Navigating change demands new ways of looking at the world. It requires the imagination to see a brighter future and the vision to chart a course there. Our design industry can be a powerful catalyst for change; imagining, creating and facilitating innovative solutions.
Design Victoria’s report, Five Years On, published in December 2008 provided a snapshot of a thriving, highly competitive design industry, enriching both society and the Victorian economy. In 2009, Design Victoria commissioned Wallis Consulting Group to undertake further research into the education, training and development of our next generation of designers – of whom increasingly complex and creative demands will be made.
The research focused on undergraduate education in the areas of industrial design, graphic design and to a lesser extent, multimedia design. The findings, captured in Designing Our Future, launched in November 2009 provide an excellent opportunity to review teaching practices, refine course planning and examine the increasing importance of engaging with other disciplines. Key findings include:
- Despite a high satisfaction rating of courses by students themselves, design education falls short of the criteria that define the leading design schools around the world.
- A need to provide design students with opportunities to engage across disciplines, particularly with business and commerce.
- A range of deterrents to entering design exist, from course selection in VCE to a lack of understanding of potential careers in the design industry.
- There is a lack of partnerships between educational institutions and corporations with training and employment potential.
- A significant proportion of educational institutions are already planning course improvements.
Designing Our Future will assist government, the education sector and the design industry in the continual process of tailoring training and education to develop the finest graduates for our future.
Join the Conversation
Click here to visit the Designing Our Future forum and have your say.
Click here to follow the discussion on Twitter with hashtag #designingourfuture
Related Links
Click here to read a snapshot of the research findings.Click here to download the research report in full.
Click here to download the survey questionnaires.
Click here read more about Five Years On research.
12 November 2009