Form & Function Seminar Series

You be the trend forecaster!

Designers, colour forecasters & lecturers from Coco Republic Design School
(A Coco Republic & Design Centre Enmore Initiative)

Learn where to find and how to identify, analyse and translate trends from different sources including what you find at designEX. Be fluent with the language of design and colours, shapes and materials then turn your research into innovative marketing tools for your business including a blog and website. This highly interactive workshop by Coco Republic Design School (a Coco Republic & Design Centre Enmore initiative) will help you define your own key trends.

$65.00 including GST

View profile of Coco Republic Design School »

What’s creativity got to do with it?

Prue Royle
Founding Director of the International School of Colour and Design

Are you selling yourself short as a designer? Do you really know how to be creative?

Prue Royle will illustrate the importance of creativity in design and demystify the creative process.

Creativity is the essential building block for innovation, however is increasingly hard to maintain when faced with the commercial realities of being a designer, and ‘life’ in general.

Following Prue’s extensive research at Harvard University on “mind education” this insightful seminar will help you understand how the creative process works and give you tools on how to capture the ‘eureka’ moment.

Through inspiring global and local case studies you will see how creativity can be implemented successfully resulting in innovative, inspired and authentic designs.

$65.00 including GST

View a profile of Prue Royle »

Australian Design- sunrise or sunset?

MC John Eussen, Peter Lewis- MD Porter’s Paints, David Lennie- MD Signature Prints, Sibella Court- principal Society Inc & Yosi Tal- MD Designer Rugs

At the coalface, the fashion industry has always been the global trend leader, but also leads the way in launching and exposing product and designers to local and international markets with great success. In Australia the fashion industry is strong, and over the globe, reasonably represented. Less so our furniture and furnishings industries.

With designers like Newson and Blaess in the global market you could be forgiven for thinking Australian product design is well represented and supported- however local designers struggle to survive and manufacturing in Australia is said to be at an all time low. What will drive our design industries to survive? Are collaborations and customisations the answers? Where and what is happening?

As designers what should we know about the local market, who is emerging, who should we support, what can be done? John Eussen explores the benefits of supporting Australian design, e.g. cost , green element, quality vs. offshore , design specialty and export opportunities with Peter Lewis, David Lennie, Sibella Court, and Yosi Tal.

$65.00 including GST

View a profile of John Eussen »
View a profile of Peter Lewis »
View a profile of David Lennie »
View a profile of Sibella Court »
View a profile of Yosi Tal »

Spilling the beans – the inside secrets of top designers

Author David Cuschieri- Director Cuschieri Design, Greg Natale- Principal, Greg Natale Design & Dean Herald- Principal, Rolling Stone Landscapes

What differentiates designers who become well known and those of us who don’t? Luck? Not likely.

David Cuschieri- author of new book Top Designers Secrets Revealed to be launched at designEX, set about to pinpoint what was behind the success of Australia’s top designers across different design disciplines. 

In this seminar David discusses his findings and converses directly with two of Sydney’s leading designers, both of whom are the subjects of chapters in the book, the award winning interiors designer Greg Natale, and multi-award winning landscape designer Dean Herald.

Greg’s work has been described as bold, exciting, dynamic, glamorous, sophisticated and having attitude, and his work covers a never ending feast of residential, corporate, hospitality and retail design. You would be hard pressed not to see Greg’s name mentioned somewhere on a monthly basis- so what makes him tick?  The same can be asked about Dean Herald, who has not only achieved Gold at the Chelsea Garden Show on numerous occasions, but has written a book on Resort Style Living and was also awarded the Australian Residential Landscaper of the year in 2006. How did they and their work become so well known so quickly and what makes them continue to be successful?

Discover all this and more including ideas that aspiring and practising designers can adopt into their practices

$65.00 including GST

View a profile of David Cuschieri »
View a profile of Greg Natale »
View a profile of Dean Herald »

Snap, crackle & pop – super design solutions

Skye Molyneux- Creative Director Bleux, Julie Paterson- Director Cloth, designer David Caon and Jared Dinneen- National Marketing Manager Laminex Brand, The Laminex Group

This seminar introduces you to super design solutions that add zing, sexiness and point of difference. 2D & 3D bespoke art and graphic design solutions provide unusual decorative design solutions for interior and exterior surfaces and spaces. Design challenges such as enlivening spaces, finding unique cost effective alternatives, creating unusual branding solutions or simply creating privacy can often be solved by thinking outside the square. Hard surfaces, cabinetry, glass, flooring, textiles- you name the surface and it can be customised by a range of stunning design applications.  But so too spaces, with 3D objects, such as sculpture, screens, and bespoke furniture.

