As the major media partner for Launch Pad 2012, we’re reconnecting with the many Australian designers who have entered, been shortlisted, and become finalists in past Launch Pad programs.

As part of our Launch Pad Case Files Reopened series, today we share the story behind Ross Gardam’s studio.

Ross, who is a [...]]]>

As the major media partner for Launch Pad 2012, we’re reconnecting with the many Australian designers who have entered, been shortlisted, and become finalists in past Launch Pad programs.

As part of our Launch Pad Case Files Reopened series, today we share the story behind Ross Gardam’s studio.

Ross, who is a Melbourne-based industrial designer, has entered into Launch Pad a number of times with products such as Packaged Glow.

Today his latest collection, entitled Half Full, is stocked through Stylecraft…

Photo by Michael Gazzola

It was an inherent passion for industrial design that saw Ross Gardam switch from a career as an interior designer to a furniture and lighting designer.

Inspired by manufacturing processes and the way materiality affects how people interact with objects, Gardam began designing for the commercial market in 2007, exploring new applications for a range of materials.

“An industrial design degree solidified my passion,” Gardam says.

“Working on new designs still gives me a buzz. The creative process does become a little all-encompassing at the early stages of a new design, and passion can get blurred with obsession.”

The obsession paid off, with Gardam’s products receiving industry acclaim.

Flat Jack, a storage unit created from a single sheet of CNC cut x-board, was produced in limited number and sold between 2008 and 2010.

Ply High, a table constructed from just 2 sheets of ply, won best sustainable product in the IDEA award in 2010.

Both products also gained Gardam a Launch Pad finalist spot, as did Packaged Glow in 2009, a foam light that went on to be produced in a limited edition and was consequently sold out.

Since then, the momentum has kept on rolling.

“My career progression has been planned to a degree; I always have goals and aspirations and when I reach them they seem to get rapidly replaced with new ones,” Gardam says.

Last year saw Gardam launch the Half Full Collection, an FSC certified range of timber benches, tables and stools with a playful appearance and cheeky optimism, sold in Australia through Stylecraft.

Photo by Haydn Cattach

He also launched Touch, a lighting range made of spun aluminium and hand blown glass, which saw him explore new processes and work with an artisan glass-blower.

Photos of Touch lights by Michael Gazzola

Gardam is now working on new products set to be released at Melbourne’s Saturday in Design in August.

A staunch supporter of the local design industry, he acknowledges the importance of initiatives that bring designers exposure to the right audiences, showcasing the immense talent we have in Australia.

“I am a big believer in supporting local design,” he says.

“If an Australian product can compete on form, function and price with an imported product, then spec it.

“It is likely to come with a number of other advantages, such as shorter lead-times, local sustainable certification, local product stewardship, and not to mention supporting the Australian manufacturing industry.”

Ross Gardam
rossgardam.com.au

Above and hero – Making of the Touch lights

You could say Billy Blue live design as much as they teach it, having [...]]]> The Billy Blue College of Design recently launched in Melbourne, meaning Victorian-based students can now study design in a whole range of areas including Communication Design, Branded Fashion, Digital Media Design, Residential Design, Commercial Interiors and more.

You could say Billy Blue live design as much as they teach it, having recently teamed up with artist and design studio, Pandarosa, to create a 12 metre installation – produced on the spot as part of their Melbourne Open Day.

The Melbourne campus is located in Little Collins Street in Melbourne’s CBD, and it was here that people could witness Pandarosa creating a permanent outdoor mural to “activate the facility’s ‘communal’ area.”

As the Pandarosa team says: “The ideology behind the composition was one of dialogue and conversation through the depiction of a cumulous structure… similar to the way ideas [can] evolve as a consequence of critical discussion.

“The installation process entailed a variety of application and removal stages in which different layers of imagery were applied towards the final composition.”

“The initial phase involved the ’tilling’ of 42 individual A0 paper sheets, which together composed a singular image.

“These were then administered to a selective application of colour; chalkboard paint within the confides of the overall image.”

“Lastly various ‘white’ sections were removed from the structure, thus allowing the detachment of its original ‘bounding’ rectangular frame, into a more fluid & morphing form.”

Read up on Billy Blue and their available courses here.

And you can check out other work by Pandarosa here.

A few more images of projects by Pandarosa below –

“I’ve always known that I wanted to do something creative,” says Coco Reynolds, industrial designer and founder of design company Marz Designs.

“A career in industrial design is very varied and there is little time to be bored because one is constantly learning and experimenting. For a person like me who [...]]]>

“I’ve always known that I wanted to do something creative,” says Coco Reynolds, industrial designer and founder of design company Marz Designs.

“A career in industrial design is very varied and there is little time to be bored because one is constantly learning and experimenting. For a person like me who can’t sit still, it has been the perfect choice.”

