agIdeas 2012 International Design Week Program and Speakers Announced

27th January, 2012

agIdeas International Design Week is an annual design festival that is a celebration of the best in design & creativity at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 21-25 May 2012.

Now in its 22nd year, agIdeas is one of Australia's largest and longest running design events attracting a national and an international audience.

It offers an extraordinary program of events that celebrate design excellence and promotes the value of design driven innovation. It understands that design shapes the world in which we live and champions design excellence.

International creative leaders and home grown talent engage in an exciting program that will look at what is happening in design today from across the design spectrum
- graphic design, product design, motion graphics, design for film and television, new media, web design, animation, illustration, typography, architecture, fashion and textiles, sound design, performance art, and advertising.

‘We always look for creative people who have pushed the boundaries and excelled; those who have innovated and impacted on how we live and those that have worked to add value and a competitive edge to a whole range of businesses. Design is really all around us and we hope to broaden the understanding of what good design is and why it is important', says Ken Cato Creative Director, agIdeas.

40 of the world's creative leaders will converge on Melbourne, including: Mauro Porcini the global design director of American giant 3M; Marian Bantjes hailed for her typography and embellishments and author of the recent I Wonder; Dale
Herigstad is at the forefront of interactive television design; Ree Treweek art director and production designer at Shy the Sun brings imagination and new dimensions
to her on-screen designs, recently working with Ribena on their latest animation advertising campaign; Poras Chaudhary photojournalist best known for his intense and striking colour and composition; Ash Keating is a visual artist engaging strongly with social and environmental issues. Art Paul (Playboy Magazine) will present via Skype.

agIdeas is made up of a number of distinct events, including the agIdeas Workshops presented in association with AGDA:

International Design Forum: agIdeas Design Intelligence,
Wednesday 23 May, 9:00am - 5:30pm; Thursday 24 May, 10:00am - 6:30pm; and
Friday 25 May, 9:00am - 5:30pm
Three day conference with 40 design leaders who will share their design insights and experiences with an audience of more than 2500 designers and tertiary students daily.

agIdeas Advantage: Business Breakfast,
Thursday 24 May, 7.00am to 10.00am
A business breakfast that presents case studies on the tangible benefits of design and using design as an effective tool for business.

agIdeas Design for Business and Industry: International Research Conference,
Tuesday 22 May
This one day conference provides design and business researchers, educators and practitioners with the opportunity to present peer-reviewed research papers on the theme ‘Design as a strategic resource: adding value to business and industry'. 

agIdeas Futures: Secondary School Design Forum,
Wednesday 23 May
Design Course Expo, 4.00 - 6.00pm & Speaker Presentations, 6.00pm to 8.30pm
A two hour forum exploring the insights into design careers from international creative leaders and a design course expo where major tertiary design colleges hold stalls with information on career pathways.

agIdeas Next: Children for Design,
Tuesday 22 May, 10.00am to 1.30pm
A forum and workshops lead by visiting designers to encourage primary school children to become champions of good design.

agIdeas 2012 NewStar
Travelling Scholarship Program. Winners to be announced at agIdeas International Design Forum. The winning entries will win international design experience at a leading design studio or at Fabrica the Benetton Groups Creative Laboratory in Italy. Open to tertiary students and new graduates.

agIdeas Workshops,
Monday 21 May, 9.30am to 4.00pm
A unique opportunity for design professionals and students to spend a full day with some of the most highly regarded international designers. This year, the workshops will be conducted by: Dana Arnett USA; Autobahn (Maarten Dullemeijer and Rob Stolte), The Netherlands; David Berman, Canada; and Ree Treweek, South Africa. Presented in association with Australia Graphic Design Association.

agIdeas Studio Access,
Wednesday 23 May, 6.30pm to 8.30pm
Design students and new graduates will have the opportunity to meet designers whose work they admire in their studio and will gain an understanding of how they work. Close to 40 of Melbourne’s leading studios will host small groups over dinner & drinks.

agIdeas disCourse,
Friday 25 May, 7.00pm to 11.00pm

Held at the National Gallery of Victoria, this gala dinner is the largest social event on Melbourne’s annual design calendar. It’s a celebration of design excellence where the esteemed international guests unite with local luminaries and eminent design educators bring to a close agIdeas International Design Week. Presented in association with Artisan.

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2012 Speakers

Dana Arnett USA
The founding principal and CEO of Chicago-based branding collective VSA Partners, Dana Arnett has forged a distinguished career steeped in design leadership, business consulting and policy-making. He was cited by ID Magazine as one of the 40 most important people shaping design.

David Berman Canada
David is an infectiously enthusiastic motivator who assists people in organisations to align their personal and business values, equips them with strategic skills, and challenges them
to apply their professional strengths to help create a more sustainable and just world.

Poras Chaudhary India
Naturally gifted and completely self- taught, he is best known for his captivating colours and the exquisite composition of his images. Poras has established himself internationally with a remarkable tally of awards and hasbeen named Digital Camera Magazine's
Photographer of the Year.