Don't miss this vibrant seminar with Skye Molyneux, Julie Paterson, David Caon and Jared Dinneen - what you will learn will have you thirsting to try in future

$65.00 including GST

View a profile of Skye Molyneux »
View a profile of Julie Paterson »
View a profile of David Caon »
View a profile of Jared Dinneen »

Storytellers – defining trends in narrative and origin

Genty Marshall - Director, New Black Global Trends

We are witnessing the biggest shift in consumer consciousness in a generation. Genty Marshall explores the key drivers behind this global zeitgeist and the implications it will have on design trends well into the future.

The role of narrative in design is being rediscovered.  Architects, designers and craftsmen are no longer abandoning the narrative concept in favour of the utilitarian objective. These tales are our human and cultural heritage defining who we are and where we are headed.

Knowledge of the path an object takes from conception to post-consumption has become essential to our purchasing decisions.  In this way, it is the non-fiction stories that chronicle the origin, makers, process and afterlife of an object that inspire and reassure us.

We ask, “Who made you, and why?  Who benefits?  Who suffers?"  We are reconnecting with real people, places and processes.

$65.00 including GST

View profile of Genty Marshall »

Far-sighted- working for clients with vision

Nicholas Wolff, Chief Operating Officer Frasers Property and Phillip Johnson from Sustainable Landscape Systems

Ask designers and each will profess that it’s damned hard to find a client with vision enough to attempt something extraordinary, let alone find one with ambitions for 100% carbon neutrality across major developments. One such client in Australia, is Frasers Property, an international property development company, currently active in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand and, via their parent company Frasers Centrepoint Limited, in Singapore, China, Thailand and Vietnam.
Fundamental to the company’s farsightedness, and reason for being, is an expressed love of working with the very best architects and designers the world has to offer, and a wish to bring innovative design or technological initiatives to local markets. As noted in company literature, Fraser’s new priority is to carefully ascertain the ecological cost and benefits of their properties, and respond to this call by providing sustainable, human-friendly design. 
Nicholas Wolff, Frasers Property and Phillip Johnson (representative of internationally renowned Botanist Patrick Blanc) will provide us with an inside look at collaborative innovation - when both the client vision and design response is innovative, and how this farsighted vision will invariably achieve a win-win for the industry, would be purchasers, the community and environment. Indeed, a remarkable vision.

$75.00 including GST

View a profile of Nicholas Wolff »
View a profile of Phillip Johnson»

Tour de Force - the Editors speak

MC John Eussen,
Lisa Green- Editor in Chief, Australian House & Garden;
Sandy de Beyer- former presenter Better Homes & Gardens;
Leanne Amodeo- Editor Monument
Paul McGillick- Editorial Director of Indesign Publishing and editor of Indesign and Habitus magazines
Cameron Bruhn - Editorial Director of Architecture Media

In an era of ready access to information everywhere anytime, new influences are shaping the world we live in. What are the factors driving the commercial and domestic design markets and what should designers pay attention to? Where are the ideas coming from? What products, materials, shapes and colours are influencing the market, who are the key influencers, opinion makers and designers who are changing our lives and expectations?

Join MC John Eussen and the influential Editors of our better known domestic and commercial design magazines as they give you who and what is shaping the design market

$65.00 including GST

View a profile of John Eussen »
View a profile of Lisa Green »
View a profile of Sandy de Beyer »
View a profile of Leanne Amodeo »
View a profile of Paul McGillick »
View a profile of Cameron Bruhn »

Shooting for the stars - bringing Sustainable dwellings to life, inside and out

Cameron Rosen, Director Australian Living, architect Caroline Pidcock, Principal Pidcock Architecture and Sustainability and thermal assessor Graham Hunt, GE Hunt

A model by RMIT University’s Centre for Design found the best cost outcome, payback, and resale value, for Greenstar dwellings to be around a 7.2-star standard. Materials selection, embodied impact ( energy, CO₂, everything), thermal comfort, design of the building envelope and the more resolved the building is holistically, significantly impacts the number of stars to be obtained and what is, in the long run, considered more sustainable.  From next year we believe the BCA is introducing  stringent testing on performance levels for thermal comfort nationwide.

One of Cameron Rosen’s projects exceeds the highest suggested ratings for thermal comfort and an excellent example for grouped planning and development- a socially sustainable model. Caroline Pidcock believes that in using environmentally sustainable materials and processes to create beautiful, intelligent and interesting spaces people are encouraged to develop a consciousness of their surroundings. Graham Hunt specialises in assessing thermal quality and performance of materials- probably one of the greatest contributors to energy reduction and efficiency.

