Bazza McKenzie - Decor Cups

I did not expect to combine Australian cultural icons; Barry Humphries, Bazza McKenzie and Brian Davis all in one item in my collection. These Bazza mugs found this weekend were produced by Decor in the seventies and proved me wrong.

Decor cups with Bazza McKenzie comic strips.

Helmut Lueckenhausen

Professor Helmut Luekenhausen's zoomorphic sculptural pieces have always delighted. A graduate from RMIT University studying industrial design during the Bauhaus influenced period of Gerard Herbst, his work is acknowledged in National Collections and has been exhibited internationally.

Design World feature article and cover celebrating the outstanding work of designer Helmut Luekenhausen. 1987

Exceptional paper engineering and sculpture by designer Helmut Luekenhausen. Professor Luekenhausen was commissioned to create works for the opening of the Powerhouse Museum. 

National Gallery of Australia collection - Table 1982. Helmut Luekenhausen.

http://lueckenhausen.com

RMIT Open Day - Industrial Design August 14th

RMIT Open Day is Sunday August 14th. Visit the outstanding new studio spaces and facilities, speak to students and staff and view the work in progress of our emerging design talent.

RMIT Industrial Design - Open Day

Sunday August 14th

10am-4pm

Level 5

Building 88

440 Elizabeth Street

RMIT industrial design Wacom Lab providing the latest industry skills for automotive, product and industrial design.

Automotive design lecturer Bernie Walsh during Open Day presentation 2010.

RMIT Industrial Design Program Director Malte Wagenfeld during Open Day presentation 2010

See TOPIC RMIT Alumni for posts on outstanding graduates from the RMIT industrial design program. 

See student work also here.

Concept sketch - Automotive

Concept sketch by final year RMIT industrial design student Ryan Fonceca. Ryan is completing his final year at RMIT and is also a tutor in the RMIT Wacom lab.

Creative concept sketch using Wacom 21UX tablet and Alias Sketchbook Pro by Ryan Fonceca RMIT University.

Stack Fresh - Tony Wolfenden

The Stack Fresh range of kitchen containers designed in 1974 by Tony Wolfenden featured in my recent TOP 5X5 presentation on the color orange. This Australian Design Award winning range has been a major seller for Decor and some items in this range are still in production after 27 years. The Stack Fresh range featured in the exhibition STILL09.  Tony Wolfenden is a Hall of Fame member of the Design Institute of Australia.

Decor Stack Fresh container designed by industrial designer Tony Wolfenden.

Tony Wolfenden pictured discussing the original drawings and a seventies brown sample of the award winning "Stack Fresh" containers with RMIT University PhD researcher Ian Wong.

Top 5X5 - Design Institute of Australia Event

Top 5x5 – Colour presented 5 design luminaries talking about a colour of their choice and how it has been used in their work and that of other designers.

Design Institute of Australia Top 5X5 colour presenters. Above; Michaela Webb, Beci Orphin, Ian Wong, Debbie Ryan, and Pascale Gomes-McNabb. Below Debbie Ryan presenting 'Red' to a capacity crowd at Zenith.

Debbie Lyn Ryan is a principal of McBride Charles Ryan, one of Australia's most respected and Internationally acclaimed Architectural Practices.  Her award winning projects include Klein Bottle House, Letterbox House, Fitzroy High School and Monaco House. Debbie presented the colour Red.

Pascale Gomes-McNabb is the creative force behind iconic Melbourne restaurants Cumulus Inc and Cutler & Co.  With a background in Architecture and Hospitality, she has dramatically influenced the new Melbourne dining experience. Pascale presented the 'all or nothing' colour Black.

Ian Wong is an industrial designer, educator and researcher.  He is passionate about the halcyon days of Australian household product design in the 1970's and an avid collector. Ian's choice of colour was therefore none other than Orange.

Michaela Webb is Creative Director of one of Melbourne's most exciting design companies; Round.  Her graphic led, holistic approach has helped to reinvent Bendigo Art Gallery and launched dozens of successful events, venues and projects. Rather than any old blue, Michaela's presentation focused specifically on Yves Klein Blue.

Beci Orpin is a textile designer, fashion designer and illustrator who leaves no colour unturned.  Her joyous illustrations, which grace practically everything from credit cards to trucks have established her as one of Melbourne's favourite designers. From a wide range of candidates, Beci presented the colour Yellow.

