2018 Victorian Premier’s Design Awards announced

A ground-breaking Indigenous design charter has taken out the highest design honour in Victoria receiving the 2018 Victorian Premier’s Design Award of the Year.

The annual awards celebrate the state’s best and brightest designers and innovators across categories including architectural, product and industrial, communications, digital and service design.

The Jury selected the International Indigenous Design Charter as the overall winner. The charter is a protocol document that provides guidance for respectful representation of Indigenous culture in design practice and education worldwide.

Designed and developed by a team led by Dr Russell Kennedy from Deakin University’s School of Communication and Creative Arts and representatives from Indigenous Architecture and Design Victoria and Deakin University’s Institute of Koorie Education.

The Jury was unanimous in their decision to award the 2018 Victorian Premier’s Design Award of the Year to this project. “We agreed this entry was revolutionary and transformational in its impact at a local and global level,” said jury chair Celina Clarke.

“The Charter supports existing policies and protocols that ensure Indigenous rights, including intellectual property and the right to fair and informed negotiation and remuneration. The positive impact of this document for indigenous people worldwide is evident and deserves recognition at the highest level,” Ms Clarke said.

Other winners include the Nightingale 1 sustainable housing development; LinktGo, a GPS-enabled smartphone app that allows drivers to see toll travel in real time and pay trip-by-trip with their phones; and a world-first modular hearing aid manufactured in Melbourne and designed to look like a piece of jewellery.

The full list of winners is below, and more information is available at premiersdesignawards.com.au

2018 VICTORIAN PREMIER’S DESIGN AWARD WINNERS

Victorian Premier’s Design Award of the Year:

International Indigenous Design Charter

Best in Category Winner for Architectural Design:

Nightingale 1

Best in Category Winner for Communication Design:

Beyond Perception Exhibition

Best in Category Winner for Design Strategy:

International Indigenous Design Charter

Best in Category Winner for Digital Design:

LinktGO Mobile Tolling Solution

Best in Category Winner for Fashion Design:

The Last Knitting Mill

Best in Category Winner for Product Design

Facett

Best in Category Winner for Service Design:

Karitane Early Parenting Concept Store

Best in Category Winner for Student Design:

Rescue Akja

VCE Product Design Student Award: 

Reinventing Plastic Waste by Megan Grimshaw

VCE Product Design Student Finalists: 

Blade Sharpening Kit by Benjamin King

Jacket Bag by Leyton Abduli

Men’s Accessories and Storage Unit by Cameron Kilpatrick

Modern Neo-Expressionism by Maireid Carrigg

View all winners and finalists here.