Bringing sustainable residential dwellings to life promises to be on every designers agenda for the next decade. Add this tremendously important seminar to your agenda today and join Cameron Rosen, Caroline Pidcock and Graham Hunt as they discuss what is and isn’t considered sustainable, products used and where to in future.

$65.00 including GST

View a profile of Cameron Rosen »
View profile of Caroline Pidcock »
View a profile of Graham Hunt »

You be the trend forecaster!

Designers, colour forecasters & lecturers from Coco Republic Design School
(A Coco Republic & Design Centre Enmore Initiative)

You be the trend forecaster!   Learn where to find and how to identify, analyse and translate trends from different sources including what you find at designEX. Be fluent with the language of design and colours, shapes and materials then turn your research into innovative marketing tools for your business including a blog and website . This highly interactive workshop by Coco Republic Design School (a Coco Republic & Design Centre Enmore initiative) will help you define your own key trends.

$65.00 including GST

View profile of Coco Republic Design School »

A-list – the red hot recipe for success

Ruth Levine- Director RLD, Thomas Bucich- Director Bucich Art & Design & Craig Spencer- Principal Craig Spencer Design

Three things are certain in commercial and residential real estate. One is that consumers are notoriously fickle. Two is that if the product is good consumers will come (and they will pay a premium). Three- the icing on the cake that offers real competitive and financial advantage, is that outstanding design is the red hot recipe for success.

The works of three leading interiors designers come to mind at the top of the success points scale- Ruth Levine, Thomas Bucich and Craig Spencer

As you would expect, the style of each designer differs, however their design works offer a total package- multi-dimensional, strong visual and tactile experiences and, above all, superior quality. The calibre of their work distinguishes and differentiates what they do, and their finished projects sell for top dollar. Ruth, Thomas and Craig are highly sought after A-list designers.

This seminar compares the work of each designer and examines the keys to their success and the success of the projects they have worked on. A simply sensational seminar to attend

$65.00 including GST

View a profile of Ruth Levine »
View a profile of Thomas Bucich »
View a profile of Craig Spencer »

 

Gain that creative edge

Prue Royle- Founding Director of the International School of Colour and Design and Edwina Hirst- educator, International School of Colour and Design

Put the creative process into practice with Prue Royle.

This hands on workshop will shine the spotlight on the importance of creativity and authenticity in design and give you techniques to reclaim it.

Assisted by Edwina Hirst, respected educator at the International School of Colour and Design, they will give you the utensils to get the most out of the right-hand side of your brain. Sometimes you simply switch it off, but it is the right-hand side of the brain that is your problem solver and the side that allows you to think creatively. 

Following Prue's extensive research at Harvard University on "mind education", she will put into practice her findings at this workshop. Engage in activities such as group brainstorms, mind-mapping and conceptual thinking tasks, which will help you grow new neural connections within your mind, approach design more laterally and certainly give you that creative edge.

$65.00 including GST

View a profile of Prue Royle »
View a profile of Edwina Hirst »

Who's afraid of big bad colour?

Courtney Seguire - GM Duha Group, award winning interior designer David Hicks - David Hicks Design, Sibella Court - principal Society Inc & Edward Coutts Davidson - Designer and Principal Edwards & Co

White, white and white has been the most favoured ‘colour’ for residential and commercial interior design for a long time now. There are more shades of white on the market than any other colour. Ask any supplier manufacturing any type of interior finish and they will tell you this is unlikely to change. Customers like white. It’s also safe. 

Designers like the fabulous David Hicks, who use vibrant colour to stunning effect, to positively change the character and perhaps breathe life into a space and project, are rare and brave beasts indeed. Colour augments the spatial relationship, adding contrast or focus and enables designers to very readily personalize or define a space; to take something specific from the client, a logo, a favoured piece and run with or counter to it.

This seminar on colour integration in interior and exterior spaces will inspire and highlight winning colour combinations that exude personality. If you are working on projects or with clients who are different or unusual, integrating vibrant colour may be just the solution.

$65.00 including GST
View a profile of Courtney Seguire »
View a profile of David Hicks »
View a profile of Sibella Court »
View a profile of Edward Coutts Davidson »

“ABOVE AND BEYOND TRENDS”...where to now and does it matter?

Prue Royle
Founding Director of the International School of Colour and Design

The last few decades have seen massive shifts in the world of design. Increased market awareness, accessibility to knowledge and expertise, a glut of products and pressure to perform have meant that the role of the designer is more demanding than ever.

In the 80s greed was good and design flourished; the 90s celebrated celebrities and colour, the 00s gave us sustainability and trends, so what are the teens going to bring with them?

