloss concludes.

But it’s not just about kitchens, Gelosa is the distributor for Futura, a leader in the sofa bed industry and is renowned for seating with adjustable components, all with patented mechanisms. The 100-odd sofas in the catalogue alone are their own separate story!

Text by Anne-Maree Sargeant

Gelosa Address: 35/69 O’Riordan Street Alexandria, NSW, 2015 Phone: (61 2) 9380 6100 Showroom opened: December 2010 Designer: Gelosa with Tom Nugent Size: 220m2 » gelosa.com.au

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FEATURE DESIGN PROCESS

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Peter Sackett reflects on the importance of hand sketching in design practice, and asks: Are we losing an old-fashioned skill that, as yet, has no high-tech equal?

Clockwise from top left » Table by Damien Wright » Sketches by Damien Wright

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welve years ago, I entered an architectural design competition for fun. I had conjured an idea to transform an existing elevated freeway in Seattle, where I lived, into a linear airborne park. I wasn’t an architect, but a designer, and close friend from Vancouver, Christopher Small, joined me. Small is a dervish with pen and paper, drawing real and imagined spaces effortlessly and with alarming speed. We shut ourselves indoors for a couple of days and hammered out our presentation board.

On judgement day, our handsketched entry hung on the wall of a local gallery for official and public inspection, surrounded by two dozen others – crisp, computer-refined architectural renderings with lists of impressive-looking technical data. They looked serious. Real.

Ours appeared, well… homemade; our idea was embryonic and had questionable architectural merit; structures had blurred, had fuzzy edges and loose ends; the viewer’s perspective was probably spatially implausible. But our scheme possessed undeniable energy and verve, and was perhaps the only entry true to its level of development.

People, we noticed, had gathered around it, smiling. Despite our low-tech approach, in the end we won an award. Our submission was

essentially just one big sketch – light on specifics, heavy on effect – that allowed our idea to take root in the mind and reach for nothing more.

In design circles, there’s constant murmuring about sketching – focussed increasingly on the act rather than the art – and its importance for nurturing good ideas into better products. With a sophisticated, shrewdly-marketed array of digital programs now available for producing drawings formerly rendered with mere pen and paper, educators and practitioners alike speak of sketching wistfully, as if it were a noble tradition on the brink of extinction, the way a diehard audiophile might bemoan the demise of vinyl records—but with seriousness that goes beyond nostalgia, and verges on alarm. So, are we losing an old-fashioned skill that, as yet, has no high-tech equal?

Graham Paver thinks so. Paver, 60, is recently retired as Head of Industrial Design at the University of Newcastle, and believes sketching as an integrated part of the design process is indeed threatened.

With the dulcet enunciation of a gentleman professor, he describes the problem. “Anyone who can use Adobe Illustrator thinks they’re a graphic designer,” he says. “It’s wrong. They can make drawings, but that doesn’t mean they’re capable of

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idea generation Ross Colebatch of Object Australian Centre for Craft and Design unpacks the very meaning of “design thinking” and explores the idea and practice of design thinking within a series of different situations and contexts.

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he design community is currently much abuzz about the concept of design thinking. Bandied about by international heavyweights from Bruce Mau to Paul Bennett, even if structurally sound, the label is dismissed by many as nothing more than the latest trend. For, what is design thinking if not the application of tried and tested design principles such as collaboration, ideation, prototyping and testing failure?

Over the last decade, design thinking has been embraced by governments, major corporations and leading design agencies worldwide. From the seeming simplicity of the “hot-desking” format employed at Macquarie Bank’s new Australian headquarters to the coordinated global initiative that is Mau’s Massive Change Network, design thinking is bringing the use of this designer skill set into areas away from the traditional understanding of “design” – that is, design of material objects, structures and items, whether functional or luxurious.

Away from the notion of improving products and processes within the traditional design world, some of the most innovative and exciting applications of design thinking are happening in the areas of business, education and social innovation.

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Since the 2004 revolution of the Massive Change exhibition in Canada, extended programs such as the British Design Council’s year-long Designs Of The Times 2007 (DOTT 07), have moved into the piloting and practical application of design thinking, particularly within education and design. Closer to home, Australian institutions are at last beginning to grasp the importance and value of the integration of these practices.

The University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) is one such institution, introducing a design thinking subject into its design school, and making it compulsory for all firstyear students. It not only teaches students the tenets of the discipline at the beginning of their formal design education, but it strives actively to demonstrate the process through a three-day design “camp” or workshop, taking the students to Cockatoo Island on Sydney Harbour for three days of hands-on, collaborative and trans-disciplinary design projects. Additionally, the UTS Business School has incorporated design thinking into its MBA program, soon to be housed in its visually arresting Frank Gehry-designed building in Ultimo.

Perhaps most important, however, is the introduction of these

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FEATURE DESIGN THINKING

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Clockwise from top left » Agents of Change project by Digital Eskimo, Photo: Scott Nolan » Visualisations of the considered design process by Digital Eskimo

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PARTIES SATURDAY IN DESIGN SINGAPORE

01 Karen Lim, Jo Soh, Norman Leung, Nik Lee, guest 02 Ashleigh Clark, Kristian Hunt, Chris Rogers 03 Guests with Mikael Poulsen 04 Will & Rebecca Forwood with guest 05 Jo Turner, Kamlesh Malkani, Stefan Diez 06 Celebrating with friends 07 Eva Voycheva, Nicholas McMicking 08 Guests smile for the camera 09 Bryan Steendÿk, Frank Chen, Laura Wakelam, Norman Johnson 10 Richard Munao, Felix Low & Alec Wong

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SATURDAY IN DESIGN SINGAPORE What: SiD Singapore Closing Party Where: red dot design museum, Singapore When: May 2011 Guests: VIP clients, architects & designers, international guests including Stefan Diez Contact: (61 2) 9368 0150 » saturdayindesignsingapore.com

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SINGAPORE SPECIAL

“Almost 600 people turned out to celebrate the first ever Saturday in Design in Singapore”

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