Report : Launch event Report Date: 9am to 1pm Friday, 3 September 2010 Venue: Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House NSW 2000 [ 1 ] : Launch Event Report The Australian Design Alliance [AdA] has evolved through a collaborative participation over many months, by many individuals and many associations to establish the Alliance’s role as the peak body for design in Australia. Australia now has a reference point for design issues to facilitate the work of government, industry, education and the private sector. The Australian Design Alliance is an incorporated, not for profit association. It comprises the following stakeholders (details Appendix 1): – Australian Craft and Design Centres (ACDC) – Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA) – Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) – Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) – Australian International Design Awards, Standards Australia – Australian Network for Art and Technology (ANAT) – Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (CHASS) – Council of Textile and Fashion Industries of Australia (TFIA) – Craft Australia – Design Institute of Australia (DIA) – National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) – Planning Institute of Australia – Urban Design Chapter The Alliance was launched by His Excellency, Michael Bryce, AM, AE, LFAIA, LFDIA, at the Sydney Opera House on 3 September, 2010. For further information contact: Australian Design Alliance Lisa Cahill – Program Manager PO Box 60, Potts Point, NSW 1335, Australia P +61 2 9368 1900 F +61 2 9358 6909 E [email protected] www.australiandesignalliance.com The report was produced with the generous support of the following: Designed by: Printed by: Paper supplied by: Printed on 180gsm Sovereign Silk [ 2 ] www.bravecreative.com.au www.allclear.net.au www.kwdoggett.com.au Australian Design Alliance was officially launched on Friday, 3 September 2010 at the Sydney Opera House. Acknowledgements : Australian Design Alliance [AdA] would like to thank the following sponsors of the launch. The Australian Design Alliance [AdA] would also like – Hael Kobayashi, Executive Consultant and to thank the attending stakeholders (Appendix 2) who Strategist, Digital Media; Chair – Digital Sydney, overwhelmingly voted to accept three resolutions NSW Dept of Industry & Investment; International conceived at the event and reaffirm the [AdA] vision. Juror – INDEX: Awards Most deserved of acknowledgement were the twelve – Cameron Bruhn, Editorial Director, Architecture speakers who generously contributed their thoughts, Media efforts and time. – Elizabeth Tunstall, Director, US National Design They included: Policy Initiative – His Excellency, Michael Bryce, AM, AE, LFAIA, LFDIA. We would also like to acknowledge the Sydney Opera – Ellen Yang, Principal Arts Adviser (Design), Arts House for the use of the Utzon Room. Queensland, Department of the Premier and Cabinet Final thanks go to Peter Robinson for recording the event both in still and moving images and, to Russell – Helen O’Neil, CEO, Council for the Humanities, Arts Kennedy and David Lancashire, Icograda who provided and Social Sciences (CHASS) two display stands to showcase the work of Icograda’s – Anthony Henry, Division Director, Macquarie Group international design initiatives SolveD, the World Design Survey and the Asia Design Survey. – Lisa Colley, Director, Creative Industries Innovation Centre (CIIC) – Michael Bogle, Design Historian, University of NSW – Gerry Mussett, Principal, Sprocket Design – Philip Follent, State Government Architect, Queensland Government – Steve Pozel, Director, Object [ 3 ] Q&A Sessions — The majority of the launch was dedicated to the question and answer session in which speakers who were selected for their expertise across design disciplines and areas were asked questions framed by the following: Design Policy, Design Research, Design as Competitive Advantage, Design Education, Design Culture, Innovation, Design as a City, Public Engagement, Design as a Solution to Sustainability and Design and the Media. : Introduction On Friday 3rd September 2010, twelve peak organisations, Background representing all aspects of Australia’s design industry and Eighteen months of collaborative efforts brought together the research networks, launched the Australian Design Alliance twelve peak bodies that make up the Australian Design Alliance, [AdA] to boost Australia’s productivity, sustainability and which represents a substantial constituency. The combined innovation. One hundred of Australia’s leading designers, national membership of the member organisations is in excess architects, planners, artists, educators and policy makers of 20,000 and the design sector represent a constituency of launched the new Alliance at a