Studio

Taking inspiration from the people she meets, from travelling and seeing things from new perspectives, Reynolds has developed into a versatile designer who isn’t afraid to try her hand at new things.

She was a Launch Pad finalist in 2011 with her Thread floor lamp, a simple concept with a raw, edgy aesthetic.

Thread light

“The Thread light uses a conventional thread mechanism but applied on a larger scale, which re-works an ordinary device into a new context,” Reynolds says.

“The concrete base caters for 2 lengths of threaded rod that can be screwed in to suit; the thread of the post also enables easy adjustment of both the height and direction of light.

It’s very simple in construction and it can be quickly and easily assembled on site by the end user.”

The prototype is now on display at He Made She Made concept gallery on Sydney’s Oxford Street, which allows Reynolds to display her product as a made-to-order item, gage feedback from the public and produce her design in small quantities.

For an emerging designer, the leap from prototype to product can be a tricky one, which is why initiatives supporting young designers are vital to bringing them extra publicity and helping them forge relationships within the industry.

To further develop and strengthen the design industry in Australia, however, what we need is a shift in thinking within our governments, says Reynolds.

“We need to work towards being a clever country… look to Sweden and other countries that support their creative industries.

“The spin-off is that by recognising the value of and supporting design industries, [governments] embrace new technology, which helps to underpin the economies.

“They are forward thinking, rather than clinging to old technologies and ways of doing things.”

SLOT (flat pack) chair

Next for Reynolds is a collaboration with design studio &Company, which sees her developing a range of glass-blown kitchen products.

“It’ s been a challenging design process because I’m not familiar with working with glass and the production processes, so I am learning as I go,” Reynolds says.

“But this is the nature of industrial design; there is always something to learn, whether it be old technology or cutting-edge new.”

Twirl table lamps

Marz Designs
marzdesigns.com

Read more about our Launch Pad finalists and talented Australian designers.

Youtube was still in its early days, and the iTunes video store had just a few channels available.

Recognising the potential of reaching people through alternative modes of broadcasting, Apostola called up his [...]]]> Andrew Apostola was travelling around the United States in 2005 when Apple launched its first iPod with video capability.

Youtube was still in its early days, and the iTunes video store had just a few channels available.

Recognising the potential of reaching people through alternative modes of broadcasting, Apostola called up his friend Simon Goodrich and the pair developed a concept for audiences to access quality video online.

It all started with the Portable Film Festival, which aimed to challenge the conventional notion of a film festival (2009 saw the launch of Portable.tv, the daily blog version of the film fest).

Next came an event series which has grown to become Portable Talks, travelling seminar sessions featuring thought leaders from the creative industries.

Portable’s upcoming seminar is perhaps the most topical yet. Entitled Product Design 2012, the session will explore what it means to develop products in the digital age, when our conventional ideas of what a product can be have undergone a radical shift.

“We’ve had a liberation in things like video and sound,” Apostola says. “People can easily make these [products]. Traditional notions of what a product is are being challenged.”

Whereas product designers once needed a design background to create physical things, “now we’re moving into an area where digital and online products are becoming much more popular and accessible… you can create them and exhibit them.”

“There are so many good multi-million dollar ideas out there that most people don’t know need solving, or haven’t been solved yet,” he continues, giving the online ticketing service Eventbrite as an example, as well as the work of Leni Mayo and Shainiel Deo, both of whom will present at Portable Presents Product Design 2012.

Portable Presents Product Design 2012 takes place in Brisbane on Tuesday 14 February, Sydney on Wednesday 15 February and Melbourne on Thursday 16 February.

Would you like to attend the Portable Product Design event? Get 15% off the normal ticket price by entering the letters DQ in the promotional code bar! Click here to buy your tickets now.

We can’t help but quote the ACCA website here, talking about Pipilotti – “Her works are epic and lush and [...]]]> Take a squizz at this exhibition, I Packed the Postcard in my Suitcase by Swiss artist Pipilotti Rist, which has just opened at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art in Melbourne.

We can’t help but quote the ACCA website here, talking about Pipilotti – “Her works are epic and lush and often deal with issues related to gender, sexuality and the human body, but in a way that evokes a sense of unadulterated happiness and innocence.”

Installed in the space are a series of central platforms, constructed from Desso carpet tiles, which provide a cushy resting place for visitors to lay back and behold the magical fusion of light and colour projected onto the ceilings and walls.

This is Pipilotti’s first show in Australia and is a real immersion of light, colour and surface within space.

I Packed the Postcard in my Suitcase is open at ACCA until 4 March 2012.

accaonline.org.au
desso.com

This issue we’ve extended ourselves further than ever, with a flip cover edition of the Australian International Design Awards Yearbook for 2011.

Herewithin you’ll find some of the most outstanding designs in Australia today.

