As the year comes to a close, I would like to take this opportunity to highlight some key milestones in what has been an incredibly successful and inspirational year for Design Victoria.

In 2008, Design Victoria delivered 73 Design Ready and Business Ready seminars and workshops and attracted over 4,000 attendees from the Victorian design industry and small to medium enterprises. We partnered with leading professional associations, business experts, industry peak bodies, tertiary education institutions and government agencies to deliver quality programs to help meet the industry’s needs across some of the key themes including eco-design – design for sustainability, intellectual property, eCommerce and export success.

Design Victoria was proud to co-present the Design Capital business symposium as part of the State of Design Festival 2008 – where insights from leading industry innovators, designers and business figures from Victoria and abroad discussed pathways for the commercialisation of ideas for export, illustrating the commercial potential of design and manufacturing.

Co-presenting AGIdeas ‘Advantage’ 2008 provided another fantastic opportunity to reach small to medium enterprises interested in discovering the business advantages of design. The ‘Advantage’ seminar delivered its promise to inspire, provoke, challenge and amaze. As simplistically quoted, by Richard Seymour of Seymourpowell UK, keynote speaker and one of Europe’s finest product designers: “Bad design is very expensive. Brilliant design is incredibly cheap”. 

Access Design Victoria’s interview with Richard Seymour while in Melbourne at AGIdeas.

Building a bank of design knowledge

Throughout the year, our Design Knowledge program continued to build a valuable resource of information about design’s enabling capabilities to deliver innovation, economic, environmental and social benefits, demonstrated through Case Studies, Business Immersions, Hot Topics, Surveys and How to Kits.

Designvic.com provides access to design knowledge, sharing and promoting awareness of the benefits of design, emerging trends and ways design can be used effectively by Victorian enterprises.

Our case studies articulate how design fosters a culture of innovation and creativity, not only through development, presentation and branding of products, processes or services, but also through design’s enabling capability to enhance Victorian’s cultural and social experiences.

Access our range of case studies.

Five Years On. Victoria’s Design Sector 2003 - 2008

On 5 December, Professor Margaret Gardner AO, Vice-Chancellor and President RMIT University launched the research publication “Five Years On – Victoria’s Design Sector 2003-2008”, a study conducted by Wallis Consulting Group that continues and builds on the first research study of the Victorian Design sector in December 2003.

The study confirms that Victoria's design sector is highly competitive, well recognised and already contributes $7 billion annually to the economy. It accounts for over $300 million in design-related exports and has the potential to grow significantly.

Find out more of the key findings and to download the publication Five Years On.

A further survey into Victoria’s design sector will be conducted in 2009 with a focus on design education and skills analysis.

How to Kits

In 2008 Design Victoria released the first of its How to Kits - a series of practical and informative guides for the design community and Victorian small to medium sized enterprises. Containing essential information in key areas; sustainability, government grants and assistance programs and exporting design services, these resources are available at designvic.com

Intellectual Property was the first topic of the How to kits, produced together with IP Australia, the Design Industry Association and the Australian Graphic Design Association, to assist industrial and graphic designers to understand and appreciate the often complex world of intellectual property. Speaking at the launch, Ken Cato, Chairman - Cato Purnell Partners and Gerry Mussett, Director - Sprocket Design, reinforced the importance for designers to protect and value their intellectual property as a valuable business asset.

Download your copy.

The Victorian Government continues to lead and invest in design through the Design Victoria Strategy, recognising design’s significance as a valuable contributor to the state’s economy, innovation agenda and creative culture.

Design Victoria is leading the way in developing design innovation and excellence, encouraging the design-led growth of Victorian industries and creating a more globally competitive design sector. At the interface between government, industry, design and education, Design Victoria is well placed to achieve these outcomes.

Thank you all for your support and collaboration over the past year and on behalf of the Design Victoria team, I wish you a happy and safe holiday season. We look forward to continuing to work with you in 2009 to deliver the Victorian Government’s Design Victoria strategy.

Best wishes

Michele Azzopardi
General Manager, Design Victoria