blog

The Happiness Factor

Thu, 17 May 2012 11:22:20 +1000

Walk into an amazing shop (Victor Churchill) or use a wonderful new product (the Dyson hand dryer) or purchase some Jimmy Choos, and woosh…..an instant download of happy hormones, known as an endorphin rush occurs.

Why? Because we get excited about experiencing good design and as designers we get a buzz from designing great environments and products. Easy really. Even the words give it away – we need excitement in our lives and more and more it is coming from the world of design.

Click here to read to full article that appears in the 2012 designEX magazine (Australia's largest interiors, design and architecture event.

The School of Real Living: Lesson #5 Colour Masterclass

Tue, 15 May 2012 20:39:57 +1000

We're thrilled to be guest presenters at The School of Real Living. In our lesson you will learn the secrets to creating the perfect colour palette at home.

The school of real living classes go back to basics, teaching readers how to design their own interior schemes, create moodboards and floorplans, and work with colour and decoration. So far, they have explored living rooms, home offices and bedrooms. Up next is Lesson #5 Colour Masterclass!

Create the perfect colour palette for your home, brought to you by the International School of Colour + Design. Interior designer Jacinta Preston and ISCD colour expert Lucy Sutherland, guest presenters at the School of real living, will discuss colour trends and how to incorporate these into your home. Plus, finding the right white, neutral and natural colours, and how to paint a room. You will then be able to create your own colour palette and moodboard like a pro.

What you need to bring A photo of the room you wish to paint, photos or paint swatches of a favourite colour, plus bold or standout colours you like at home. Also, fabric swatches for inspiration and reference. Places are limited, so book now!

NEW SOUTH WALES Dates: Thurs, June 14; Fri, June 15. Times 6pm to 9pm (Thurs); 10.30am to 1.30pm (Fri).

Address B2 Studios, unit 2, 46-62 Maddox Street, Alexandria, Sydney, NSW

QUEENSLAND Dates: Thurs, June 28; Fri, June 29. Times 6pm to 9pm (Thurs); 10.30am to 1.30pm (Fri).

Address Hotel urban, 345 Wickham Terrace, Spring Hill, Brisbane, QLD

SOUTH AUSTRALIA Dates: Thurs, July 5; Fri, July 6. Times 6pm to 9pm (Thurs); 10.30am to 1.30pm (Fri).

Address Majestic roof Garden Hotel, 55 Frome Street, Adelaide, SA

WESTERN AUSTRALIA Dates: Thurs, July 12; Fri, July 13. Times 6pm to 9pm (Thurs); 10.30am to 1.30pm (Fri).

Address The Sebel residence East Perth, 60 royal Street,

East Perth, WA

VICTORIA Dates: Thurs, July 19; Fri, July 20. Times 6pm to 9pm (Thurs); 10.30am to 1.30pm (Fri).

Address The Blackman Hotel, 452 St Kilda road, Melbourne, Vic

The ticket price is $40 a head. Refreshments will be served.

To book, phone Bianca Beaman on (02) 9282 8505 with your credit card details. Alternatively, shoot her an email.

As seen in: Real Living magazine

Mon, 14 May 2012 14:57:00 +1000

See all our media coverager here

Design to Market with Tamara Maynes

Fri, 11 May 2012 11:35:02 +1000

Have you always dreamed of creating your own range of: Cushions, Candles, Jewellery, Cards, Gift-wrap, Wallpaper, Lampshades or any unique home-wares product?

During this inspiring 2 day workshop you will discover the practical steps required to take a basic idea beyond design and create a product that has the potential to take the world by storm.

Join Tamara Maynes seasoned designer and manager of product development for Orson & Blake, and Inside Out Magazines d.i.y expert, as she takes you behind the scenes of product creation, sharing the personal blueprint she used to create her own celebrated products.

Guided by Tamara’s personal experience you will apply her genuine insights as a starting point to the hypothetical development of your creative idea into a covetable product package.

Thank you Inside Out Magazine for the stunning picture of Tamara.

Book now via trybooking:

Monday 21st May and Tuesday 22nd May 2012, 11am - 4pm

Tuesday 2 October and Wednesday 3 October, 11am - 4pm

Spotlight on: Cherise Wakeley

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 08:00:00 +1000

iscd Surface Design Diploma graduate Cherise Wakeley recently won the Australian Pavilion Fashion Competition.

