In Australia the design "profession" was a different beast when I first trained and begun my career in the late 1960/early 1970s. From the start I felt the need to become as "professional" as possible as quickly as possible. I understood that professionalism entailed embracing the dual roles of running an efficient and profitable studio, and providing clients with a unique creative product that made a visible difference to their business and their bottom line.
Along the way I teamed up with some very talented and unusual people, found some to-die-for clients and employed and trained dozens of eager design graduates. The training happened formally, when I was teaching at university, and informally, in our own studio.
Later, through the formation of the Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA) I made many friends in design and illustration studios right around Australia.
The project that most people in the design scene seem to know me for is Symbols of Australia (Penguin, 1980). This research project was the first to look at the visual history of Australian commercial icons, trademarks and symbols. But before that I ran All Australian Graffiti (1972-1978), an illustration and design cooperative comprising of Con Aslanis, Geoff Cook, Izi Marmur, Tony Ward, Neil Curtis and Meg Williams. AAG created thousands of illustrations for advertising and design clients as well as the phenomenally successful The Kevin Pappas Tear Out Postcard Book (Penguin, 1977).
I also ran a small design studio "Cozzolino Hughes" with David Hughes (1980-1984) and started a design partnership with Phil Ellett, "Cozzolino/Ellett Design D'Vision (1985-2001). In 1987 I was part of a group of Melbourne designers who founded the Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA).
In the months to come I plan to write a little more about my design history and add it to this site. In the meantime check out some of the pictorial highlights in the All Australian Graffiti members' Galleries.
MC, 2009
Aborigines, Advertising, Aeroplane Jelly, All Australian, All Australian Graffiti, Ampol, ANZ Bank, Arnotts Biscuits, Arnotts Famous Biscuits, Aspro, Aussie, Aussie language, Australian Advertising, Australian Commercial Art, Australian Commercial Artists, Australian Graphic Design, Australian History, Australian icons, Australian identity, Australian language, Australian logos, Australian Made, Australian Map, Australian Nationalism, Australian packaging, Australian Trade marks, Australian erford, Gazeka, Geoff Cook, Geoffrey Blainey, Golden Fleece, Graphic Design, Griffiths Tea, Guest?s Teddy Bears, Gum Tree, History, Hutton?s, Huttons, Icon, Intellectual Property, IP, ISBN 0-646-40309-5, Italian migrants, Jaffas, Kangaroo, Kinkara, Kiwi Boot Polish, Koala, Kookaburra, Kool Mints, Laxettes, Leggo?s, Life. Be in it., Logo, Logos, Macrobertson, Made in Australia, Magpie, Magpie Cigarettes, Map of Australia, Marmite, Matchbox labels, Migrants, Mimmo, Mimmo Cozzolino, Mine Tinkit They Fit, Minties, Mortein, Mulga Wood, Nationalism, Neptune, Niggerboys, Norco, Nugget, Orlando, Patents & Trade marks, Patents and Trade Marks, Pelaco, Penguin Books, Peters Ice Cream, Phillip Adams, Pie, Platypus, Possum, Prickly Pear, Puns, Qantas, Rabbit plague, Racism, Redhead, Redheads, Rosella, Rutherford, Sherrin, Skipping Girl Vinegar, Slang, Southern Cross, Steam Rollers, Stencil Roller Flour, Stockman, Swagman, Swallow & Ariell, Symbols of Australia, TAA, Tarax, Tarzan?s Grip, Teddy Bears, Throaties, Tom Piper, Trade Mark History, Trade mark law, Trade marks, Trade Marks of Australia, Trademark History, Trademarks, Trademarks of Australia, Tucker Box, Vegemite, Velvet Soap, Vincents, Waratah, Wattle Cigarettes, White Australia Policy, Wombat, XXXX Beer, Zig and ZagTrademarks, Australiana, Ballarat Bertie, Beer Labels, Bex, Billy Tea, Boomerang, Bosisto?s, Brands, Bushells Tea, Carlton Ale, Chesty Bond, CIS Educational, Colonies, Commercial Art History, Commonwealth Bank, Cooee, Coo-ee, COR, Corporate Design, Corporate History, Corporate Identity, Corporate Image, Cozzolino, Cozzolino Ellett, CUB, Defender, Design Education, Design History, Digger, Dingo, Dinkum, Don?t Argue, Drover, Early Kooka, Eta, Fair Dinkum, Fantales, Federation, Flour Sacks, Freddo Frogs, Fysh, Fysh Ruth
