Friday 5 February 2016

Stuart Devlin - Designer of Australia's iconic decimal coins.

The enduring design work by Stuart Devlin for Australia's decimal coins is celebrated in BlackBOX - Design and Innovation | Melbourne Australia. The 50th Anniversary of the release in 1966 of the coins will soon be celebrated on February 14th 2016.

I have had the pleasure of interviewing Stuart at his home on several occasions and I have also visited the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra to view his original sketches.

BlackBOX - Design and Innovation | Melbourne Australia will be exhibited in Tianjin China from February 29th to March 28th 2016 and in Melbourne April 26th to May 6th 2016.


Stuart Devlin designer of Australia's iconic and enduring decimal coins released in 1966.


Iconic Australian decimal coins designed by Stuart Devlin.


Coins featured in all 64 3D printed boxes in BlackBOX - Design and Innovation | Melbourne Australia.


Coins featured in all 64 3D printed boxes in BlackBOX - Design and Innovation | Melbourne Australia.


BlackBOX - Design and Innovation | Melbourne Australia at Expo in Citta as part of ExpoMilan 2015.


Video of BlackBOX app featuring the coins and demonstrating the innovative use of bluetooth with Art Processor Enso Locate Beacons.



BlackBOX – Design and Innovation | Melbourne Australia is an exhibition that celebrates design and innovation from Melbourne Victoria Australia. The black box flight recorder was invented in Melbourne in 1957 by David Warren. Adopted as a standard air safety device it is installed on all commercial aircraft so this innovative research has had global impact. The analysis of data captured by a black box flight recorder provides valuable insights that help to ensure future air travel is safer.
The BlackBOX research project has captured raw data about the history of design and innovation in Melbourne and the exhibition acts as an archive for future analysis and research.
The exhibition layout references Melbourne’s town planning, with the Hoddle grid inspiring a field of sixty four 3D printed boxes. Products designed by professional designers that have endured are featured with most still in production. A digital archive for each project is activated as visitors approach an individual box. The pure geometric cubes represent solid state memory and reference the idea of the black box. They give voice to an untold history of design and innovation from Melbourne. Actual flight recorders are neither black nor box shaped. The content is viewed utilising Melbourne based Art Processors innovative mobile content delivery solutions. The app is available for iOS mobile devices using wifi which highlights the invention of wifi by the CSIRO 
in Australia.



3D printed metal coins in BlackBOX are a tribute to the iconic and enduring designs by Stuart Devlin for Australia's decimal coins.


Ian Wong examines sketches and drawings by Stuart Devlin for the design of Australia's decimal coins released in 1966.