To celebrate Australia’s participation in the 2012 Yeosu Expo, the Australian Government’s Yeosu Secretariat ran a competition calling all emerging and established fashion designers to design their own, unique Australian fabric that would tie in with the Australian Pavilion’s ‘In Harmony with the Ocean’ theme.

Cherise’s sea urchin design ties in with the Australian Pavilion’s ‘In Harmony with the Ocean’ theme, as she chose a non-typical creature, the sea urchin, to highlight the vast and varied creatures in our oceans that need to be preserved for future generations and research.

Cherise’s design has been used to manufacture the Australian Pavilion attendants’ official uniforms.

On receiving her award Cherise said: “It’s been such an unexpected privilege to win this competition. I enjoy the creative process of designing and it is an honour to be recognised at a national level. I’m really looking forward to going to Korea and seeing how my design adds to the experience for visitors to the Australian Pavilion,”

Check our more of Cherise works on your online profile here.

Canberra's first design weekend - Part 2

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:27:14 +1000

A leisurely weekend spent with like-minded people tapping into your creativity. What could be better? For us, nothing! And that is just what we did last weekend in Canberra.

Six sold out workshops were held over the weekend and everyone walked away with a lovely style board, a better understanding of colour & design and a fab gooide bag.

Don’t worry if you missed out, we are hitting the road again, next stop Gold Coast. If you live in Queensland register now for a day of inspiration.

Happy Easter from iscd

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:24:14 +1000

Canberra's First Design Weekend

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 07:35:50 +1000

Last weekend we travelled to Canberra to present their first design weekend. In addition to running creative workshops we hosted a cocktail at the Inside Story showroom.

This was a lovely evening to view the latest styles and trends as Prue Royle, founder of iscd introduced Electro Combo, Long Hot Summer and Dusty Denim Trend Themes and the team at Inside Story translated them into styled vignettes.

Dulux Colour Awards 2012

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 08:58:00 +1000

Last week we were treated to a fabulous evening at Melbourne's Regent Theatre for the 26th annual Dulux Colour Awards.

The Royal Children’s Hospital by Billard Leece Partnership and Bates Smart as the winner of the Grand Prix. The interior of the project also received the award in the Commercial Interior category, with judges commending how it showed the possibilities of using colour as a key design element.

“The Royal Children’s Hospital’s colour palette is dynamic, complex and richly researched. Colour has been effectively and comprehensively integrated into the building to enable wayfinding throughout. With a base palette drawn from Royal Park to define various parts of the hospital, the colour schemes for different floor levels have also been taken from different regions around Victoria to give variation and richness to the experience of the children, staff and visitors of the building,” the judging panel said.

It was a wonderful evening and a joy to celebrate with the finalist from iscd.

Remixed: Cloth and Designer Rugs

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 08:00:33 +1100

This week we were invited to the launch of ‘Remixed’, a stunning new collaboration between our friends at Designer Rugs and Julie Patterson of Coth.

Julie has taken four of her best rug designs and overlaid them with four of her key fabric designs, playing about with composition and colour to create this new range.

Here is a sneak peak of the night.

Remixed, a new collection of eight rugs that respectfully riffs on the popular cloth originals. Design influences art influences design - returning and reconsidering the familiar can turn a well designed piece into a modern classic.

Check out the entire collection here

Spotlight on: Following your Passion

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 13:02:07 +1100

This month talented International School of Colour and Design graduate Lisa Rodden is profiled in Home Beautiful Magazine. Whiling showcasing her delicate paper-cutting artwork Lisa chats about the importance of following your passion and having creativity in your life. And for any of our past or current students I am sure you recognise Lisa's colour charts and ice-cube trays, loving seeing the process of her work. Congratulations Lisa. Read more iscd media articles here.

Spotlight on: Magazine Styling

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 08:26:08 +1100

Loving the styling work of three of our talented Interior Styling Diploma students - Shaunagh North, Anke Barrett and Alison Breen. Featured in this months Real Living magazine. Go girls!

Six Hands Studio Visit

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 14:01:05 +1100

Our Surface Design students were treated to an excursion to Sixhands studio and showroom in Redfern. Sixhands is a 100 percent Australian owned-and-operated textile design business.

They are a comprehensive interior textile and wallpaper service that also offers custom design for interior designers, decorators and architects as well as individuals who are renovating their home. Such an inspiring day – thank you Sixhands.

