Indigenous Design: Home

Bunda and his brother Garadi are competing with each other to find the best method of transporting water. Bunda constructs a raft to carry the water down the river, while his brother carries his water on foot. Bunda's father then tells his sons to bring him something that takes two to get.

These inventions and innovations are among the earliest known in the world and helped Aboriginal people survive Australia’s harsh conditions.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders make a variety of objects from animal and plant fibres. Their skills in basket weaving, knotting and utilising animal skins are evidenced in everyday tools such as baskets for collecting food, nets for fishing and skin cloaks for warmth. They also make ceremonial items such as headgear.

Cloaks made from animal skins, such as kangaroo or possum, were worn by First Nations people in the coldest regions of the Australian continent. They are known by many names. In the Noongar language, kangaroo-skin cloaks are called booka.

Operating for over three years IndigeDesignLabs has engaged with more than 80 students and successfully completed a variety of real-world design projects for clients across Australia. The primary aim of Indigenous Design Labs (IDL) is to provide young people real-world opportunities to activate their creativity in the digital and creative space while providing them with skills in the creative industries.

Aboriginal design is of a distinctly cultural nature, based in the Dreaming and in ancient practices grounded in Country. It is visible in the aerodynamic boomerang, the ingenious design of fish traps and the precise layouts of community settlements that strengthen social cohesion. Alison Page and Paul Memmott show how these design principles of sophisticated function, sustainability and storytelling, refined over many millennia, are now being applied to contemporary practices. Design: Building on Country issues a challenge for a new Australian design ethos, one that truly responds to the essence of Country and its people.

WSP is a multination urban design consultancy. WSP’s Indigenous Specialist Services incorporates Indigenous knowledge and culture in the design of infrastructure and the built environment through collaboration and co-creation opportunities, employment and training, the use of culturally-specific protocols and promoting positive project-specific socioeconomic outcomes.

"Our Place" was a magazine published by the Centre for Appropriate Technology (CfAT), focusing on Indigenous issues, culture, and technology.

The world's first Aboriginal Australian-language video game is being developed in a bid to preserve traditional language and culture.

Introducing My Grandmother’s Lingo – a new interactive animation that highlights the plight of Indigenous languages by exploring Aboriginal culture and the endangered Aboriginal language of Marra. It shows how digital technology and design is being used to uplift First Nations voices and knowledge.

Case studies of various contemporary Aboriginal textiles designers and groups.

IFP is committed to supporting the development of First Nations fashion designers and their labels. This is achieved through our mentoring and business development programs and also the many promotional opportunities that we present.