You may have seen these House Lights prototypes on display at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art as part of the QANTAS Spirit of Youth Awards last year.

Kristian Aus, operating through his Autumn design studio, continues to go from strength to strength with each new project – and we’re proud to call him an ex-Launch Padder! Indesign caught up with Kristian to discuss his latest work and what Launch Pad means to him.

What does the idea of the ’house’ mean to you?

A house is an object and a place that means many things to me. It’s a place that we escape to and try to escape from. It is a vantage point to look out from or a place to look into other people’s lives. The house represents family and a place we can call our own amongst the darkness. It is a beacon that calls you back from travels and guides you home when you need it most.

The House Lights were a self-directed product – what inspired you to explore the theme of the house?

I was interested in exploring a product idea that tried to combine 2 elements in a meaningful way. In this instance it was the idea of the house as a beacon and the most appropriate product seemed to be a light. The idea of a house within a house also appealed. It was a nice meta product idea.  

What processes did you go through before reaching the final design?

The processes I go through when exploring an idea tend to be quite fast and loose. The finished design often comes out quite easily and fully formed after many varied initial concepts and misdirections.

What else is Autumn Products working on at the moment – anything you’d like to share with us?

There are a number of products that I will be releasing under my own brand later in the year, but until then its all a bit secret…

You have taken part in the Launch Pad project for Saturday in Design in previous years. What did the experience give you, and how did it inform your later work?

The biggest thing that Launch Pad gave me was to have confidence in my own ideas and to follow my own path in design. It convinced me that there are still a lot of opportunities in Australian design if you know where to look.

Why should other young designers take part in Launch Pad?

 

Young designers should take part to gain some level of exposure and to see that it’s not as easy or as hard as it seems. I would advise designers to show their work in as many places as they can and value their own opinion as much as that of anyone else.

Autumn Products
autumnproducts.com.au