Better yet, we’ve used [...]]]> What better way to start your year, than with DQ – hot off the press?!

This issue we’ve extended ourselves further than ever, with a flip cover edition of the Australian International Design Awards Yearbook for 2011.

Herewithin you’ll find some of the most outstanding designs in Australia today.

Better yet, we’ve used this issue to look beyond the 2011 Design Award winning products, to unearth the stories behind the designers, studios, and products themselves.

This includes a feature on the business of designing for summer industries – such as beach and surf – and takes us from ritzy umbrellas through to wave-skimming surf boards.

The Finless Surfboard designed by Tom Wegener for Global Surf Industries – a 2011 Design Award recipient.

Mi-Casa Su Casa umbrella by Basil Bangs.

Among our top Profiles this issue are interviews with the Head of Roll & Hill lighting (pictured in our hero image).

Roll & Hill work with both established and emerging designers, producing lighting for interiors that carries a subtle yet distinctive industrial aesthetic – available in Australia through Space Furniture.

The Agnes Chandelier by Roll & Hill.

Other lead interviews include Tokujin Yoshioka, who came out to Australia to launch ‘Waterfall’ in Sydney; here we ask him about the ethereality and spirituality inherent in his work…

Tokujin Yoshioka: Waterfall / Photo: Paul Green, 2011. Image courtesy Tokujin Yoshioka and Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation.

As part of our regular events coverage we hit the London Design Festival for some out-of-this-world installations, and stop in at the Copenhagen Design Week, to get a sense of the city’s charismatic design scene and unique urban culture.

Timber Wave by AL_A and Arup, photo by Susan Smart.

Copenhagen Design Week, photos by Nicolai Perjesi Photography.

Also headlining this issue is our Annual Trend Report, where we speak with 5 leading trend forecasters to find out where society and design are taking us in 2012.

You can get a headstart on this feature online, with our interview with Pantone here.

Wall panels by FORM US WITH LOVE and TRÄULLIT, available in Australia through Fred, photo by Jonas Lindström.

Brooch from Botanical Fictions by Vicki Mason

And if you’re still hungry for more, then there’s always the DQ Products and Parties, not to mention our news feed and more…

Sensory enthusiasts hook up to the new O2 Oxygen Bar in Sydney.

Artist and designer Patricia Harper releases ‘Staccato’, a range of art screens for internal and external use.

Interior designer and artist, Emma Coulter, shares her temporary Berlin studio with us.

Wilkhahn launch their new Brisbane showroom in true Oktoberfest style.

Helen Kontouris is named an Indesign Luminary, and releases her ‘Panier’ stools with Space Furniture.

Subscribe to DQ today!

Preview the magazine online here.

As you’ll see from her findings below, Pantone points to an increased use of colour confidence in the home thanks to the alignment of fashion and interior palettes trends.

Home furnishings are increasingly being linked to fashion trends, lead times [...]]]> Thanks to the talented Anna Flanders for her trend report from Pantone.

As you’ll see from her findings below, Pantone points to an increased use of colour confidence in the home thanks to the alignment of fashion and interior palettes trends.

Home furnishings are increasingly being linked to fashion trends, lead times between the two are narrowing and that’s driving the march of more colour into our interiors, according to Pantone’s vice-president of fashion, home and interiors Laurie Pressman.

“With so much colour in fashion right now, people are getting more comfortable with seeing and wearing it.

“So, as people continue to spend more time at home, this comfort has translated into colour being used as a way to liven up their living spaces,” she says.

Dress by Matthew Williamson, from ‘Vegetable Garden’ Stylesight runway analysis

Clothes by Haider Ackermann, from ‘Vegetable Garden’ Stylesight runway analysis

“We are seeing bolder shades and novel colour combinations showing up in a big way in some very unexpected places, like countertop appliances and seating.

Fab fridges by Smeg, pictured in Smeg Melbourne showroom

‘Spool’ chairs by Keisuke Fujiwara, courtesy of the designer

‘Bauple’ bowls by Husque, photo by Florian Groehn

“However, when it comes to higher ticket furniture or floor and window treatments, we are still seeing more neutral shades playing a big role.

“The key is to mix the playful with the practical.”

Pantone’s latest interior palettes range from a conservative, relaxing and quiet Nonchalance, which features pastel pinks, ethereal blues, soft egret white, taupe, gray and grape tones, to an attention-grabbing Back to the Fucshia colourway, which features reds, purples, pinks and a peridot.

Clothes by CNC Costume National, ‘Bubblegum’ Stylesight Runway Flash Trend Alert

Carpet tiles by Julie Paterson, of Cloth, with InterfaceFLOR: The Project, Saturday in Design 2011, photo by Mark Gambino

Fabric designs by Regina Wilson, photo by Andrew Cowan, courtesy of Koskela

However, a stand-out trend is the continued international presence of metallics and woodgrains, used on their own or together.

