DIA: When and how did your career start?

NK: Sarah and I came up with the idea for DesignByThem when we graduated from university. I was already working for an Industrial Design consultancy during my studies and thought that this was the direction my career would take but the idea for DesignByThem eventually became our focus.

Sarah and I could see a need for an Australian design brand that represented local designers and promoted Australian design overseas.

DIA: Tell us what you are currently working on at the moment?

NK: We are finalising the design of two new dining chairs which are being prototyped. We typically have around 5-10 furniture pieces being developed at any one time. We’re also busy curating the work of some exciting new Australian designers and working on a collaboration to design some new items using recycled plastic.

DIA: How do you approach multi-disciplinary thinking in your designs?

NK: We will typically approach the design process differently depending on the project. We have been fortunate to work with a range of different design disciplines and have drawn different approaches from them. I really enjoy the early concept process that fashion designers use and how they explore materials and textures very early on. Sarah and I love exploring new materials so this is a very exciting stage in the design process for us.

DIA: How has design in your field been impacted during/ post-pandemic? How can a pandemic inform design?

NK: We typically set our own brief for any upcoming designs and think of a product’s long term viability so the pandemic has not impacted our design approach. I feel that the design industry is generally robust but the supply side of design is what has been impacted the most. The furniture industry has probably been set back by at least two years due to the supply issues and difficulty in developing new products. We will most likely see an increase in product releases if supply chains recover by some brands over the next few years. It will be interesting to see which brands consolidate their offerings and which decide to expand. I think the supply chain issues may lead some designers and brands to also consider how to better utilise local supply chains and be more resource efficient. Good design coupled with considered supply will recover quickly but there are definitely a lot of unknowns and conflicting issues at play. Price increases will continue and should prepare us for the inevitable move to a more carbon conscious economy where resources will need to be valued more and items will need to last longer.

DIA: What’s in your future? What’s next?

NK: We will continue expanding DesignByThem overseas and grow our design studio Gibson Karlo with more brand collaborations. We hope to launch some new products in Milan in 2022 if we can get them resolved in time. 

DIA: Your dream project?

MH: To me, a dream project is where a strong vision is realised and owned by everyone involved; it’s then when you know you have impacted the world in a truly positive way. The Gandel Wing came very close to that goal.

DIA: What’s your favourite Pantone colour?

NK: I don’t have one. Would struggle to choose as it would really depend on the context and application.

DIA: If you could comment on the recent Designers Australia Awards presented by the DIA, what would you say?

NK: I hope that the Design Australia Awards go on to promote aspirational design that contributes to the discourse of design and pushes the boundaries of what we know as already done.

Nicholas Karlovasitis, Director, Design By Them
Designers Australia Awards 2021, Use Category Winner: DesignByThem for DL Range by Gibson Karlo and Dion Lee

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