Internationally revered industrial designer, Paul Cockburn was influential in the careers of many Australian designers through his employment, work experience and mentoring programs. Cockburn formed his design studio Design Field in 1969, which undertook projects for diverse clients including Apple, AWA, Acrow, Tytel, Victa, Black and Decker, and Eveready. Under his leadership, was one of the first industrial design consultancies in the country to offer a regular work experience program for secondary and tertiary students. In addition to growing the consulting design industry, he was instrumental in shaping an Australian approach to the design of functional objects. Cockburn passed away in late 2021 and is posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Industrial and graphic designer, Richard Haughton James.
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Industrial and graphic designer, Richard Haughton James co-founded and ran the Design Centre from 1939 to 1940 with Dahl and Geoffrey Collings, who he had met earlier in London. In 1939, he worked with publisher Sydney Ure Smith to establish the Design Industries Association of Australia (DIAA), which was a forerunner of the Design Institute of Australia. Throughout his career in Australia, James was passionately committed to raising people’s understanding of modern art, design and photography, and is credited with helping to develop a more enlightened attitude to modern art and industrial design through articles, talks, radio broadcasts and publications. In 1947, he was elected president of the Society of Designers for Industry (SDI), a precursor to the DIA – a role he remained in until 1955. James passed away in 1985 and is also posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Graphic designer, art director, and interior, food, and lifestyle author, Stafford Cliff.
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Stafford Cliff has an illustrious design history. A graphic designer, art director, and interior, food, and lifestyle author, his impressive repertoire never ceases to amaze. Cliff designed the striking Habitat catalogues for Terence Conran’s UK retail chain for ten years from 1971, leading the brand to achieve substantial growth and recognition. In 1974, he designed The House Book, the best-selling home book ever to exist, which led him to later achieve the role of creative director of the Conran Design Group in the 1980s. He left the group in 1990 to work full-time on book design and art direction. Stafford’s favourite quote, which exemplifies his life and career, is “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to excel, and to do so with some passion, some compassion and humour, and some style.”
The Design Institute of Australia will officially present this year’s esteemed hall of fame inductees at their 2023 awards celebration night on Thursday, 2 November.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
