The Industrial Design Council of Australia (IDCA) was formed in 1958. It was not the first industrial design promotion body in Australia, but became one of the most active.

Preceding the IDCA, the Society of Designers for Industry was formed in 1948. Founding members included Grant Featherston, Fredrick Ward and Charles Furey and Ron Rosenfeldt. The group aimed to define the role of the professional designer in industry and establish standards and practices - members lectured and wrote on the topic of good design. Another group, the Society of Industrial Designers Australia formed in 1958 and later became known as the Design Institute of Australia (DIA) the professional body for design.

In the 1950s there was a growth in professional design activity in Australia and internationally. Lobbying from the design community led the Commonwealth government to establish and fund the Industrial Design Council of Australia (later known as the Australian Design Awards) in 1958.

Based on the model of the British Design Council (formed in 1944) the IDCA aimed to establish, maintain and promote high standards of design in manufactured goods, and to foster the appreciation of design in the community at large. It also aimed to be a centre of information and advice for industry and Government departments on all matters of industrial design.

In 1963 the Council began to review Australian products for inclusion in the Australian Design Index and receipt of the Good Design Label. During the 1960s IDCA flourished with continued government support. Several design centres opened in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide. Lecture series were held for designers on topics of good design and new materials and exhibitions at Design centres presented the Design Index products to the public. The Design Australia magazine was launched as the journal of the organisation. The Prince Philip Prize for Australian Design was established in 1967.

However in 1976 the IDCA temporarily ceased operation due to funding difficulties. After strong industry support - including many letters from designers and manufacturers - the Council accepted renewed grants from the Commonwealth conditional on the implementation of a revised and less centralised organisational structure. Following this crisis the Council re-evaluated its objectives and structure and in 1977 the Australian Design Award was launched as a publicly visible way of recognising good Australian design.

Following another government review, the IDCA was re launched in 1987 as the Australian Design Council. In 1991 the remnants of the Design Council and the Australian Design Awards program were subsumed into Standards Australia. The three-tier program of DesignMark, Design Award and Award of the Year was introduced in 1993 and first awarded in 1994. Since the mid 1990s the Australian Design Awards has grown in size and profile with the annual awards program its main activity. In 2008 the Awards program was opened up to internationally designed products on the market in Australia, and became known as the Australian International Design Awards.

Angelique Hutchison
Curator
May 2008

References
Australian International Design Awards website, www.designawards.com.au, 2008 [accessed 6 May 2008]
Curedale R., The development of industrial design consulting in Australia, Masters of Design thesis, University of Technology, Sydney, 1990

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+ Australian product design

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