“The natural warmth of the wood plays into our need for sturdiness, security and comfort while the shiny metallic finish speaks to technology and is futuristic.

“The combination of these two opposite materials serves as a balance, though its contemporary feeling seems better suited for a more modern space,” Laurie says.

Image from Nomad by Sibella Court, published by Chronicle Books

Wall drawers by Bassam Fellows, available in Australia through Living Edge

Ingrain Pewter by Axolotl

Japanese folding screen, and detail, by Maio Motoko, recently on show at Lesley Kehoe Galleries

Pantone discerns its trend colours, combinations and stylings through observations of the natural world and influences that will impact the world in the future, such as social issues, the economy, technology, lifestyles and playstyles, diversions, entertainments and the needs, moods, fantasies and aspirations of consumers.

For more on colour and directional trends, pick up DQ#44 to read our annual Trend Report.

This issue we interview four leading trend forecasters who present their directions for 2012-13.

Please note: All the images pictured are inspiration shots, sourced by DQ. Special thanks go to Pantone for providing the amazing trend information presented here.

Hero image: Wall panels by FORM US WITH LOVE and TRÄULLIT, available in Australia through Fred, photo by Jonas Lindström

There’s a depth and richness of colour and light in his work that envelopes the viewer.

He photographs for some of our more iconic Australian design studios, including Derlot and Husque, and larger [...]]]> We really like Florian Groehn’s photographic work – it straddles a spread of product, interior, architecture, advertising and more.

There’s a depth and richness of colour and light in his work that envelopes the viewer.

He photographs for some of our more iconic Australian design studios, including Derlot and Husque, and larger brands such as Nikon, Braun, Virgin Blue, Australia Post and much more.

Here Florian shares a few insights into his work…

“I work across a few genres, from conceptual advertising to architecture, product and fashion, so I have great diversity in my work.

“I see this time, following the digital revolution in photography, as a great opportunity to offer a unique style solution to various types of clients.”

“I like to tell stories within my pictures.

“It’s not so much a certain category of subject, more the exploration of concepts and objects.

“Whether the subject is product, architecture or people, this objective applies, and I get excited in the process of realising it.”

“My work balances intensity and drama, which I create with light and shade.

“My approach is to study the subject intensely and visually interpret the feeling it evokes in me.

“To bring that emotion to life I use various techniques of ambiance and angle.

“My primary tool is light. The right light (created or found) excites me about any subject.”

“One of my longest standing clients and friends is industrial designer Alexander Lotersztain of Derlot.

“I have worked with Alex for more than 6 years now.

“I have photographed every design in his collection and we have always tried to take it into different contexts and tell stories sometimes not necessarily about the product itself…

“Throughout the years we have developed a brand style a bit like fashion photography for furniture.

“I want the photography to express the creative process at the core of the product, as this is the essence beyond the actual matter, with which the consumer identifies in the ultimate product.”

This image below is of Marc Harrison’s Husque bowls – also featured in DQ#44.

There’s so much more of Florian’s work to be seen and you can contact him via his website, or agency Sam I Am.

Florian Groehn
floriangroehn.com

Leon studied at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, working across manufacturing, R&D and consultancy, before establishing his own studio in 2003.

Now based in London, [...]]]> Here’s a great story about an Aussie taught furniture/industrial designer – Leonhard Pfeifer – who produces furniture and home accessories from his studio in London.

Leon studied at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, working across manufacturing, R&D and consultancy, before establishing his own studio in 2003.

Now based in London, he produces work for retail and contract markets for clients across Europe, the UK and further abroad.

Leon also designs bespoke furniture pieces and one-off pieces – here’s some of his latest work.

Designed by Leon in 2011, and manufactured by Woodman, Estonia, the Ravenscroft desk is a study in functionality, essentiality of form and purity of materials.

It has a striking appeal and, unlike many desks which tend to be pushed up against a wall or hemmed in by room dividers, the Ravenscroft can comfortably stand alone.

Low shelf and cable access slots integrate technology into form.

The wide desktop with its angled nooks offers space for paperwork and filing.

The Eigen coat rack, with its playful geometric form, has plenty of space for jackets and bags, hats, scarves, and more.

Talk about attractive storage solutions!

(Also manufactured by Woodman).

The highly flexible Hyde bench is a great household item with multiple uses – whether that be a coffee table, TV unit, side table, storage space for shoes or towel – it can even sit at the end of your bed and store your blankets.

The Oak finish reflects the elegant form and compact foot-print; manufactured by Woodman, designed by Leon in 2011.

Check out some of Leon’s other recently launched products here.

Leonhard Pfeifer
studio@leonhardpfeifer.com
leonhardpfeifer.com