Good Design Australia pays tribute to His Royal Highness Prince Philip the Duke of Edinburgh.

His passion for supporting Australian design and engineering will always be remembered through the Prince Philip Prize for Australian Design which was introduced in 1967 in the early days of the Industrial Design Council of Australia (IDCA) and the Australian Design Council.

The aim of the Award was to promote a greater awareness of good design in Australian design and engineering. The Award recognised an Australian designed product that had the potential to make a substantial contribution to Australia’s economic progress and was closely associated with our Australian way of life.

The inaugural Prince Philip Prize is awarded in 1968, during Prince Philip’s visit to Australia in May. Criteria included standard of manufacture and construction, inventiveness of design, originality, aesthetic appeal, ease of operation and marketability.

Much like the Good Design Labels, which appeared on products as visible indicators of quality design and manufacturing in 1964, and the IDCA-led Australian Design Index, the Prince Philip Prize for Australian Design served to raise awareness of the importance of design in Australian manufacturing.

Together, these initiatives represented the formal start of design assessment and promotion in Australia, stimulating competition, debate, high standards of quality and industry growth.

More than 90 Australian designed products were considered for the Award with the inaugural Prince Philip Prize for Australian Design awarded to a self-propelled grain header, designed by Kenneth Gibson.

In July 1978 and September 1979, His Royal Highness presented the Prince Philip Prize for Australian Design during an ABC national telecast.

The ABC estimated the audience for these two major programs to have been at least three and four million viewers on the respective occasions. These programs, both running for more than an hour in prime television time, had a marked effect on public awareness of design in Australia.

Australian manufacturers and designers strongly supported the program and consumer perception of design was at an all-time high.

“I hope this whole exercise will provoke a great deal of discussion and argument on the subject of Industrial Design. I don’t mind in the least if people disagree violently with our choice because it will mean that this is a subject worth attention and worthy of well-informed criticism.” His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh.

The Industrial Design Council of Australia (IDCA) was originally established in 1958. More than 60 years on, Good Design Australia continues to proudly promote and recognise excellence in design, creativity and innovation in Australia and abroad. 

Read our full history here.

Main picture above: To mark the inauguration of the Australian Design Award in March 1977, His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh was presented with Award Certificate No. 1. With His Royal Highness on the Royal Yacht Britannia is Minister for Productivity, Mr. I.M. Macphee (left) and IDCA Chairman, Mr. R.A Rosenfeldt.

It is with great sadness we share the news that Good Design Australia’s inaugural Patron, Michael Bryce sadly passed away on 16 January 2021.

Michael Bryce AM AE KSTJ was one of Australia’s most celebrated designers with a career that spanned graphic design, architecture, industrial design, interior and urban design. He was a champion of design in Australia for more than 40 years, promoting the importance of design to government, business and industry and the general public.

Among many accolades and high-profile roles, Michael Bryce was appointed as the Principal Design Advisor to the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. He designed the Olympic bid logo and played a leading advisory role on the application of the corporate branding throughout the games.

“Michael was the first Patron of Good Design Australia when the organisation separated from Standards Australia in 2010. It was a role he accepted with such great honour and a deep passion and commitment to progressing the cause for design in Australia,” said Dr. Brandon Gien, CEO of Good Design Australia.

“Michael was such an amazing mentor to me and constantly reminded me he was only a phone call away if I needed his help with anything. I’ll miss seeing his name come up on my phone as ‘His Excellency Michael Bryce’ and the long chats we would have about design,” said Dr. Gien.

Michael was a driving force for Australian design and arguably did more to promote the value and importance of design in Australia than anyone else in the industry. He served as President of the Design Institute of Australia, Councillor of the Industrial Design Council of Australia which later became the Australian Design Council. He served on the Design Board of the Australia Council and as Patron of the Australian Design Alliance. He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2005 and inducted into the DIA Design Hall of Fame.

Good Design Australia awarded Michael with the Australian Design Prize in 2020 in recognition of his tireless efforts to champion design in Australia.

“Recently my father was awarded Australia’s highest design honour – the Australian Design Prize which was established to recognise designers who have made a significant impact in Australian design across the course of their career. It came as a tremendous surprise to him to be included in the company of the creators of this country’s most highly regarded products and places. But for many – no surprise at all.” said Jack Bryce, Michael Bryce’s Son.

“It was the influence of the Industrial Design Council of Australia that I found exciting and compelling, as it marched into boardrooms and factories of Australia with a message of ‘good design is better for industrial products. A blue swing tag awarded a status for design, marking your purchase with a new set of ideals – simplicity, efficiency and colour.

“The Prince Philip Prize for design attracted TV coverage with His Royal Highness’ famous response to an award for the GE plastic kettle, “but can you boil an egg in it?”. Obviously not! How perceptions have changed.

Design is not nearly championed as much as it was, despite the profession’s best efforts. I suppose most people would recognise my Sydney 2000 Olympics bid logo and role as Design Advisor for the Games. Although, this came with certain bureaucratic frustrations.

I championed design and its role then, and I champion it now.” Michael Bryce’s comments during an interview for Good Design Australia’s 60^th Anniversary in 2018.

Our thoughts and best wishes are with his wife, Australia’s former Governor-General Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO, his children, grandchildren, family and his colleagues, friends and admirers.

He will be missed but never, ever forgotten.