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MakerSpace &co Dirty Design Debate: Australian Design Should Be Made In Australia
In an industry awash with slick marketing, glossy mags and tightly curated Instagram accounts, we are prying open complex cans of worms with candid debates about the stuff we don't like to talk about. And by debate, we mean debate. We are going to fight our way through the pitfalls and air punches of getting your designs made: should Australian Design be Manufactured in Australia?
AFFIRMATIVE TEAM: Studio Enti and Dresden Optics
NEGATIVE TEAM: DesignByThem and Trent Jansen Studio
CHAIR: Adam Simpson
Who will benefit most from this can of worms?
Small/early-stage design and making businesses looking to scale their operations. And the purchasing public, who love the romance of local cottage industry makers, are less likely to question industrial design being produced off shore, and don't understand the challenges and implications that must be navigated for a small designer to scale and make a viable income from their work.
MakerSpace &company exists to help early-stage maker-businesses grow and thrive. We know that in building a viable, vibrant creative business the path is never straight. For an industry that prides itself on collaboration, we're not so great at sharing. Let's learn from the experiences of those who have forged new ways, and create smarter, better businesses together.
Why are we inviting leaders in the design and making industry to literally debate the big issues?
By pitting Affirmative against Negative allows us to stoke the fire, it forces strong opinions and a frank, lively conversation. And it will be fun.
Manufacturing is one of the hardest things to navigate scaling up production of a design. There is trendy dichotomy of "locally made is best", and "manufacturing in Asia is bad." A sentiment that would have more weight if backed by forking out the extra cash for locally made work and buying it. Are there genuine opportunities to ethically partner with manufacturers in developing countries?
We've recently found ourselves in conversations with passionate declarations of "it's so much easier in Europe/USA/UK..." We want to know if the grass is truly greener. Is there a situation in which manufacturing locally/in a developed country/in a developing country is best? Join us to find out.
This event is presented by MakerSpace &company
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