The State of Design Festival is Victoria’s (Australia’s centre for design excellence) peak design event. The Festival will cover many cross-disciplinary design agendas relating to the profession of design and the marketplace that it provides to.

The Festival offers both local and international conversations on design, with a focus on design from across Victoria.

Through partner organisations and brand alliances the Festival links Victorian design into the global design conversation, offering an understanding of the Victorian design context, the opportunities and the successes.

Under one Festival umbrella the best local designers will be honoured through the Premier’s Design Awards, others will be discovered at our trade fair, Design Made Trade. Get involved and unearth metropolitan and regional talents in our satellite program Design for Everyone, or come and listen as some of the world’s most esteemed designers and design-focused business leaders share their knowledge and insight at the design and business conference Design Capital.

Festival Program
16 - 18 July 2008
Premier's Design Awards: The awards that recognise design excellence from within Victoria, presented with a showcase exhibition at Melbourne Museum

Design Capital
Design Capital is the State of Design’s business symposium. It aims to go beyond the narrow definition of design and to reinterpret the values and opportunities embedded in design for business and society.

Design Capital is a rare opportunity to generate discussion between local and international designers and businesses. There will be particular focus on value, investment, opportunity, quality, growth and sustainability.

From the boardroom to the studio floor, the drawing board to the factory, Design Capital explores the value that design delivers. Stories told through provocative keynote sessions, workshops and discussions will demonstrate how businesses can capitalise on design to produce tangible returns on creativity.

Design Capital will be held over 3 days at the Melbourne Museum, 16 - 18 July. Each full-day session investigates a diverse area of design:

Day One: Designing Identity - Generating commercial opportunity, and leadership brands
Day Two: Convergent World - design meets technology, as professions collide
Day Three: The Opportunity Crisis - Designing the Future

16 - 24 July 2008
Design For Everyone
Design is a Verb - it’s about doing, being, making, crafting, thinking, shaping – a process not an object, design is for everyone!

The cultural program of the State of Design Festival brings the best of design out to the community. Diverse exhibitions and workshops transform Melbourne and Victorian regional centres to make 2008’s public program interactive and available to all.

Building on the concept of the democracy of design, program curator, Fleur Watson, has established an exciting fixture offering the public a chance to experiment and explore design, what it means in our community, and to sneak a peek at who is out there doing what.

The program offers designers a unique opportunity, providing a space for design in all its guises to interact directly with the public. From exhibitions to public talks, design experiences and iconic design statements, the possibilities of design are open to everyone.

17 - 20 July 2008
Design Made Trade
Design:Made:Trade is a new and exclusive trade event for the design industry showcasing Australia’s small manufacturers, product designers, design studios and design makers. It is specifically created for designers seeking collaboration with manufacturers, retail buyers, export buyers and decision-makers.

Design:Made:Trade offers an unparalleled platform for promising designers to present themselves to the Australian and New Zealand markets.

Exhibitors will be offered a 3 x 3m Design Box made from recycled cardboard. They will be able to transform it to reflect their flair for design.

Design:Made:Trade 2008 welcomes participants in the following categories:
- Industrial Design
- Graphic Design 
- Textile Design
- Lighting Design
- Furniture Design
- Fashion & Accessory Design
- Materials Design

The event is open to innovative product designers, design studios, and design makers. Participants in Design:Made:Trade will be selected based on their originality, commercial potential and innovation.