Dulux Top 5x5 fandeck produced exclusively for the 5X5 Color event. Presenters Debbie Lyn Ryan, Pascale Gomes-McNabb, Ian Wong, Michaelea Webb, and Beci Orphin

Dulux 5X5 page here.

Studio Round invite designed for Design Institute of Australia 5X5 Color event as part of the State of Design Festival 2011.

State of Design review "Write on Design" by Virginia Mannering here.

Melbourne Review TOP 5X5 Story here.

Staying power - Staysharp Knife

In 1964 a US market survey showed that 80% of Americans didn't know how to sharpen a knife. 'Aha!' thought Dennis Jackson, a design engineer for Wiltshire Cutlery in Melbourne, 'a knife that sharpens itself is the answer!' In an instant he had identified a whole new range of products with an advantage over any blade ever sold before. Peter Bayly one of Victoria’s pioneering consultant designers developed the successful range of knives which have sold well over nine million products. The Wiltshire Staysharp knife featured in the exhibition STILL09.

Australian innovative design, concept still in production, the Wiltshire Staysharp knife by industrial designer Peter Bayly.

Gerard Herbst 1911-2011

Gerard Herbst passed away peacefully last evening. Gerhard was a pioneer in industrial design education in Victoria at RMIT University.

Gerard Herbst 1911-2011

Previous post - 100th Birthday celebrations 

Previous post - Class of 64

Gerard Herbst working on the drawing board at Prestige Textiles.

Gerard Herbst celebrates his 99th birthday with RMIT graduates and Design Institute of Australia Hall of Fame designers; Robert Pataki, Phillip Zmood, Geoff Fitzpatrick, and Gerry Mussett. 2010  

The winner is - Troy from Outerspace

Congratulations to RMIT industrial design lecturer Troy Nyssen and the team at Outerspace Design Group who were awarded an Australian Design Award for the innovative GC juice bottle. The Golden Circle juice bottle for Heinz won both a Design Award™ in the Consumer category and a place in the Powerhouse Museum collection. This product has previously been awarded "Best in Show" at the 2010 PCA Australian Packaging Awards. Having worked with Mark Johnson and Fred Blochlinger I am particularly pleased to see their commitment to excellence in industrial design being acknowledged. Troy is a graduate from Swinburne University and one of my past students.

Award winning industrial designers Troy Nyssen and Michael Grima from Outerspace Design Group. 

Award winning GC Juice bottle designed by industrial designers Troy Nyssen and Michael Grima.

Autodesk - RMIT University Industrial Design

RMIT lecturer Bernie Walsh and final year student Ryan Fonceca were centre stage at the recent Australian Design Awards presentations demonstrating Sketchbook Pro and Wacom tablets to the assembled design profession. RMIT University is acknowledged as an leader in the application of the latest digital tools for industrial design education, providing industry ready graduates.

Bernie Walsh and Ryan Fonceca demonstrate Autodesk Sketchbook Pro and Wacom tablets at the Australian Design Awards.

Bernie Walsh Autodesk Sketchbook Pro camera concept sketch.

Autodesk demonstration by RMIT industrial design lecturer Bernie Walsh and final year student Ryan Fonceca.

Bathtime - Caroma classic bathroom products

Caroma is recognised as one of Australia's most innovative manufacturers with many Australian design awards and products selected for the Powerhouse Museum permanent collection. The comprehensive range of bathroom products designed in the early seventies was specified by architects and interior designers through the seventies and eighties in homes, offices and beach houses.

Feature articles on the Caroma design team from Design Australia magazine May 1974

Caroma mirrored bathroom cabinet designed in the 1970s

1970s Australian beach house featuring orange tapware, tiles, and caroma bathroom accessories.

1970's beach house with classic orange caroma loo.

Stackhat - Classic

The introduction of the now legendary Stackhat helmet in the early 1980’s, established Rosebank as Australia’s leading manufacturer of bicycle and multi-sports helmets. Designed by the team at PA Technology, Clayton, it is the most successful Australian manufactured helmet of all time with nearly 2 million helmets sold.

Australian innovative design the Rosebank Stackhat designed in Victoria.