first-ever meeting held in the more than 80,000 design practitioners. Utzon Room of Australia’s design landmark, the Sydney Opera House. The [AdA] vision is to develop a culture of design in Australia to strengthen economic competitiveness, innovation and The new Alliance emerged from a series of consultations about sustainability. Its mission is to achieve greater advancement, how design should be an integral element of Australia’s national recognition and valuing of Australian design by governments, innovation system at a time of rapidly changing business models business and community, plus greater innovation and and processes. Australia’s design professionals are internationally collaboration within the design sector together with the renowned for their creative skills, project management and application of strategic design approaches across all sectors. teamwork. These are crucial capabilities for a more productive Australian economy. This reports records the launch event of [AdA], the valuable material contained in the speakers’ notes, the collaborative The goals of the launch included: efforts of those present and their priorities as they resolved to – raising awareness of the Alliance; advance a national agenda for design. – showcasing examples of design research; – securing commitments from Government; The Launch Program – informing education, government and other stakeholders The program was designed around a keynote address followed about the role of design by sourcing guest speakers who can by a question and answer session which then formed a basis for talk persuasively on the [AdA] agenda; developing and voting on action resolutions. The speeches were – providing opportunities for key design advocates and recorded by video. stakeholders to support the [AdA] vision through a democratic process of discussion, resolution and The official program included: prioritisation; 8.45am Registration – strengthening networks through inviting strategically 9.15am Introduction and keynote address: Design Thinking targeted industry representatives [broadly based] to be involved and to build a national database of diverse and 9.45am Q&A - Facilitator asking a question of each of the interested design stakeholders. 10 speakers 11.15am Coffee break 11.45am Conversations at tables between guests to prioritise “Good design in all of its fields creates economic an activity that addresses the following “The first and competitive outcomes. Poor design or design priority in achieving the [AdA] vision must be…” by default leaves too much to chance. If Australia is to be counted in the progressive nations of 12:00pm Collation of 10 priorities and voting on three most important the world competing on a world stage, it is no longer good enough to be only an agricultural and 12.30pm Closing Address minerals based economy.” His Excellency, Michael Bryce, AM, AE – In his opening [ 4 ] address at the [AdA] launch. The Australian Design Alliance was launched in a keynote address by His Excellency, Michael Bryce AM AE LFRAIA LFDIA who advocated for design at the 2020 Summit in 2007. The transcript of Michael’s Keynote Address is below. Keynote Address: ‘Design Thinking’ : Good morning, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen. It’s nice to escape the crisp mornings of Canberra to be with you in Sydney today, especially as we are fortunate to be in this iconic design — the Sydney Opera House. We are here today to talk about design — as if this is not something we do every day — but this time it is about other people’s perception of design and what it means to us all as a national imperative. Quite obviously everything we do needs design. It is all around us — our cities, our parks, our phones and buses, airport lounges, factories. The streets we walk on, despite Photo: Peter Robinson their ubiquitousness, are wonders of achievement to traffic engineers, and the wrapper we discard on it is an earnest to become university degrees with a wide diversity of creation of the graphic design department of some company. specialisation, from urban design to eco-design, to digital graphics with PhDs offered in every course, and professional Magazines are filled with tempting features, and advertisements bodies to support them in the ‘real world’. for foreign products like IKEA, Sony, BMW, Nokia, and iconic Alessi and Philippe Stark designer utilitarian ware, yet we often And yet, as serious and scientifically based as these dedications see past the work of the designers and look at the design, as if are, they are often dismissed as self-absorbed, revolutionary, it happens by itself. artistic, lightweight, and peripheral to the mainstream purposes of business, finance, agriculture, and the law. So what is design — the opposite to accident? — but this relegates it to cake