Marc Newson
Marc Newson has been named as one of the most influential designers of his generation. His far-reaching body of work has embraced a multitude of platforms ranging from furniture, household objects, bathroom products, mobile phones, built-in cooking appliances, bicycles, cars, aircraft, yachts and even the luggage to take on board. Marc’s client list includes some of the most prestigious brands in the world in manufacturing, technology, transportation, fashion and the luxury goods sector. Many of his designs have achieved the status of modern design icons and can be viewed amongst major museum collections including MoMA in New York, London’s Design Museum and V&A, the Centre Georges Pompidou and the Vitra Design Museum. In demand for bespoke architectural and design commissions, the rollout of the Marc Newson designed Qantas A380 interior, the First Class Lounge at Sydney and Melbourne airports and the Qantas Skybed, ensued following his appointment as Creative Director of Qantas Airways from 2005 to 2015. He joined Apple Inc. as Designer for Special Projects since his first involvement in the design of the ‘Apple Watch’. In 2019, Marc and Sir Jonathan Ive founded the creative collective LoveFrom.
Sydney born, but much travelled, Marc Newson has lived and worked in Tokyo, Paris and the UK, where he now calls home. Soon after graduating from the Sydney College of Arts, Fine Arts in 1984, where he specialised in jewellery and silversmithing, interest in Marc’s work was gathering momentum. Turning his hand to experiment in furniture design, the fledgling designer’s first solo exhibition “Seating for Six” was presented at Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, in 1986. More than 25 solo exhibitions have since been amassed during his 35-year career, taking place in Japan, Sweden, France, Italy, Germany, the UK and the USA.
By the 90s he had established a studio in Paris designing for clients from furniture for Cappellini and Moroso to limited-edition art pieces and much more. In 1997 Marc founded Marc Newson Limited in London with collaborator Nicolas Register, where the design studio is based today.
Marc’s remarkable work has been the subject of: television documentaries; a postage stamp; multiple monographs; several world auction records: and a plethora of awards. Among those are the Red Dot Design Awards for: Embryo Chair (1999); Hemipode watch (1999); Samsonite Scope luggage range (2006); Pentax K-01 (2012) and Designer of the Year at Design Miami (2006).
Arguably, most notable of all, has been Marc Newson’s ability to speak to a truly global audience through his designs. His bevy of Citations include: naming by Time magazine as one of the world’s top 100 most influential people in 2005 and his appointment of CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) by Her Majesty the Queen in 2012. In 2022 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the Royal College of Art in London.
The Design Institute of Australia Hall of Fame recognises the achievements of Marc Newson.
