In summary

• Celebrating resilience and the power of creativity, GradX | Re.Silience profiles the work of 2021 design and architecture graduates across all disciplines.

• Grad X 2021 officially opened on 25 November. Swinburne Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sarah Maddison, gave the opening address while Dean of Design, Professor Jane Burry, hosted the online event.

• A range of other events included the awards night, information evening and a panel discussion, creating a festival feel for graduates and industry, alike.

Celebrating resilience and the power of creativity, GradX | Re.Silience profiles the work of 2021 design and architecture graduates across all disciplines.

The 2021 Swinburne School of Design and Architecture graduate exhibition officially opened on 25 November, with Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sarah Maddison, giving the opening address while Dean of Design, Professor Jane Burry, hosted the online event.

Additional panel discussions included ‘UX careers marketplace’, ‘looking back, looking forward: ten years of resilience’ and ‘design industry in the new COVID norm’ in addition to the design-led innovation online exhibition.

Our talented 2021 graduates invite you to view their outstanding portfolios.

  • CGI of a commercial space featuring sky-high glass windows, indoor landscaping and an undulating timber balcony
    Architectural Engineering: James Ahne
  • An illustration of a futuristic looking city near the sea
    Architecture: Kaila Gordon, Anna Heat, Liana Mezzalira
  • Lego characters gather around a light board with coloured dots on it
    UX Interaction Design: Rohan Gerrard, Beau Maher, Britney Monacella, Laura Ferris
  • A photograph of a man in a mirror, reaching out to touch his shoulder
    Photomedia: Davzon Toy
  • Images of space in pink and purples hues appear against a black backdrop
    Motion Design: Samuel Bast, Duong Quan Au, Anthony Christiano
  • An illustration of a remote control device shows its inner workings
    Product Design Engineering: Harmoni Collins
  • Interior Architecture: Duc Nguyen
  • A CGI of a hybrid space - people shop and conduct business, and wheel their bikes through the space which features a green wall and white, curved neon lighting
    Master of Design: Jiashen Li
  • Packaging and identity design for The Clay Coterie (a DIY pottery kit). The packaging features cartoon like characters making pottery.
    Communication Design: Megan Anstey
  • A lounge chair featuring timber and blue cylindrical seat cushions and back support features in a room along with indoor plants and a coffee table
    Industrial Design: Megan Yeo
  • Communication design for the National Portrait Gallery features the work of Thomas Gainsborough and other iconic images of The Beatles and Audrey Hepburn with geographic block colours.
    Communication Design (Honours): Niamh McCarthy
  • Line illustrations transform everyday kitchen products into characters – a bottle of tomato sauce becomes a magician.
    Postgraduates: Ratanapat Suchat
  • CGI of a branded environment for Aesop, featuring a large, curved entrance, brickwork and a cream colour palette
    Branded Environments: Ryan Mueller
  • An open-planned, community style living CGI featuring a strong connection to the outdoors, curved timberwork and full, flowering gardens.
    Urban Design: Sandra Mansilla
  • A temperature-controlled blue box with cheeses and nuts on a metal rack inside
    Design Factory Melbourne: Mark Vandersteen, Jackie Lin, Terry Chen
  • CGI of a commercial space featuring sky-high glass windows, indoor landscaping and an undulating timber balcony
    Architectural Engineering: James Ahne

Grad X award winners

Course Director of Swinburne’s Master of Design, Dr Jane Connory, says what makes Swinburne’s Design and Architecture graduates stand out is their opportunity to engage in Work Integrated Learning as part of their degree. 

‘They all have experienced working on live briefs, collaborating with industry professionals, and implementing the latest technologies by the time they leave us. Our student base is also diverse in many ways. Their lived experiences combine in collaborative ways to create innovative design solutions.’

Among the winners were Laura Ferris and Rohan Gerrard, awarded ‘Excellence in Design’ for their group Capstone Project on UX Interaction Design. Ryan Mueller also won an ‘Excellence in Design’ award for his Capstone Project on Branded Environments. 

Naomi Tran was given the ‘Best Portfolio Award’ for her Interior Architecture work, on top of receiving the highest GPA. Lastly, Isabella Green, Caitlin Grimmett and Fraser Hood all received multiple awards.

‘We are proud of them all, especially having had to navigate the challenges of COVID-19 during their degrees. We believe their resilience will make them better designers as they head out into their careers,’ says Dr Connory. 

The full list of award recipients is available now. 

Related articles