Industrial Designer Roger Simpson has been a driving force in Australian design. He has been involved in over 10,000 design projects since 1972, typically as design director. Roger has been an exceptional advocate for the design industry.

Roger has mentored and fostered talented young designers in both industry and academic settings. At the other end of the spectrum, he has been instrumental in engaging with CEO’s and business leaders to inform their understanding of how design innovation can be a cornerstone to business growth strategy. A former State and National President of the DIA (1989-1995), Roger initiated the amalgamation of DIA and Society of Interior Designers Australia (SIDA) and was researcher and author of the DIA submission to National Review of Design for the Industry White Paper 1994-1995. Roger was designer, strategist and organiser of the DIA Design Congress Bid in Glasgow 1993 – securing three international design organisations to Sydney in 1999. He was also the first DIA member to be elected to Life Fellowship in both Industrial and Graphic Design disciplines.

As founder and director of Design Synergy Pty Ltd since 1975, Roger has provided over 40-years of Industrial and Graphic Design consultancy throughout Australia, Asia and Europe. An internationally recognised authority on design analysis, Roger has delivered many keynote presentations nationally and internationally on a range of design topics.

Roger has always been driven by the philosophy that “designers have a responsibility to their clients and the community to research and identify real marketplace opportunities and to develop break-through design solutions that provide measurable commercial and end-user benefits.”

He was strategist for the establishment of the National School of Design Swinburne University of Technology, Prahran Campus and was appointed Adjunct Professor by the School in 2001 and later, Professor and Director Swinburne Design Centre (2004-2010). Roger’s legacy includes having chaired the Course Advisory Committee, identification of course expansion opportunities, policy implementation, management and project management.

Now with a focus on strategic design consulting, Roger continues to add value to businesses through design integration, focusing on design innovation and design thinking. He is also Adjunct Professor at University of Canberra.

The DIA Hall of Fame recognises the achievements of Roger Simpson.