DIA Graduate of the Year Awards

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 15:43:59 +1100

The Graduate of the Year Awards is an initiative of the NSW branch of the Design Institute of Australia to reward and recognise talent in 5 of the professional spheres that the DIA encompasses. We were thrilled to put forward three 2011 graduates from our Graphic Design Diploma and three 2011 graduates from our Interior Styling Diploma.

It was a fabulous evening catching up with fellow "design types" and to view the work of talented and emerging designers.

Congratulations to all the winners.

We couldn't be prouder

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 20:37:57 +1100

We are so proud of our recent graduates who have been shortlisted for the Dulux Colour Awards. We are thrilled to have seven students selected in the student category.

Dulux Colour Planning and Communication Manager, Andrea Lucena-Orr, who was part of an internal judging panel said “In the Student category, the balance of colour and the sheer amount of colour used is extremely creative”

The 2012 Dulux Colour Awards winners will be announced at an invitation only gala function to be held at the Plaza Ballroom, Regent Theatre, Melbourne, on 28 March 2012.

The award-winning architect, Peter Maddison, talented colour guru at Colourways, Kim Chadwick, creative stylist and founder of The Design Files, Lucy Feagins, along with New Zealand-based architect, Jeff Fearon, will now have the tough job of selecting winners.

Fingers crossed!

We are pleased to showcase the work of Penny Mapp, Amanda Ford, Anke Barrett, Beverly Benton, Emma Stergoulis, Shaunagh North and Jodie Duggin.

PANTONE - Fashion Colour Report

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 18:44:23 +1100

From love potions and the magical hour of sunset to witches and warlocks, fantasy and illusion are inspiring designers this fall season. With an unexpected mix of darks, brights and neutrals, they cleverly manipulate reality to transport consumers to an enchanting place, free from the stresses of everyday life.

For nearly 20 years, Pantone, the global authority on colour, has surveyed the designers of New York Fashion Week and beyond to bring you the season’s most important colour trends. This report previews the most prominent hues for fall 2012.

Go to pantone.com/fall2012 to vote for your favorite colour.

A Few of our Favourite Things

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 12:52:41 +1100

Last week we put on our flats and headed off to Life Instyle’s boutique trade event. All the products on display blew us away. Here is a wrap up of our favorite things.

Pony Rider

Blacklist Studio Prints (love the new video guys!)

Design Stockholm House

Love The Small Things at Life Instyle

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:30:00 +1100

Life Instyle, the boutique trade event delivering a mixture of beautiful designer brands sourced from a diverse range of companies featuring homeware, giftware, lifestyle and kids products, returns to Sydney’s Royal Hall of Industries & Hordern Pavilion from 23- 26 February 2012.

Over 4 days, Life Instyle hosts over 300 exhibitors leading the way in innovative product design, aesthetic and latest trends. Running alongside Life Instyle is Kids Instyle; an acclaimed trade event for kids and babies fashion, accessories and homewares, where creativity blends with modernity. The popular First Instyle area also returns bringing new, unique and designer products from current and emerging designers & artisans showcasing their creations to the wholesale market for the first time.

Exhibition Manager, Amelia Coote-Harris, is looking forward to the event and believes this year’s show is set to impress the retail market. “Life Instyle has always been a launch pad for new, innovative products and a gathering place for top talent in Australia. This year in particular I’m extremely proud of the high calibre exhibitors we have on board and anticipate a show bursting with creativity.”

Life Instyle Sydney is a trade only event and kicks off in style with a champagne reception from 6pm to 9pm on Thursday 23 February. Register now

An inspired story

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:14:58 +1100

SLASHIES // BENJA - PAPERFORM from Infinity Squared on Vimeo.

Conqueror’s Typographic Challenge

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 20:04:15 +1100

Conqueror, is running the ‘Typographic Games’ a typographic poster competition with a sports theme to tie in with the overall prize – two tickets to the 2012 London Olympics. The ‘world’s fittest designers’ will be awarded with a ‘gold, silver and bronze medal’ for their typographic entries.

The competition is open to creatives from across the globe from now until 30 April 2012. Entry is free, with the only requirement that entries incorporate the phrase ‘It’s not what you win, but how you conquer it’ in a custom-designed typeface.

The international judging panel will be headed by typographer Jean François Porchez, who will judge the top 50 entries (the most voted for online).

Enter now