Institute Previews: The DIA's Year Ahead

We are currently collating our SA nominations in the Graduate of the Year Awards (GOTYA) and will be judging these awards next month with a presentation to the winners in April. The winners from each local category will go on to compete in the national awards – flying the flag for the next generation of SA designers. The Terrace Floor Rug Design competition returns in the middle of the year. This competition is an opportunity to explore print technology in carpet/rug design,with the top three rugs to be produced by Denmark’s ege. Live Design will return for a third year. Teams have the opportunity to design something using a single 2400mm X 1200mm sheet that is laser or CNC cut and has to be assembled in about an hour. It’s design– making in action. September will no doubt be a huge month for our industry with Adelaide hosting the Asia Pacific Space Designers Alliance (APSDA). Our DIA SA/NT Awards night will be aligned with this conference as well as the Designer Saturday event – a great chance for designers to promote their products and service s to a much larger audience with the influx APSDA delegates also invited to attend. Interspersed among the larger events, we are planning a handful of Dialogue AM and Dialogue PM events. This format has worked well in other branches of the DIA and is similar to the Snap, Crackle and Speak series from a few years ago. The intention is to inform, educate and enthuse with insights into the design process from inception to production/completion as a way of sharing the design experience. The Six Pillars of the DIA – Equip, Advocate, Support, Inspire, Connect and Celebrate – exist to benefit our members and our industry. Everything that we do is done with the Six Pillars in mind and we hope we can inspire our members (and those interested in design) throughout the year. Peter Coombs, DIA SA-NT President dia.org.au