Nicki Lloyd is director and creative strategist at Lloyd Grey Design and recently won the Queensland Premier’s Smart State Design Fellow.
She trained as a graphic designer in South Australia in the 80s and was seconded to Queensland to work for Australian design visionary Barrie Tucker.
Lloyd spoke to A&D about winning the Premier’s Design Award, Queensland’s design future and why she seeks inspiration from Interface founder, Ray Anderson.
You are passionate about the positive effects design thinking can have on the Australian business, NFP and regulatory landscape. What excites you about these things?
Design thinking is about embracing a more human-centric, empathetic approach to problem solving — the ability to step into the shoes of others and view challenges through multiple ‘lenses’. This approach to creative problem solving delivers deeper insights with more far-reaching, transformational results. Design thinking doesn’t happen working in isolation — it is through creative collaboration with others. That’s the exciting part!
What does it mean to you winning the 2011 Queensland Premier’s Design Award?
It is a great honour to be this year’s recipient. It’s a tangible recognition of 25 years of creativity working with progressive Australian businesses, all the while fostering the talents of emerging designers. This accolade provides me with the opportunity to connect with inspirational people and organisations Australia-wide.
What do you plan to put the $40,000 towards?
My plan is to travel to the US to gain more knowledge around design thinking methodologies and customer-focussed innovation and reinvest that knowledge back into the local economy. Over the year I will be working with students, the industry and the creative community to create new opportunities, connect and build capability through creative thinking initiatives.
In a reader’s comment on A&D news article to you winning the award, a reader said: “Without being accused of being gender specific, it's about time to see a woman architect at the helm of an award winning practice. Regrettably, our profession is still male-dominated.” Do you agree or disagree with that statement and why?
I am actually a graphic designer by profession. Like architecture, men have primarily led high-profile branding and graphic design consultancies. It may be due to the fact that women take a break in their professional careers to raise a family. I don’t believe it’s a reflection on leadership capability or societal acceptance.
The award is about contributing to developing a design culture within Queensland. What type of design future do you see for Queensland in the next two years?
We have an opportunity to identify and embrace the true essence of the ‘Queensland way’ — our natural cultural predilection toward collaboration and information sharing. I would like to see creative ‘think tanks’ germinate and grow. I would like to see the identification and codifying of the spirit of Queensland design be employed to tangibilise what we offer world markets, and improve the livability, profitability and viability of our State.
What project are you most proud of?
One of the many projects I am enormously proud of is the rebranding and repositioning of Southbank Tafe to Southbank Institute of Technology. Over a 12-month period, and working with multiple stakeholder groups including Queensland Government, a PPP partnership, local and international student and employer groups, Lloyd Grey Design successfully delivered a whole of business transformation. This continues to resonate today with growing student numbers and an enviable reputation for quality courses and education.
Where do you seek inspiration from?
From many parts of the globe, but particularly individuals such as Interface founder, Ray Anderson. His story and commitment to environmentally sustainable manufacturing practices, on a global scale is totally inspirational. Likewise GE: Eco-imagination demonstrates the transformational power design thinking can wield globally.
If you could change one thing about the design industry, what would it be and why?
Increased timeframes — enabling quality time to think, ideate and create. In today’s world project deadlines are too compressed. These compressed deadlines seriously compromise the ‘craft’ and often the integrity of the design solution.