The Rosebank Stackhat was featured in the exhibition 175 Years of Victorian Design curated by industrial designer Ian Wong

1967 - Montreal Chair

Industrial designer and architect, Kjell Grant, studied under the notable sculptors, Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth, at the Royal College of Art in London, and Mies van der Rohe at the Illinois Institute of Technology. He has developed products for Cartier, Orrefors, Knoll, Rosenthal and Raymond Loewy N.Y (see previous post)

In 1967, Grant designed the furniture for the Australian Pavilion at the Montreal Exposition in Canada and the ‘Montreal Chairs’ resulting from this project are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York.  He is currently an Adjunct Professor in the School of Architecture and Design at RMIT University and has inspired hundreds of young Australian designers.

Holden Hurricane - Concept Car

The Hurricane was a late 1960s Holden concept car developed to promote the release of the V8 engine.

Holden Hurricane brochure 1969

Holden Hurricane concept car

Holden Hurricane archive concept sketch.

Holden Hurricane concept car sketch from original release publication 1969.

Video showing features of the Holden Hurricane concept car.

Picking winners - edp powerladders

A simple orange metal ladder designed as a stable and portable work platform, in Victoria's Goulburn Valley, was the first successful product by edp of Mooroopna. The company evolved to design, manufacture and export world class fruit picking, sorting and bagging machines. The Powerladder released in 1980, redesigned by Ian Wong and Jim Samartgis in 1987 and again by ejo in 1997 continues to be the industry standard and has sales of over $20 million.

Original edp picking ladder manufactured by E. D. Parsons Engineering in Mooroopna from 1950 to 2005. Fruit provided to SPC for world export was largely picked by hand on these ladders up until the 1980s.

edp Powerladder Series 2 designed by industrial designers Ian Wong and Jim Samartgis in 1997

Australian innovation the edp Powerladder series 3 designed by industrial designer Ian Wong.

edp Powerladder series 3 designed by industrial designer Ian Wong in 2007

Promotional video of the edp Series 3 Powerladder with crab steer.

Tidy design - Decades in fashion

The simple Nylex tidy bin designed by Lionel Suttie has seen kitchen design evolve and fashions change, but it's simplicity and functional design mean it is still in production after more than forty years. The Nylex kitchen tidy featured in the exhibition STILL09.

Classic Australian Nylex kitchen tidy, in seventies orange, designed by industrial designer Lionel Suttie. 

1971 advertisement for BX Plastics custom moulding featuring designs by Lionel Suttie including the kitchen tidy.

A detail of the original 1960's technical drawing by Lionel Suttie for the kitchen tidy. 

1960s version of the product brochure for the kitchen tidy range of Nylex products.

1970s version of the product brochure for the kitchen tidy range of Nylex products.

Blade Runner - No 1 Sci-Fi Film

Blade Runner has been voted number one sci-fi movie of all time beating Star Wars and other classics in the recent total film poll. Syd Mead's collaboration with Ridley Scott is legendary, beginning with the vehicles but expanding to many key elements of the film. Syd's work inspired many Victorian industrial designers who worked alongside him in Eindhoven with Philips and he continues to inspire current RMIT industrial design students.

Original Syd Mead visual for the spinner - Blade Runner 1982

Visual futurist Syd Mead, Bernie Walsh and current final year student Angelo in the RMIT industrial design wacom lab.

Willow - Prints

Willow Ware tins celebrated the Melbourne Olympics in 1956 and through our history have reflected the style and design of life in Victoria. The roses and fruit sets of Willow Ware canisters represented below are from the Wong family home. One set on display and one in the pantry.

High quality printing on metalware was a Willow Ware trademark with this 1956 Melbourne Olympics tin a proud example for the Victorian family business.

Willow roses tin canister 1940s

Willow strawberry tin canister 1950s

The seventies arrive in Melbourne with plastic moulded lids and 'Flower Power' prints. Willow Ware stacking containers.

Living in the 70's - Vinyl

Skyhook's album 'Living in the 70's' was produced by Ross Wilson and released on vinyl. It became the best selling Australian album ever up to that time with over 240,000 copies sold. Skyhooks were a Melbourne band and were the first band to have commercial success writing about our streets, our suburbs and our lifestyle. Countdown had begun and film clips were emerging but the album cover sleeve and your record collection were still king.

Living in the 70's album cover.

Seventies LP record rack by Decor