Christopher Doyle & Co.

On Thursday night, we attended the AGDA Awards in Melbourne. It was the first time we'd entered the Awards since 2018, and it was great to reconnect with so many familiar faces and make some new friends. Like many designers, I have a complicated relationship with awards. While the structures are far from perfect, I believe they are an important celebration and documentation of the work we all do. A chance to recognise work we may not have seen, elevate designers doing new and exciting things, and connect with our industry in person. We had 18 finalists nominated for potential recognition, and I couldn’t have been more proud of the results. Of those 18 finalists, we were awarded 8 Merits and 5 Distinctions. We received awards for our work with AirOxy, Garigarra, The Antarctic Science Foundation, Dropshipzone, Pinot & Picasso, Project Restore, Those Architects, Tsu Lange Yor, Vinnies, and Vivien’s Creative. A huge thank you to all of our clients and collaborators on these projects. It’s a privilege to have had so many creative partnerships this past year. Last but certainly not least, it was a joy to see Emma Van De Werken win the Emerging Designer of the Year Award. Throughout her time at CD&Co., Emma has developed a diverse skill set that touches all aspects of our studio’s output. She has contributed significantly to projects across strategy, identity, motion, campaigns, and digital design for a broad range of clients including TikTok, Bell Shakespeare, Vinnies, Pinot & Picasso, Project Restore, and Vodafone. She has also lectured at UTS and led the launch of our mentorship initiative, Open Book, which offers free one-on-one sessions on portfolio building, job applications, self-promotion, and navigating a design career. In the two years she has been with the studio, I have watched Emma consistently apply herself and grow in her role. She throws herself into every task and project with positivity and curiosity. Simply put, she’s doing the work. And it was brilliant to see her recognised for it.

📘 Open Book Recently we wrapped the last of 20 sessions for our first Chapter of Open Book. 🤓 What is it? Open Book is a series of free, one-on-one folio reviews and mentoring sessions for students about to take the leap into working life. The program was named, branded, and led by CD&Co. Designer Emma Van De Werken. The only eligibility requirement was that applicants needed to be entering the workforce in the next 12 months. This frustrated some students (and professionals), which I understand, but we had to set some parameters. We also thought the best students to connect with were those about to make the transition into working life. We had 20 spots available and the sessions ran for 30-45 minutes. They ran all day, in sets of 5, every Friday in September. It was a mix of in-person and online sessions. Students were encouraged to bring two things: their folios (regardless of what state they were in) and as many questions as possible. 👏🏼 Bravo We want to applaud everyone who booked a spot. Just turning up and engaging with these kinds of things shows initiative and an eagerness that’s great to see. The students who turned up were curious, excited about their potential careers and ready to do the work. They all asked great questions, took our advice and constructive criticism on board, and were appreciative of the time. It felt great to be able to give back in this format. 🥤 Takeaways What was challenging was seeing an ever-growing gap between what some students are being told about how to prepare for working life, and what we expect, and hope for, in graduate designers. Students came from a variety of Universities, Tafes, and short courses (both in and outside Australia) and while all of them showed creative potential, almost all of them are being encouraged to prepare for working life in ways that we feel are outdated. ➡️ Moving forward It’s hard to know how to better bridge the gap between education and work. The industry moves and morphs so quickly now. How do we ensure students are developing a body of work and an approach to design that will enable a smoother transition into working life? It’s something we as a studio have debated for years. Some courses do a great job of engaging with industry, through mentorships and guest lectures. But if I am honest the highest level of engagement we have with design education (that we don’t initiate ourselves) is receiving an invite two weeks before a grad show at the end of the year. And while we are always interested in seeing how students arrive at the finish line, I can’t help but feel we would be of more use checking in during the race. 📆 What’s next? Chapter 02 of Open Book will run throughout March next year and will be exclusively for working designers with 1-3 years experience. Till then.

Join us for the exciting finale of season 1 of the DesignThinkers Podcast! Host Nicola Hamilton RGD (she/her) will be live in conversation in Toronto with DesignThinkers keynote speaker Christopher Doyle to explore the ins and outs of running a design studio, his creative process and his upcoming talk at the conference. Tickets are on sale now. #rgdDT #GraphicDesign #Toronto

New work. Season 2025 Campaign Art Direction and Design for Bell Shakespeare 👑 🦋 💔 Shot by Pierre Toussaint Styled by Jolyon Mason H&M by Koh Printed by Special T

New work. Brand identity for AirOxy, a new streamlined e-commerce solutions product that will transform the way retailers operate. Harnessing big data from Australia’s leading e-commerce marketplaces they offer Automated Product Insights that help optimise e-commerce strategies and maximise profitability. Brand identity, motion, collateral and copywriting by us.

Very excited to be heading to Toronto in November to speak at DesignThinkers for the Association of Registered Graphic Designers (RGD) 🍁 I’m joining a stack of talented folks like Nick Asbury Aries Moross Sue Murphy Leland Maschmeyer and many more. This is Canada’s largest annual design conference. Tickets are available now. Come say hi 🛷 #rdgDT Tickets 👉🏼 https://lnkd.in/gvPYBnC6

For the last year, we have been working with Those Architects to complete a full overhaul of their visual, verbal, and digital identities. Those Architects is a celebrated architecture practice that strives to create buildings that are far from ordinary. We were engaged to rebuild their brand identity and website, as well as develop a suite of internal documentation to better reflect the sophisticated spaces they shape. Inspired by the clean lines and angular forms found in Those Architects’ structural innovations, we constructed a bold, geometric logomark that seamlessly merges the letterforms T and A. Repurposing the interlocking geometric shapes within the logomark, we developed a set of graphic scaffolds that can be assembled into endless configurations. These built structures are paired with a utilitarian yet elegant typographic system and a minimal colour palette. Designed to document and celebrate Those Architects’ commitment to meticulous design, craftsmanship, and the enduring nature of the structures they create, the identity was implemented across signage, stationery, project documentation, and digital platforms. The result is a brand that lays the foundations for the practice’s next chapter, reinforcing the legacy of their buildings as they continue to evolve, innovate, and build. Visit thosearchitects.com.au