Discuss further in the
Member's Forums

Australian graphic design should be promoted for many reasons - most clearly to build profile and recognition of our local talent for the business outcomes they can create. And, perhaps more importantly, to give this vocation a voice to promote philosophical discussion and questioning, enhancing the depth of the Australian culture.

External commentators often positioning design as a luxury and of little relevance. However, design, like the 'arts', and other forms of contemplation, reminds us we are part of a civilised society. As social commentators by default, it is the responsibility of designers to contribute.

The international community is seen to be supportive of design, and, particularly in Europe, designers are revered as professionals, enjoying a higher profile industry that boasts a long and valued history. In Australia there is a common misperception, even among local designers, that design overseas is of higher creative quality.

To the average Australian, graphic design has a low profile compared to our European cousins. Graphic design would appear to have little relevance to Australian every day life. Perhaps, unlike the more easily understood design in furniture, architecture, automotive and clothing industries, graphic design trails in the recognition stakes due to its lack of direct product. That is, a products' packaging will affect the purchase, but the general public do not buy 'just the graphic design.'

According to Melbourne rising star Ryan Guppy, Senior Designer at Fabio Ongarato Design,'The industry in Australia is comparatively small' only a few companies in Australia service the high end clients and many multinationals tend to import their corporate ID from overseas.'

With this sentiment echoed throughout the industry it is not surprising when Guppy says,"15 out of 20 of my university classmates have worked for overseas studios in the past ten years."

Guppy, who plans to join the exodus, says, "A big part of my reasoning to now leave Australia and work in Holland is to prove to myself that not only am I equal with my European peers, but I can also adapt to communicating within a different culture."

Perhaps the lack of a local identity is a result of an industry that struggles to communicate its profession to the general public. Conceivably this perception has been compounded by the lack of celebration, in the broader community, of our own local design heroes.

While the average person may not recognise the significance graphic design has to everyday life, it is immediately obvious to the design industry that touch points such as signage and logo's provide consumer short-cuts, allowing for speedy decision making and purchase.

Profile building of design would create numerous business gains for designers: greater exposure to potential clients, retaining and attracting good staff, being able to recover more quickly from damaging issues.

As specialists in visual communication and the visual proposition of a brand, designers should consider promoting their own role, purpose and achievements. Recognition building has obvious business outcomes. Additionally, the celebration of design provides a broader contribution to society and its culture.

Kate Nelson is a senior consultant with Creative Manoeuvres. She is currently writing a series of articles for AGDA surrounding design and public relations - next: the business of communications.

Contact: kate@manoeuvres.com.au 03 9341 7171

"as a design student, i have realised the potential of australian design. we, in fact have a rich histroy of design influenced by many factors, mostly cultural influences which is wonderful. through interest i can only see the design industry in australia flourishin, but i ask with complete interest, why is there so little coverage of australian design in the media? designers are pioneers and reflectors of society!"

"Dear Kate;
Interesting article. Conceptually I agree with what you are saying, with particular regard to recognition. Marc, I think you are reading between the lines to much even if you do make grounds for your argument, this is not the issue being addressed in the article.

I will make one observation, not negative, but an issue that may have been overlooked.

As I have stated, I agree with the overall issue presented in your article and there is certainly a need for promotion of graphic design, this same issue is addressed in "The Fine Line, by Geoffrey Caban published in 1983", things seemed to have change little.

I believe a significant part of the problem of public recognition is we not that we don't promote ourselves, it is more likely the inability of graphic designers to speak in one language that is meaningful to the public and clients. This problem is not uniquely Australian either, see article "Designers: time for change".

We have been resting on our laurels and to some degree not developed anymore from 30 years or so ago. Certainly the paucity research in the area of visual communication is finally being addressed, but we have a long way to go.

Graphic desi gn, visual communication, information design or communication design, what ever you wish to call it, is an example of the fractural opinions of designers of visual language have, are we suffering and identity crisis?

We do need a body of knowledge that will address the paucity of knowledge in design process, design strategy, language etc that will not only provide marketable proof of designs value but -with cooperation and debate of other tertiary institutions- provide a common language for design, that is common to all practitioners. Providing a means of articulating what it is we do to a community that evidently has no idea or real appreciation of what we try to achieve and contribute to society and its values.

As an industry we need to be more self reliant and take responsibility for our knowledge in practice. There is a lot to do. There are some who have started the ball rolling, I hope I am one of them, even while I still practice.

To achieve professional recognition, it will take more than just promotion. It needs commitment and hard work, we need a designed solution, one which we as a group should easily be able to resolve... I hope!

