The Design Institute of Australia (DIA)’s Victoria branch announced the top Victorian and Tasmanian design graduates of 2011 at the 4th annual Graduate of the Year Awards, held at Corporate Culture on Wednesday 21 March.
April 4th, 2012
GOTYA is an awards program created to support designers in the early stages of their career. It recognises excellence in the fields of graphic design, industrial design, textile design, interior design and interior decoration.
Congratulations to Dean Benstead of RMIT, who was awarded the top prize for industrial design as well as being named overall graduate of the year.
Jordon Rowe of Swinburne University of Technology took out the graphic design category. The textile category was won by Sarah Strickland of RMIT, and Frances Gaffney of Swinburne won for interior design.
High commendations were awarded in the category of interior decoration to Sean Oldfield of Box Hill Institute and Kate Pieters of RMIT.
Colourways Colour Awards, from the DIA’s colour forecasting initiative, were offered the first time this year. Winners were Tate Anson of RMIT for industrial design, Michelle Yann of the Australian Academy of Design for graphic design, Mara Kapsis of RMIT for textile design, Frances Gaffney of Swinburne for interior design and Kate Pieters of RMIT for interior design & decoration.
DIA Victoria Branch
design.org.au/vic








































INDESIGN is on instagram
Follow @indesignlive
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
At 3daysofdesign 2026, AHEC’s immersive exhibition traced the journey of American hardwood from forest to finished product.
When Italian furniture maker, Pedrali partnered with design studio, Formafantasma, the collaboration was always going to result in something both elevated and imbued with impeccable detail and flair.
Developed by bangdesign for Stylecraft, Kinn is an Australian-made collection of seating and occasional tables, shaped by modest proportions, practical detail and the changing demands of shared interiors.
Aeron Chair’s new shades, Nightfall and Jasper, arrive with a sense of quiet cohesion – no bells and whistles, no loud technicolour; just two timeless, perfectly versatile near-neutrals. But the new hues aren’t just about colour – and their significance is much more profound than their surface-level subtlety might suggest.
Two highly respected Australian brands have joined forces, with Zenith Interiors bringing the Schamburg + Alvisse furniture range into its collection.
Infinity Wellbeing by Space Popular is a spa of contrasts that offers respite from the chaos of Bangkok.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
Daniel Boddam’s new Bronte showroom is also his home. By inviting clients into the spaces where he actually lives with his furniture, the designer offers a more intimate way to experience design.
Ahead of Saturday Indesign, six architects and interior designers consider the assumptions that continue to shape homes, apartments and neighbourhoods – and the conversations the industry could be having more often.