News 07.10 / AGDA Design Fete
Events where designers are given an opportunity to engage the general public, to alter perceptions and also to have some fun are rare. Design is a serious business, but sometimes it is truly refreshing to let one’s hair down, lasso a green horse or two and play the tattoo artist.
Design Made Trade is a key trade event for Victoria’s vast State of Design festival, and this year AGDA’s involvement included the inaugural Design Fete, a contemporary take on the traditional village carnival.
Esteemed studios including Canyon, Chase & Galley, Coöp/Southsouthwest, Motherbird, Spencer Bitcon and Studio Pip & Co contributed activities ranging from apple-bobbing to screen-printing. Seeing the budding young scientists gasping at the mad professor Geddes’ experiments, or the vast crowds surrounding the Pheromone Brothers weaving their tattoo magic put a smile back on many a crusty old designer’s face.
Our own contribution included the design of t-shirts and badges to help brand the event, a series of interactive activities and an installation and signage for a stand in the form of a geodesic dome. Many thanks to Tim Royall and Wei Huang who gave up much of their semester break to help out, and to all AGDA participants who worked with a difficult, fluid brief and very little budget.
Images courtesy of the ever-positive & positively tireless Simon Mundy.
