The 2011 State of Design Festival, developed to increase the awareness of the value of design in business, industry and throughout the community, has been heralded as the most successful of the design exhibitions to date. It attracted over 16,000 visitors that took part in 12 days (from July 20 – 31) of events, design exhibitions and leading local and international guests.
Kate Rhodes, Creative Director for Victoria’s 2011 State of the Design Festival said; “The 2011 State of Design Festival has succeeded in curating and producing more exhibitions, events and activities than ever before. We are thrilled that all of the State of Design Festival-produced events sold out.
“The 2011 Festival took designers for the first time to regional primary schools and the festival has been able to create a number of 'legacy' projects that will continue to be active within the city after the official dates, including: The Sound of Buildings and Design for an Active City,” she added.
Under the theme of “Design that moves” the Festival held three major programs: Design for Everyone, Design for Business and Design: Made: Trade.
Design for Everyone
Responding to the ‘Design That Moves’ theme, Design for Everyone explored how we are influenced by our experiences in, on and around projects that are transformative, mobile and networked.
Events were showcased in transitional zones such as platforms, public urban spaces, foyers and stairs as the Festival explored how Melbourne can utilise design to transform into a more active city.
Design for Business
The Design for Business program was created with a focus on inspiration as a tool for business improvement. The program featured some of the world’s most significant design thinkers and innovators exploring issues relevant to an Australian business audience.
Keynote speaker Carolyn Steel hosted three forums around food consumption in cities with a focus on urban agriculture. With Steel’s chief interest in exploring how cities are shaped by food, Melburnians soaked up her insight and her lateral approach to urban design.
The Festival's free 9 to 5 Talks Program were a new addition to the Festival, showing that a new format for hosting international speakers is possible. Each of the 5 Skype interviews went smoothly and brought the minds of five international design thinkers into Melbourne for an hour-long conversation around design issues, practice and ideas to large audiences.
Design:Made:Trade:
Design:Made:Trade took place for the fourth time at the historic Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton featuring design-related workshops, talks, exhibitions and displays.
A stepping stone for emerging designers, Design:Made:Trade is a curated show that presents a unique platform to create networks, balancing a market atmosphere with trade opportunity.
Celebrating a diverse range of design, this year’s exhibitors covered an array of disciplines such as graphics, interiors, industrial, software, fashion, and visual arts.
