22 December 2011

Looking Back at 2011

As the year comes to an end, join us as we revisit what made headlines on Indesignlive in 2011.

What a year it's been! Some standout built works and exciting new initiatives kept us inspired about the state of design – as well as the odd quirky development that kept us guessing.

In February the release of the high heel-wearing, hard hat-toting Architect Barbie resonated with a lot of people as they questioned how the industry was being represented. Where was the sleep deprivation, and would she even be allowed on site in those shoes?

Throughout the year we enjoyed visits from some very special international guests. Botanist and artist Patrick Blanc gave us a glimpse of his plans for the green walls of Sydney's Central Park One development; Yves Béhar jetted in to launch his new SAYL chair.

At the AIA's national conference we enjoyed the presence of Juhani Pallasmaa, R&Sie(n) and Iwamoto Scott, among many others. Saturday in Design Sydney saw hotshot designers like Benjamin Hubert and Michael Young grace our shores. In November, Bruce Mau inspired Brisbane audiences with his '24 hours to massive change' mantra, and Tokujin Yoshioka's first ever visit to Australia brought us the captivating Waterfall installation.

At imm Cologne, Maison Objet, the Milan Furniture Fair and Cersaie we saw a shift toward more thoughtful and considered design, and design that blurred boundaries, erasing the lines between residential and commercial furniture, for example, or the lines between what's real and fake with techniques of authentic imitation. The Australian International Design Awards (AIDA) garnered more entries this year than ever before, with a focus on products that encouraged a more sustainable way of life.

The architecture and design community showed a wonderful solidarity in the face of natural disaster. Initiatives contributing to recovery after the Queensland floods and earthquakes in Japan and New Zealand showed how strong and supportive the industry can be.

We mourned the premature deaths of Nick Murcutt, and Lena Yali, Greg McNamara and Kevin Taylor, and stopped to celebrate their work and contributions to our built environment.

Some standout projects captured our imaginations. A beachside fish bar in Perth and a sumptuous new airport lounge in Canberra were among the most clicked-on stories of the year. We also welcomed the opening of MONA, Hobart's enigmatic 'anti-museum' with its confronting and controversial private art collection.

Here at Indesign HQ, it was a year of growth and exciting new ventures. We hosted the first of our Indesign in Discussion series, with Ken Maher and James Grose giving us a glimpse into their work on Melbourne's Docklands. We kicked off the year with a bang by launching Indesignlive.asia, and brought Singapore's design community together for one very special inaugural Saturday in Design Singapore. DQ was awarded 2 international design awards for its redesign, and Habitus and Habitusliving both received a revamp – fresh new looks for a fresh new year!

We ended the year by bringing out our very first licensed title Indesign Indonesia and joining forces with Singapore-based publishing house Concepts Asia Publishing, which means next year there'll be 3 glossy new Asian titles under the Indesign umbrella – Cubes, Lookbox and Lookbox Annual. Phew! Here's to an exciting and busy time ahead in 2012...

These are just some of the moments that have rocked Indesignlive's world this year. What has been your most memorable design moment of 2011?