It's History... But Not As You Know It
The Australian Museum of Design (AMoD) is home to more than 7,500 original hand drawn, designs by Australian artists, predominantly from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.
The designs had been carefully stored in a warehouse, in individual cardboard boxes, most unseen by the public for more than 50 years.
Designs include artworks by Carla Zampatti, Noel Lyons, Lloyd Foye, Bruce Clarke and original works used for Bob & Hazel Hawke in Parliament House, Canberra as well as other designs with exciting stories… many more yet to be uncovered.
Every design was hand drawn onto multiple layers of film acetate to create a final version that was used for wallpapers and fabrics – each layer being a different colour to suit different applications.
With the introduction of accessible computers and the advancement of technology, the authentic style of design creation, which included the beautiful imperfections that only hand drawing can achieve was lost, until now.
It is the largest known body of works of its kind, and our goal is to digitise and preserve them for future generations of designers, art lovers and the general public around the world, before they are lost forever.
“This is the first time ever someone has attempted to document, and record safely, the movement and changes of design. The Australian Museum of Design is a safe place for artists to house their designs, and if desired, license them in our marketplace.”
Margaux Everett, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of AMoD
7,500 Original Hand Drawn Designs by Australian Artists
From 60’s, 70’s & 80’s
Preserving Australian Design History Before It's Too Late
AMoD seeks to illuminate and celebrate great Australian designs of the past by bringing these magnificent works out of the shadows and into the light to be experienced, appreciated, and reimagined in new ways.
The recent digitisation of the Florence Broadhurst collection is a fine example of a successful design revival. In 1989, her designs were rediscovered, digitised and quickly became popular and were reimagined across artworks, fashion, home décor, books and films. The Broadhurst designs were seen across the globe in a variety of artistic and captivating applications.
The videos above show an interview with Christine Berry, one of the original designers working on a restoration of a multi-layered design in the 1980’s. We also have a video adaptation on how the multiple layers intricately came together to form the final design, Vivid Sydney 2023 ‘Inside Out’ light projection of designs and finally, a zoom around the back rooms of the studio where the magic happens!,
"For in each stroke and line, there's a lesson to learn,
that the human touch is something we should yearn."
Largest body of Australian designs
Unseen by the public for more than 50 years
Limited Edition Art
We have selected a range of designs for purchase as either Giclee digitally printed or hand silk-screened, both as a limited edition run.
Fashion House Designs
With many designs not been seen by the public for more than 50 years we have an abundance of stunning art designs available to fashion houses to access on an exclusive use license.
Hand Silk Screen Printing
Masters of hand silk screen printing, Signature Prints are the artisan printers of hand printed wallpapers and fabrics from our library.
License Design
Fashion houses, jewellery manufacturers and the like have successfully licensed designs from the AMoD library exclusively to huge success.
Wallpaper Reproduction
If you have a beautiful design on wallpaper or fabric, we may be able to help you produce more of it with our expert partner team.
Design Restoration
Design Restoration is completed by skilled craftsmen and by hand and protects the artists original work when it may have been damaged over the years.
There’s nothing like a revival…