it all starts with design

  AFI Branding       25th May, 2021

At AFI Branding, we’re big believers in sourcing, producing and manufacturing locally whenever possible. Supporting Australian Made should start right at the beginning, with Australian design. We’re lucky, in Australia, to have so much homegrown design talent to help lead the way on a global scale. To celebrate Australian Made week, we check in with Megan Day and Tracey Coad from our in-house Industrial Design team to talk all things design.

1. How did you both get started as Industrial Designers?

Megan: Originally, I started a Fine Arts degree but moved over to Industrial Design when I thought more about career opportunities. I loved the range of products that required Industrial Designers and knew it was a career that would allow me to be creative.

Tracey: At high school I wanted to focus on Fashion Design, but my design teacher directed me towards Industrial Design and convinced me that the Fashion and Textile design field was just too narrow.

2. What do you find most challenging about Industrial Design?

Megan: At AFI every job is different, so it is often challenging - this means I’m never bored! We are always thinking and trying to improve the way things are done. Things don’t always work the first time, but I love how creativity comes from making mistakes.

Tracey: The balancing act between delivering the clients wants and needs to their budget!

7. What do you think the design trends are to look out for in 2021 and beyond?

Megan: I think frames are slowly coming back into fashion. For a while nobody wanted to see the framework but now, there’s a shift towards wanting to see how a custom shape has been made. For this reason, translucent fabrics are also increasing in popularity. They can be great for showing the details of a structure whilst softening the overall design through layering and even adding a little luxe.

Tracey: I think socially conscious and sustainable designs will dominate 2021 and beyond. The last 18 months has really put a spotlight on where materials are coming from and how we source the components of our designs. I believe that recycling and reusing materials should always be a consideration when designing and that this should always be specified from the offset where possible.

Connect with our industrial design team for your next project today.