Inspired by a guidebook of Barcelona aimed at designers and architects, The Melbourne Design Guide began in the mind of Paul Charlwood, industrial designer and (then) Victorian President of the DIA. Geared at travelers and locals alike, The Melbourne Design Guide is the perfect companion on a journey through the city’s wealth of creativity and the people, products and stories behind it.

If there’s one thing for sure, it’s that The Melbourne Design Guide is no ‘yellow pages’ of design; which is probably why you won’t find all of the usual suspects here. In fact, for Editors Ewan McEoin and Viviane Stappmanns and founder Paul Charlwood, public accessibility was the key. ‘Our main preoccupation was to ascertain businesses that were trying to engage the community.’

Looking to meet the needs of the Design Practitioner as well as the design savvy tourist, The Melbourne Design Guide comprises of maps, walks, bars, clubs and galleries. It also features interviews with craft and design practitioners with profiles on local fashion labels.
‘We’ve included things that might be obvious to the designer like walking art tours and shopping districts—although having said that, there was a lot we uncovered during our research.’ A team of over ten contributors, design journalists and researchers interviewed industry leaders and suppliers to compile content across six disciplines—Built Environment, Art, Fashion, Product Design, Craft and Graphic Design.

‘In every sector we discovered all these things. Ideally they are the people doing great work. There with their own little shop, selling their own work or work of their friends, or their own little gallery.’ McEoin says that the team had discovered pockets of ‘flagship stores’ in localities such as Curtain House and great focal points of studio production like The Nicholas Building.
‘(But) the main (discovery) for me, was the artist-run initiatives that feed the industry.’

The research identified that architecture, fashion design and jewellery were significant areas of design in Melbourne. ‘Basically,’ says McEoin, ‘(in Melbourne) there is a really good market for jewellery,’ which surmises that the international recognition of Melbourne jewellery designers like Susan Cohn fuels retailer support and subsequent demand. Fashion, he continues, has been supported greatly through Melbourne’s tertiary institutions.
‘RMIT fashion and the Fashion Incubator are hugely influential. There is really a lot of talent coming out of those two (institutions).’ Describing Melbourne’s architectural palette as Avant-Garde, McEoin observes that individuals and private enterprise are commissioning architects, which is having an impact the aesthetic of the city. Designed by Studio Round, The Melbourne Design Guide is expected to be published once every two years. Stockists are available from the website.

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