by Denise Ryan

The Design Institute of Australia (DIA) has a proud history spanning eight decades. During that time we have supported and championed Australia’s highly skilled and innovative design community and the value of design.

Although the contribution of design to our economy is roughly the size of the construction industry, it is not widely recognized as vital. It is often seen as a superficial layer disconnected from the real work of innovation; a discretionary investment that can be discarded in a downturn. But looking across all industries, the design sector generates more value than any other and Design Thinking has the potential to add value to any sector. Demand for designers in non-traditional fields is growing.

Beyond economic worth, good design also enhances community and social wellbeing in a myriad of ways. From aesthetic appeal or ease of use through to improved wayfinding or positive impacts on mental health, the benefits of design are evident and measurable.

The DIA understands that Australia’s future depends on our ability to harness the power of good design to transform key areas of our lives and economy.

We are working towards achieving an inclusive, sustainable world where designers are household names and major projects start with a commitment to responsible design.

A future where a reinvigorated manufacturing sector focuses on durability, repairability, re-usability and recyclability, intellectual property is protected by a fit for purpose system and professional designers are embedded in every industry.

Australia’s design excellence has been recognised internationally. Our environment is unique and our many pristine wilderness areas are a major aspect of our national identity. International markets are demanding greater attention to environmental performance. Sustainability, therefore, is a natural fit for our future focus, as good design is at its core.

The Design Institute of Australia also believes that the design industry offers prospects for better use of another of our country’s most significant assets: our rich cultural diversity. The greater the diversity of people analysing how we live and do business and then developing targeted products, environments and experiences, the greater the prospect for meeting a wide range of needs and enjoying the benefits that derive from good design, including gains for Australia in the global economy. Government at all levels and industry need to consider how we each contribute to supporting increased diversity in the design sector.

While we can’t yet identify the exact nature of all the jobs of the future, we do know what industries are likely to be important – the high rate of jobs growth for professional services is likely to be sustained – and the skills needed to work in those industries. In February the DIA presented the popular Non-fungible Tokens (NFT) panel to address and inform all our designers. Creativity, critical thinking, and understanding of both our history and rich cultural diversity are common attributes employed by designers working in spatial, object, UX and system domains. These are the skills we predict will continue to be in demand.

We must commit to nurture design as an area of expertise as part of preparing for a rapidly evolving future. As the world continues to adjust to pandemic realities and war in Europe, we need to harness our depth of design expertise to build new markets and maintain our place as a successful, sophisticated nation. The global disruptions to supply chains over the past few years has highlighted the need for Australia to rethink local manufacturing. We have a chance now to expand into new materials and more advanced recycling. Stronger relationships between universities and practitioners, including some of Australia’s largest and most well-known manufacturers, will be crucial to our economic recovery. Designers can take the lead here in creating a circular economy that shifts us to a more sustainable future.

Design can be instrumental to Australia’s economic recovery over coming years. We must ensure that designers are invited into planning and investment discussions, that a pipeline of sufficient numbers of high quality graduates continues to be supported by higher education policy settings, and that we better capture and incentivize innovation through an expanded definition of R&D. An element of design thinking can and should be embedded across all levels of education.

Designers are visionaries, creating ways to make everyday life more comfortable and enjoyable as well as developing solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. We all benefit when they are shaping our futures.

Denise Ryan
Senior Policy Adviser
Design Institute of Australia

Images:
Ursula Biemann and Paulo Tavares, Forest Law (detail), 2014. Multi-channel video installation and photo-text assemblage.