Autobahn The Netherlands
The adventurous Dutch design studio lead by duo Maarten Dullemeijer and Rob Stolte, is a typography-driven group that is building a reputation for responding to briefs with solutions that are always interesting and often unique.

Adam Callen (Katana) Australia
Co-founder and creative director of this multimedia production company, Adam has maintained a hyperactive career launching mobile technology websites, building and managing a range of interactive projects, creating TV campaigns and producing video clips and online content.

Jeffery Copolov (Bates Smart) Australia
The Interior Design Director of leading architectural firm Bates Smart, Jeff is one of Australia's most talented interior designers. Jeff was named ‘Designer of the Year' at the 2010 Interior Design Excellence Awards (IDEA).

Anthony Battaglia Australia
Founder and creative director of Sydney-based studio BoxTM, Anthony is a prolific award winner with a rare ability to consistently and coherently develop meaningful design in a wide range of media, including print, film, television, digital platforms and installations.

Vladimir Chaika Russia
One of the most acclaimed Russian designers of our time, he has been honoured with major international awards for his poster art, characterised by an edgy minimalism and bold, inventive use of colour and typography. He is part of Rodchenko 120 exhibition at the Melbourne Museum.

Cindy-Lee Davies Australia
At her design house Lightly, Cindy-Lee marries the aesthetics of traditional crafts with advanced production techniques to produce internationally acclaimed homewares and lighting products that have contemporary appeal yet whisper of times gone by. 

Hugo Davidson Australia
Founder and CEO of Catalyst Design Group and co-creator of the now worldwide KNOG range of cycling accessories. Over his career, Hugo has been the recipient of dozens of design awards including several Australian Design award and the coveted Red Dot award.

Paul Marcus Fuog Australia
One of the bright lights of the graphic design scene, Paul of Melbourne applies his talents across art direction, identities, packaging, poster, editorial and exhibition projects. His work is always current and often personal, informed by observation and a curiosity about contemporary culture.

Dale Herigstad USA
Chief Interaction Officer of the global interactive marketing agency Possible Worldwide, Dale is a thought leader on the future of media consumption in a ‘many-screen' world of increasingly rich media interfaces. He is also the winner of four Emmy awards.

Ross Didier Australia
One of Australia's most inventive furniture designers, Ross is guided by the founding principle that his products must be innovative, intriguing, functional and saleable. His creations can be found in the offices of Nintendo, Microsoft and Google and Melbourne's renowned Vue De Monde restaurant.

Jenny Grigg Australia
Graphic designer Jenny has art directed for Rolling Stone magazine and designed for Pentagram UK, Faber & Faber UK, eminent author Peter Carey and Kontrapunkt in Denmark, collecting numerous awards along the way. 

Russel Howcroft Australia
Currently the National CEO of Y&R Brands, Australia and New Zealand, Russel Howcroft is a popular panel member on ABC TV's hugely successful shows ‘The Gruen Transfer' and ‘The Gruen Planet'.

Domenic Di Giorgio (Global Creatures) Australia
Domenic has built an impressive international career creating visual effects and animatronics for feature films, arena and stage shows, television commercials and electronic games. His creations have appeared in the films ‘Pan's Labyrinth' and ‘Hellboy'.

Claire Healy Australia
Sydney artist Claire create site-specific installations that explore formality, materiality, accumulation, transition and consumerism. Since first collaborating in 2002, they have been awarded the Helen Lempriere Travelling Arts Scholarship and represented Australia at the Venice Biennale

Linda Jukic Australia
Creative director of the Sydney- based brand and digital agency Moon Communications Group, Linda has won numerous awards for her design work, which ranges across print, video, environmental and branding campaigns. 

Ash Keating Australia
Ash maintains an interdisciplinary practice that engages with some of the pressing social and environmental conditions of our time. Endeavouring to bring about positive change through sculpture, installation, performance and intervention. 

Apex Lin Taiwan
Director of the department of fine arts at National Taiwan Normal University, Apex Pang-soong Lin is widely regarded as the most influential image-maker and design educator in Taiwan. He has been honored with the ICOGRADA Achievement Award and the Red Dot award for communication design. 

Stormie Mills Australia
Stormie started painting in 1984, when on a dark, wet night he ventured out to make his first mark on the world. More than twenty-five years later, Stormie has carved a distinctive niche that sees him sited in a global context as a highly collectable contemporary artist.

Johannes Kuhnen Australia
As a craftsman and educator, Johannes has had a profound influence on gold and silversmithing in Australia, pioneering the use of anodised aluminium for jewellery and creating metalwork distinguished by its originality and quality. 

MadeThought UK
One of the UK's most respected design consultancies, MadeThought is acclaimed for its work in brand identity and development, art direction, packaging, print and interactive design for an impressive list of clients, ranging from esoteric luxury and lifestyle brands to art institutions. 

Art Paul USA
Art has had a career that can best be described as an adventure. The founding art director of Playboy Magazine, designing the magazine and its rabbit-head logo, he is known for ignoring hierarchies and blurring boundaries. He is also an inductee of the Art Directors' Hall of Fame.

