Friday 30 January 2015

Designed in Melbourne - Kambrook PB-1 power board


Monash Univeristy researcher Ian Wong and Design Institute of Australia Hall of Fame designer Robert Pataki discuss the origins of the Kambrook PB-1 power board.


The world's first power board the PB-1 designed in Melbourne by Robert Pataki Design for Kambrook. The powerboard concept was invented by Kambrook in 1972 but it was this design from 1979 that established the configuration that would be adopted worldwide. It was never patented.

The team at Robert Pataki Design at that time included Robert Pataki, Gerry Mussett and Philip Slattery. Gerry Musset recalls working on the detailing of the internal electrical contacts for the PB-1.

Wednesday 28 January 2015

Designed in Melbourne - Kingfisher International Fibersafe


Kingfisher International Technical Director Bruce Robertson and product designer Ross Williams with the Fibersafe optical fibre microscope designed in Melbourne Australia.


Designed in Melbourne - KI6610 Fibersafe fiber inspection microscope.





Friday 23 January 2015

Designed in Melbourne - Australia Day 2015

Don't forget the ice…. it's Australia Day.


Celebrating Australia Day with a refreshing glass of wine at the beach.
Celebrating Melbourne designers Max Beck (Wynn's Coonawarra wine label - 1954), Ed Kayser (Regis glass and carafe - 1969) and Richard Carlson (Decor BYO wine cooler 1978)


This Australia Day when you grab the esky, a stubbie of VB or lob the well worn Kookaburra cricket ball over the fence you would probably know these products are as Australian as a meat pie.

No matter how you choose to celebrate January 26th this year, more than a few of the products you will use were designed in Melbourne and have endured in our globally competitive market.

My research is particularly concerned with products that have endured and the research questions the common view that products are designed for obsolescence. The Decor BYO wine cooler designed in 1979 by Richard Carlson is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York and also available today for $22.00 at a store near you.


Designed in Melbourne - Decor BYO Wine cooler designed by Richard Carlson 1979


Australian design icon the Regis glassware range designed by industrial designer Edward Kayser for Crown ACI. The Regis carafe is still in production.

This year it is fifty years since Stuart Devlin AO designed our decimal coins and more than 15,200,000,000 coins have been minted. That is just our coins. Stuart who grew up in Geelong and studied in Melbourne has designed coins for over 30 countries.


Designed in Melbourne - Decimal Coins - Stuart Devlin 1964

If you have a cup of tea with your lamington it is likely the cordless kettle has a round base. In 1994 Gerry Mussett and Paul Taylor working with the Centre for Design team and Kambrook staff created the Axis Eco Kettle with the now universal round base. 'We wanted to bring the kettle to the table and out of the kitchen…..like you would a teapot or water jug.' said Paul Taylor.


Designed in Melbourne - Kambrook Axis Eco Kettle designed by Paul Taylor and Gerry Mussett 1994


Design registration for Axis Eco kettle innovative base design adopted worldwide.

Products designed in Melbourne that you might use on Australia Day.

Kookaburra cricket ball - Kookaburra - Moorabbin 1890
Chanell 9 logo  - Brian Sadgrove - Albert Park 1970
Decimal coins - 5c,10c,20c,50c,$1 - Stuart Devlin - Geelong/London 1964
Polymer bank notes - $10 Max Robinson, $20 Garry Emery, $50 Brian Sadgrove.
Lamington tin - Willow - North Melbourne 1928
Nylex kitchen swing top bin - Lionel Suttie - Richmond (Icon Plastics) 1966
Wiltshire Barb B Mate - Wiltshire - South Melbourne 1980s
Wiltshire Bar B Tongs - Outerspace Design Group - Richmond 1986
Redheads matches  - Brian Sadgrove - Albert Park
Willow Alpine cooler - David Flynn - Tullamarine
Decor BYO Wine Cooler - Decor - Richard Carlson - Hawthorn 1978
Regis Carafe - Edward Kayser - 1968
Esky - Willow/Nylex/Esky
Knog bike locks and lights - Catalyst Design - Richmond
Knog - Go Pro and iPhone flash units - Catalyst Design - Richmond
Crumpler Bags - Crumpler Design - Melbourne
Globe shoes - Derek Yuen - Port Melbourne
Tomato sauce bottle - Jim Samartgis - Decor
Victoria Bitter stubby  - ACI Glass - Footscray 1967
Crown lager bottle  - ACI Glass - Footscray 1970
Cascade beer bottle - Julian Ditchburn - Hawthorn
Ronstan yacht fittings - Ron and Stan from Black Rock
E-Series tram - CobaltNiche/Bombardier Design - North Melbourne/Dandenong
Quest EFPOS card payment terminals - Outerspace Design Group - Richmond
Channel 7 logo - Cato Brand Partners - Collingwood
Holden Commodore and Caprice - Holden Design - Port Melbourne
Ford Territory, Falcon, and Ranger - Ford Australia - Broadmeadows
Any power board  - Frank Bannigan, Robert Pataki Design, Peter Talbot - Caulfield
Cordless kettle with a round base designed by Gerry Mussett and Paul Taylor - Kambrook
KeepCup  - CobaltNiche - North Melbourne 2009
Robert Timms coffee  - Cato Brand Partners - Collingwood 1970s
Baby capsule - Robert Pataki and Phillip Slattery - Caulfield - 1984
Visit the Zoo and use the Art Processors digital app on an iPhone - Art Processors - Collingwood
Orbitkey - Charles Ng - South Yarra
Drink lots of water….321 water bottle  - Charlwood Design - 2009
Clean up with the Oates Tilt a Matic mop - Charlwood Design - 2005
…..and finally remember don't party too hard!
Booze Bus  - CobaltNiche - North Melbourne