Prue Royle, Founding Director of the International School of Colour and Design and the Heartful Travellers, is one of Australia’s leading trend commentators. In this seminar, she will take you on a flight to the future and reveal what is happening beyond trends and give an insight into what the Future Laboratory calls the Turbulent Teens...“the period we are entering is one of unconventional thinking and unprecedented change.”

Petulant behaviour and breaking of rules are often balanced by creative activity and innovation. Shifts likely to occur include a movement from celebrity designer to design; from mass manufacture to bespoke; from cliché to authenticity, from impulse to considered, and from global to local. This thought provoking seminar will demonstrate how to function and be ahead of the game as designers  and manufacturers whilst living in a teenage world.

$65.00 including GST

View a profile of Prue Royle »

 

Living green – new spatial design visions for our cities

Landscape architects Vladimir Sitta-Director Terragram & Daniel Baffsky- Principal 360°

Our cities have roads and tall buildings, laneways and alleys- both exposed and hidden; residences, workplaces, retail spaces, machines and hustle and bustle. Our cities are growing, and our world has less free space in which to live, and love. As the built form encroaches more onto what little free space we have, an interesting phenomena has developed, that of using the planes- neglected and negative spaces as the bases of life.

When Patrick Blanc created the vertical garden it captured the imaginations of many more designers who are picking up the ‘green’ baton in search of solutions to reduce the impact of our highly urbanized communities by creating urban eco-systems. Green roofs, for example, are now recognised as an important component in the urban environment. Major cities around the world are beginning to take the benefits of such systems extremely seriously.

Vladimir Sitta, one of Australia’s most recognised landscape architects, and Daniel Baffsky, 360° examine ‘Living green’, the growing importance, inclusion and use of green infrastructure, in the context of growing urbanization to not only help combat pollution and reduce carbon dioxide emissions, but more importantly to humanize the spaces we inhabit.

An eye opening in-depth seminar about future considerations- valuable and insightful!

$75.00 including GST

View a profile of Vladimir Sitta »
View a profile of Daniel Baffsky »

Shine a little light on me- the new generation of lamps and lighting design

Dudley Hewitt-CEO JSB Lighting, Glen Haron- MD Haron & Robson, one of Australia's foremost lighting consultants, and Marc Pascal- lighting designer and manufacturer in the artisan/ bespoke sense of lighting design

Practicalities of lamp colour temperature / colour rendering plus efficiency / lamp life, regulations, environment, advances in lighting design and the WOW factor. Can they work together? Dudley Hewitt starts off with a hands-on overview of the four common light sources, and is followed by Glen Haron, and lighting designer Marc Pascal, who will discuss what you need to know, from everyday practicalities to designer customisations and considerations.

Educate yourself about lamps and lighting design. It’s vital to your practice.

$65.00 including GST

View a profile of Dudley Hewitt »
View a profile of Glen Haron »
View a profile of Marc Pascal »

Tomorrows designers today – Saturday School

Coco Republic Design School (A Coco Republic & Design Centre Enmore Initiative)

Skye Molyneux- MD Bleux,
Paul Sweatman-Marketing Manager NSW/ACT The Laminex Group,
Representatives from Design Institute of Australia- Karinna Gobbo, Tracey Sernack-Chee Quee and Toni Ford
Terri Wilson-Indigo Design & Rebecca Daff -Geyer Design, respectively President and VP of the Retail Design Institute.

For the first time designEX brings design to life for students.

In this highly interactive session, we invite design students to join lecturers from Coco Republic Design Centre to explore the designEX tradeshow floor, view design exhibits, speak to suppliers, and learn about design careers and directions from design professionals associated the Design Institute of Australia and Retail Design Institute.

The workshop component of the experience includes an opportunity for students to ask questions in both a Q&A format and one-on one with suppliers and designers.

All designers are welcome to participate in the audience and join the panellists in talking one-on-one with the students after the presentation. This is a great opportunity to meet tomorrow’s colleagues and employees and to enrich our profession and industry.

Agenda (3 hour session)

• Meet at room followed by a introduction
• You will break into groups and take a guided tour of the show floor
• Supplier & Design Industry sessions from DIA & RDI presentation - showing great images from here and overseas and discussing career options.
• Q&A

Student price: $45.00 including GST
Designers: Free to participate in Q&A/one on one with students

 

View profile of Coco Republic Design School »
View a profile of Skye Molyneux »
View a profile of Paul Sweatman »
View a profile of Design Institute of Australia »
View a profile of Karinna Gobbo »
View a profile of Tracey Sernack-Chee Quee »
View a profile of Toni Ford »
View a profile of Retail Design Institute »
View a profile of Terri Wilson »
View a profile of Rebecca Daff »