RMIT Mace - Australian survey 1854-2012.

Australiana magazine has recently published, over two issues, a comprehensive survey by Christine Erratt  - Ceremonial maces of Australian universities. The survey chronologically covers each mace beginning in 1854 with the University of Sydney and providing details of the yet to be completed Charles Darwin University. RMIT alumni dominate the list of designers with Stuart Devlin ( Melbourne University and La Trobe University) Helmut Luekenhausen (Swinburne University) Ray Stebbins (Victoria University) and Ian Wong (RMIT University) all receiving commissions.   

RMIT University ceremonial mace designed by industrial designer Ian Wong

Ceremonial maces of Australian universities article in Australiana magazine by Christine Erratt

Ceremonial maces designed by RMIT alumni Ian Wong, Ray Stebbins and Helmut Luekenhausen shown in article in Australiana magazine.

Melbourne University mace designed by RMIT alumnus Stuart Devlin AO. 1966

LaTrobe University mace designed by Stuart Devlin. 1969

http://lueckenhausen.com

IMAGES BY CHRISTINE ERRATT

www.parkerpressbooks.com.au

Monash University Industrial Design - Blue Sky

The vivid blue sky at Monash University Caulfield campus this week welcomed Professor Mark Armstrong to Melbourne and to his new role as the Eva and Marc Besen International Chair in Design in the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture. Mark has begun to use his industry knowledge and contacts to contribute to Monash University’s design-based research capability and the position is structured in such a way as to allow Mark to continue his very hands on role at his design consultancy Blue Sky.

Associate Professor Arthur de Bono welcomes to Monash University the Eva and Marc Besen International Chair in Design, Professor Mark Armstrong.

Iconic Olympic torch designed by Mark Armstrong and Blue Sky for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

Michele de Lucchi - Milan Design Week

I was fortunate to be invited to attend the Domus Academy Winter School at RMIT in the early 1990s and even more fortunate to have Michele de Lucchi as a tutor. The exhibition Sampete Com'e - You know how it is in Ventura Lambrate featuring his work was a must see whilst trying the impossible, to see all that is on show, during the Design Week in Milan.

Michele de Lucchi - exhibition Sampete Com'e - You know how it is 

Milan Design Week 2012.

Domus Academy Winter School presentation by industrial designer Ian Wong to Michele de Lucchi and Adrea Branzi. 1991.

Marc Pascal - Paff Clock

RMIT industrial design alumnus Marc Pascal designed the Paff clock in 1996.

Paff clock designed by RMIT industrial design alumnus Marc Pascal.

City of Melbourne Christmas Tree - Mother's Art

Mother's Art Productions produced a huge variety of objects, sets and props over many years. The City of Melbourne Christmas Tree was just one of the huge number of projects but over many years it contributed to our celebrations of Christmas in Melbourne as it stood in the City Square on the corner of Collins and Swanston Streets.

City of Melbourne Christmas Tree - Mother's Art Productions

Ian Dryden - Christmas in Melbourne

Industrial designer Ian Dryden's designs for innovative christmas decorations for Melbourne have been a feature of Christmas in the City for many years.

Bourke Street Mall with Christmas Decorations by Ian Dryden.

Christmas Stars in Melbourne by industrial designer  Ian Dryden

Tooling for City of Melbourne Christmas Stars

Moulding process of City of Melbourne Christmas Stars.

Christmas Markets - Jim Samartgis

Sunday Markets at Fed Square over the past two weekends have showcased a lot of local design and craft, with several items under our tree as a result. This luchbox designed in 1994 by industrial designer Jim Samartgis has found a new life as a cash box for a stall holder and was full of all our Christmas pennies. I was working with Jim on the edp Powerladder Series 2 around the time he designed this product range for TREND Australia.

Trend luchbox designed by Jim Samartgis.

Design registration drawing for lunchbox base designed by industrial designer Jim Samartgis.

Design registration drawings for lunchbox lid designed by industrial designer Jim Samartgis.

Concept sketch by Jim Samartgis for edp Series 2 Powerladder.

edp Powerladder Series 2 development by ejo. Industrial designers Jim Samartgis and Ian Wong.

RMIT Mace - RMIT Graduation Ceremony

The exhibition is over, results are in and so students and their families will soon attend the RMIT Graduation Ceremony. It was an honour in 1992 to have the opportunity to design the mace for RMIT University.

RMIT Mace designed by industrial designer Ian Wong in 1992.

RMIT Ceremonial Mace designed by Ian Wong in 1992. 

STILL - Yates 9 Litre Watering Can 21st birthday.

The Yates 9 litre watering can designed in 1990 by Blue Sky Design featured in an article by Colin Wood on Australian design in Issue 28 of DesignWorld magazine. Despite our recent drought and huge competition it continues to demand shelf space after 21 years and was featured in the exhibition STILL09. Happy 21st!

Yates 9L watering can featured in Issue 28 DesignWorld magazine.

Yates 9L watering can designed by Blue Sky Design celebrates 21 years in store.

STILL09 Exhibition curated by Ian Wong

STILL09 exhibition timeline detail featuring Yates 9L watering can by Blue Sky Design. 

Monaro - Australian design icon

The theatre of the 1998 Sydney Motor Show release of the Michael Simcoe designed Holden Monaro is legendary. This metallic orange one looked fantasic today in the bright sunshine and will find its way into the digital presentation as part of the ORANGE exhibition.

Mr Wong...it's Mr Wong

To my surprise and delight I received an email today titled...Dropped in for a visit....

The spooky thing is that it was from industrial designer Andrew Wong who I had only minutes before mentioned in my last post. Andrew was one of my students at Swinburne University who lives in Germany and works for Frog Design. We managed to meet up for a beer, a meal and terrific catchup.

Frog Design is iconic as an industrial design consultancy and for many Australian industrial designers it was the full page advertisements on back covers of magazines like UK Design and our own Design World that enchanted us all. The identity, the photography and art direction, the projects and the clients constantly amazed.

The copy of Issue 11 1986 of Design World has the classic Apple IIc and perhaps is burned into my memory more than most. This issue included the Baker Perkins Mini Rotel Oven that I designed with John Westwood in the Australian Industrial Design Survey for that year. 1986 was my first year out of University and the Mini Rotel was one of my first products in production. This copy of Design World is also an issue with many classic designs from consultancies like Designlab, PA and Nielsen Design that featured in the exhibition STILL09.

 Frog Design full page back cover advertisement on Design World magazine featuring the Apple IIc

www.frogdesign.com

Concept sketches - Kate Bissett Johnson

RMIT alumnus Kate Bissett Johnson is an outstanding industrial designer and design educator and has in particular demonstrated and developed concept design sketching skills amongst students at RMIT and Swinburne Universities. Kate graduated the year after me and was a GMH award winner for best second year student whilst at RMIT. The project shown here is from her period as a consultant designer with Catalyst and this Nylex jug was featured in STILL09 and is still in production. We worked together at RMIT and also more recently on several VEIL projects.

Concept sketches by industrial designer Kate Bissett Johnson.

Nylex Eski jug designed by Catalyst.