Marita Leuver Australia
Principal and creative director of Sydney-based studio Leuver Design, the exquisitively gifted Marita has been at the top of her profession for more than 25 years, applying her passion for graphic design that is distinctive, intelligent, evocative and, above all, functional.

Jon McCormack Australia
Director of the Centre for Electronic Media Art at Monash University, Jon is a media artist and computer scientist whose pioneering art has been exhibited worldwide. His work has been recognised with awards from Prix Ars Electronica (Austria), Alias/Wavefront (USA) and the Nagoya Biennial (Japan).

Mauro Porcini (3M) Italy
Head of Global Design at 3M, Mauro manages the company's design strategies, leading teams based in USA, Italy, China, and Japan. He was selected as one of the ‘Masters of Design' in 2011. Mauro's teams at 3M have been recognised with several awards, among them the Red Dot Design Award. 

Justin Robson Australia
Sydney-based artist and sculptor Justin is widely known for his figurative and portrait sculpture and model- making, the most notable being the SunRice ‘rice sculpture' ads, for which he has received numerous awards around the world. 

Kerrie Stanley Australia
Kerrie has an unconventional flair for design that has been winning top awards for more than a decade, including the coveted Millinery Award. With designs described as ‘sculptural, minimalist and polished with a hint of high drama', her name is synonymous with celebrity millinery and Fashions on the Field. 

Shaun Tan Australia
Academy Award winner Shaun is hailed as an outstanding and original creative talent, he also received the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in 2011 in recognition of his work as a writer, artist and promoter of reading.

Joachim Sauter Germany
A long-time leader in the use of digital technologies in design and art, Joachim founded the highly inventive interdisciplinary studio ART+COM in Berlin. Over the course of his career, Joachim has become one of Germany's most highly awarded and exhibited designers.

Alex Stitt Australia
Alex is one of Australia's foremost graphic designers - and an illustrator, animator and writer. His work, which has reached a vast Australian audience over the course of a 50 year career, is characterised by incisive wit, irrepressible good humour and lovely colours.

Carine Thévenau Australia
Currently attracting attention for her thoughtful and evocative imagery, Carine is living up to the labels she has earned as ‘leading photographer of tomorrow' and ‘emerging editorial photographer of the year'. Her clients include Frankie Magazine, Rolling Stone Magazine, and Vogue Magazine.

Jim Sinatra Australia
Co-director of the Melbourne-based art and landscape architecture practice Sinatra Murphy, Jim Sinatra has earned wide respect as a designer, author and educator in the USA and Australia. He is presently Emeritus Professor at RMIT University's School of Architecture and Design.

Felipe Taborda Brazil
He is the only Latin American to be listed in ‘Graphic Design for the 21st Century - 100 of the World's Best Graphic Designers'. His work is mainly on cultural, publishing and recording projects, and he is a professor at UniverCidade in Rio de Janeiro. 

Ree Treweek South Africa
Multimedia artist Ree is creating quite a buzz with her fascinating illustrations that seem to be from a different, perhaps mythical, culture. Ree also co-founded Shy the Sun, a studio specialising in animations that have added extra sparkle to her growing international reputation. 

Martin Yang Taiwan
A distinguished graphic designer and educator, Martin is creative director of HWAT'S graphic design studio, current President of the Taiwan Graphic Design Association and leader of the Taiwan Design Alliance, an industry advocacy body dedicated to the promotion of Taiwanese design in global contexts.

Life after Fabrica
Located in Treviso, Italy, Fabrica is the global Benetton Group's applied creative laboratory, talent incubator and research centre that invites young artists from all over the world to develop innovative projects within a variety of arts fields. agIdeas annually offers a travelling scholarship to Fabrica as part of the agIdeas Newstar Award. In this special presentation, previous agIdeas Newstar winners and recent Fabrica grant holders reveal how completing a Fabrica residency has helped shape their creative careers.

Bruce Weatherhead (Tribute) By Ned Culic 
The wonderfully talented Melbourne designer Bruce Weatherhead died in January 2011. At agIdeas 2012, designer and illustrator Ned Culic hosts a tribute to this legendary Australian image-maker.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- agIdeas was founded in 1991 by leading Australian designer Ken Cato. He is
currently agIdeas Creative Director and Chairman of international design agency Cato
Purnell Partners. agIdeas is managed by the Design Foundation.

Since it began 440 of the world's leading designers have been guests, an audience of over 70,000 have attended, 21,000 have come together at the social gatherings,
40 young designers have benefited from travelling scholarships, 4,000 volunteers have helped organise and stage agIdeas and 200,000 people have visited the Melbourne Museum during the NewStar Exhibition.

agIdeas 2012 International Design Week
Monday 21 May to Friday 25 May 2012
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Plenary 2, 1 Convention Centre Place, South Wharf.

www.agideas.net

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The recently published Stitt Autobiographics is available in the AGDA Online Store

*homepage image: Norm for "Life. Be In It" by Alex Stitt