It’s not often that I pick myself up out of that fortress of indifference I call my daily life to really care all that much about the state of the general majority of local graphic design (at least not in the days before I started this blog!) Sometimes something will hit close to home, it may be that I have to look at every day, maybe someone I know who can do better designed it, maybe I designed it! Sometimes it’s just for something that is close to my heart. Case in point, The 2005 marketing material for The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra – it may be the 2004 stuff – I don’t want to unnecessarily vilify someone for producing totally adequate design that I’ve just gotten the years wrong, I’ve tried to exorcise it out of my mind to be honest – you’ll know what one I mean because it was horrible. For the past few previous seasons the promotional material had been consistently bland, The ASO went through some personnel issues and to be fair, some serious funding issues which I’m sure left their mark, but the stuff looked like no one gave a damn. And really, what more incentive do you need to produce beautiful design than doing work for a symphony orchestra? There’s just so much scope there, it’s my dream assignment. It looks like they got the high school work experience kid to knock it out ten minutes before the end of the day.

So come 2006, I wasn’t expecting much from the ASO in regards to their season’s promotional material, was I in for a shock. The 2006 design was some of the most beautiful I’ve seen for a local arts organisation. Obviously someone had gotten them back on track by employing the capable lads at Voice Design. Voice have been quietly plugging away for over ten years now, with some very unique and inspiring designs in their portfolio, including the work for the ASO, Rio Coffee, SA Great and Beresford Wines, to name a few. Persistence seems to have paid off for them, as their work is becoming a more common sight in design journals and competitions, including an in book award at the 2006 UK D&AD awards. Their book ‘Type it Write’ has become an essential reference guide around many a local and not so local design studio.

For Sydney-siders, Voice are currently part of the Powerhouse Museum’s ‘Design 06 – Cutting Edge Australian Graphic Design’ exhibition for the benefit of all you eastern states gurus who I know flock to this blog.