From cutting-edge medical devices to the branding on your water bottle, Sydney's product designers make their mark on the world. Across inner-city offices and industrial warehouses, they work in consulting groups or directly for manufacturers. The clients, manufacturers and end-users of their designs are located at all points of the globe. Since the first industrial design consultancies began business in Sydney in the 1960s it has grown into a highly competitive community with a real global focus.

Consumer products, medical devices and business technologies are significant areas of activity for Sydney's industrial designers. They work on all aspects of a product's life cycle - from developing the initial concept, working with engineers and manufacturers, to planning marketing and branding strategies. And their efforts have been rewarded with a swag of Australian and international awards. Familiar products designed in Sydney include the Mount Franklin water bottle, Victa lawnmowers, Sunbeam and Breville appliances, Energizer torches, ResMed sleep apnea devices and FCS H-2 surfboard fins.

Many locally-designed products are held in the Powerhouse Museum collection - the first collection of contemporary Australian industrial design. The Powerhouse Museum documents the activity of Australian industrial designers by exhibiting a selection of finalists from the Australian Design Awards program each year. The Museum acquires into the collection selected products along with design models, prototypes and documents. This collection records the nature of industrial design in Sydney and Australia-wide - providing inspiration for the designers of today and a rich resource for the researchers of tomorrow.

Angelique Hutchison
Curator of product design
May 2008

+ Australian product design

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