LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Lucy Feagins, The Design Files
Well, it’s been a year. Since The Design Files first launched in 2008, innovative and change-making designers and creatives have been a constant theme. We’ve concerned ourselves with seeking out and elevating the work of Australia’s most inspiring creatives - those clever architects, designers, and makers whose work contributes so much to the mood and culture of the time. As passionate champions of Australia’s design and creative industries, this year has left us, at best, a little flummoxed. In the midst of a global pandemic, where scientific and medical data has become an obsessive focus of our daily lives, it’s easy to question where creativity fits in. After all, as the old adage goes ‘we’re not saving lives’. But creativity is crucially important. The zeitgeist can be defined as ‘the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history, as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time.’ So often, this ‘spirit’ manifests throughs creativity. It is the spaces, buildings and neighbourhoods we design, build and inhabit, the studios, shops, galleries, and restaurants we gather within, the art, objects and imagery that we create and share. Our collective creative output matters, because these projects, big and small, become our most tangible legacy. So, unquestionably, 2020 has tested us all, and the challenges of this year are likely to be with us for some time to come. But we must continue to celebrate, champion and support those creatives, studios and individuals who have the bold ideas and necessary courage to continue creating, to continue shaping our culture, and building the world around us. The Design Files + Laminex Design Awards presents an opportunity to acknowledge the most exciting creative happenings in Australia each year. Thank you for being part of it! Lucy Feagins Founder & Editor The Design Files
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