Recently finishing her tenure as co-president of the Design Institute of Australia (SA Branch), Neroli Hutchinson has been part of enabling this process.
“Our hope as a local DIA council is that we represent a cross section of our membership’s disciplines. We encourage designers to engage in industry matters, such as interfacing with government and other similarly focused design representative groups,” she said.
Taking the position in 2007, she has been involved in setting up the Branch’s Breakfast series, Speedmeet networking event for students and designers, and further developing the annual SA Design Awards program.
The events have been important in building Adelaide’s design identity and raising the profile of design in the mainstream conscience.
Attending Paris’ Maison&Objet last month, she discovered designers internationally also suffer a lack of government support. This seems to come from a poor understanding of what designers do.
“Design is not an art, it’s something to use in your business to make it successful,” she said.
“Everywhere we live and work and everything we touch, whether it’s a pen, a table or the cars we drive, has been designed by designers.”
“It’s a huge business but it’s not understood.”
The DIA (SA Branch) supports the South Australian government’s Integrated Design Commission, but Neroli said it comes back to having a strong body with a voice.
“By working together, designers ensure they have the numbers and money necessary to operate a strong and active national organisation,” she said.
After 10 years of working for corporate design firms, including GHD, IKEA and Hassell, Neroli has started her own business Studio Tonic.
A boutique interior design consultancy co-owned with Sarah Gamtcheff, Neroli said the venture had given the pair “a real sense of achievement and excitement”.
“We’ve learnt a lot from working in large businesses, but to be small and succeeding has been a supremely positive feeling.”
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