Designed in Melbourne - Willow cooler designed by David Flynn 2013


Early Willow cooler designed and manufactured in North Melbourne. Circa 1960


Designed in Melbourne - Australia Day 2015. 
Max Beck (Wynn's Coonawarra wine label - 1954), Ed Kayser (Regis glass and carafe - 1969) and Richard Carlson (Decor BYO wine cooler 1978)


Designed in Melbourne - the VB stubby beer bottle 1967


This Australia Day raise a glass, like I did to our designers and those who commission them.

Tuesday 13 January 2015

Ford GT Supercar - Todd Willing

Ford overnight unveiled the all-new GT, an ultra-high-performance supercar that serves as a technology showcase for top EcoBoost® performance, aerodynamics and lightweight carbon fiber construction.

Australian designer Todd Willing was posted to Detroit two years ago to work on the top secret project, and has since returned to Ford’s design studios in Broadmeadows, where he is now the head of Ford’s Asia-Pacific design team.


2017 Ford GT supercar


2017 Ford GT supercar


2017 Ford GT supercar


Designed in Melbourne - Chevrolet Bolt EV concept car

The Chevrolet Bolt EV concept car designed by Holden Design in Melbourne Australia was released overnight at the Detroit Motor Show.

“The Bolt EV concept is a game-changing electric vehicle designed for attainability, not exclusivity,” said General Motors CEO Mary Barra. “Chevrolet believes electrification is a pillar of future transportation and needs to be affordable for a wider segment of customers.”


 Chevrolet Bolt EV concept car designed by Holden Design in Melbourne Australia


Chevrolet Bolt EV concept car designed by Holden Design in Melbourne Australia


Chevrolet Bolt EV concept car designed by Holden Design in Melbourne Australia


Chevrolet Bolt EV concept car designed by Holden Design in Melbourne Australia


Chevrolet Bolt EV concept car designed by Holden Design in Melbourne Australia


Chevrolet Bolt EV concept car designed by Holden Design in Melbourne Australia


Design Director Richard Ferlazzo at the launch of the Chevrolet Bolt EV at the Detroit Motor Show 2015.

Designed in Melbourne - Buick Avenir Concept Car

The Buick Avenir concept car designed by Holden Design in Melbourne was released overnight at the Detroit Motor Show.


Launch in Detroit of the 2015 Buick Avenir concept car designed by Holden Design in Melbourne Australia.



Vice President of GM International Design Mike Simcoe with the 2015 Buick Avenir concept car designed in Melbourne Australia.



2015 Buick Avenir concept car designed by Holden Design in Melbourne Australia


2015 Buick Avenir concept car designed by Holden Design in Melbourne Australia 


2015 Buick Avenir concept car designed by Holden Design in Melbourne Australia


Concept sketch by Warwick Leach for the 2015 Buick Avenir concept car designed by Holden Design in Melbourne Australia


2015 Buick Avenir concept car designed by Holden Design in Melbourne Australia


2015 Buick Avenir concept car designed by Holden Design in Melbourne Australia


2015 Buick Avenir concept car designed by Holden Design in Melbourne Australia


Designer Warwick Leach with the 2015 Buick Avenir concept car designed by Holden Design in Melbourne Australia



Concept sketch by designer Warwick Leach for the 2015 Buick Avenir concept car designed by Holden Design in Melbourne Australia

Tuesday 6 January 2015

Stuart Devlin - Wiltshire Staysharp Knife MK1

Summer vacation each year provides a welcome opportunity to visit antique stores, markets and opp shops seeking items for my collection of products designed in Melbourne Australia.

The Wiltshire staysharp knife has often featured in my exhibitions and blog posts but until yesterday the MK1 designed by Stuart Devlin in 1969 had never appeared on ebay or on the shelves of any opp shop. Just $1 was all I was required to outlay to acquire this very important object for my collection. I had only ever seen one before and that was in the Powehouse Museum collection in Sydney when I visited in 2009.


Original MK1 Wiltshire Staysharp Knife designed in Melbourne by Stuart Devlin based on an invention by Wiltshire design engineer Dennis Jackson.


Wiltshire Staysharp Knife designed in Melbourne by Stuart Devlin