Discourse and an open sharing of knowledge between practice and tertiary education institutions needs to be encouraged:

to distill information

inform practice of theory

inform theory of practice

develop a foundation of knowledge common to all practitioners

develop higher education standards e.g., typography is really suffering

Hope this doesn't upset anyone, I hope it inspires someone else to act apart from myself. Ask yourself the question what do you do? (directed at readers obviously)

Practitioners are on the frontline, how you present yourself affects us all."

"Hello Kate. Thank you for your response. I must however uphold my case for the following reasons:

You stated in your reply that: "I was hoping to illustrate, through the mentioned example, that the general public is able to more easily grasp the tasks of, for example, an automotive designer. Most people have had experience with cars - possibly purchased, or been involved in the purchase of, one at some stage of their lives."

The problem I have with your argument is that you seem to be drawing a distinction between, for example, a graphic designer whose work involves automotive design, and another type of graphic designer. So, when you state that graphic design is not immediately recognised by the general public, you immediately contradict your argument by stating that automotive design "is more easily grasped" by the public.

I feel that my previous post is still relevant, in that even in your reply to my post, you seem to be advocating that Graphic design encompasses a particular sector of the design industry that does not include automotive, furniture and architectural design.

I will take a stab in the dark and assume that, what you are really advocating is the international promotion of design that is particularly relevant to commercial press and advertising, as opposed to the promotion of Graphic design in its universal definition. I realise I'm being pedantic, but it should be remembered that there are more graphic designers reading your article that those who work in one particular sector of the industry. My own work encompasses design for publishing, textile imaging, advertising, set design, point-of-sale design, 3D merchandise design, and so on. These are not separate jobs, but various tasks that are legitimately contained within my title of "graphic designer".

You also stated that: "As for the question of 'what constitutes design' this is a discussion that studios/designers must answer individually, and not the question that I set out to explore on this occasion."

With due respect, I'm not asking for an existential or philosophical interpretation of this term, but simply a clarification of what your personal interpretation would be as it applies to your article. I feel this is not an unreasonable question, as it constitutes the very basis of your subject.

Please don't get me wrong; I'm not trying to argumentative for the sake of it. This article does interest me, but my own opinion is that such clarifications need to be made before any productive discussion can take place.

Were these clarifications to be addressed, then my next question would be: What do you feel constitutes "Australian" design, as opposed to non-Australian design?"

"Response to feedback from Marc posted Monday 14/04/03.

Perhaps the respondent, in this instance, has misinterpreted my comment?

In referring to architecture, automotive, fashion, and furniture I was not inferring that designers do not partake in some or all of these areas at some stage of their career, nor was I stating that they do not draw inspiration from other designers work.

I was hoping to illustrate, through the mentioned example, that the general public is able to more easily grasp the tasks of, for example, an automotive designer. Most people have had experience with cars - possibly purchased, or been involved in the purchase of, one at some stage of their lives.

This example was used to illustrate the fact that the design of a vehicle, a chair, a dress, a house, is more tangible to the greater population than graphic design. And while graphic design is a part of every day life (from the buttons in the lift to the billboards on the freeway) its role is not always obvious.

The very nature of graphic design has resulted in a relatively lower profile compared to other fields of design. And this factor is one of the reasons why the industry needs to assess how it promotes itself to the wider public.

As for the question of 'what constitutes design' this is a discussion that studios/designers must answer individually, and not the question that I set out to explore on this occasion."

"There seems to be a few muddled thoughts in this article:

The author states that, "Perhaps, unlike the more easily understood design in furniture, architecture, automotive and clothing industries, graphic design trails in the recognition stakes due to its lack of direct product."

This seems to imply that "graphic design" is not applied to the conception of these products. This is simply not true, nor it is correct to assume that a graphic designer who works in one area of design (eg: publishing), is not influenced or even directly involved in other areas (eg: furniture, architecture, etc).

The author seems to be concentrating on one narrow area of the industry, and as such, is presenting a precarious argument.

Before this discussion can be explored, we have to first agree on what constitutes Design - let alone "Australian" design! - and this article simply hasn't established any such definition."

"Dear Kate,

Living and working in the Netherlands taught me to get inspired by content rather than by style. This leads one to new forms rather than to some acceptable but worn out solution which informs style. Some Dutch designers then continue to try and get the client to be adventurous AND pragmatic. This could turn out to be equally successful as not successful at times. However, the process becomes inspiring and is worth the risk. This is a long term strategy which promotes design as a problem solving discipline rather than a discipline of spin and packaging."