One noted in the media that Garry Emery‘s Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre identity has been replaced by Richard Henderson‘s Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre brand. It is old news, as this iconic identity was changed in February 2008, never-the-less the change didn’t miss a slinging from the mainstream media up in the stalls.

With interest one reads the mainstream press coverage of the change over at the time. In typical fashion it is a beat up. The Age readers will enjoy another compelling view point of graphic design from writers Carbone and Money in an article titled “Convention changes on Convention Centre“ Here is a sample:

As part of the MCEC launching its “bold new identity”, cash has been splashed on new signs, uniforms and stationery, the centrepiece being the new “M” logo devised by Richard Henderson from the “brand, identity, design and image business” R-Co. His take on the logo: “In creating a brave, and engaging brand mark with a three-dimensional effect, it reflects the layering of experiences you can have in and around this diverse space.” Exactly what we were thinking. We suspect Henderson doesn’t comes cheap, given his clients have been the cashed-up AFL, the MCG…

Whether you like the change or not, this style of editorial seems to be the only format that graphic design is presented to the community in the mainstream media. No wonder our clients are suspicious of the fees designers charge and the process. No wonder the graphic design industry is still a cottage industry in Australia, as compared to our colleagues in the US, Europe and Japan.

As we mentioned in our piece about the London 2012 Olympic Games brand “Branding shot by the messenger, again…“ this type of editorial is a nightmare for a volatile industry like design communication. Designers often work with tight budgets that can be cut without hesitation in any economic climate. The average young designer‘s salary swings from $35k to $45k (who is typically university qualified), working for 40 to 60 hours a week — has Ms Carbone and Mr Money ever retrenched a young designer $30k HECS debt? It is no fun, especially in an industry that offers very few positions in quality studios like Mr Emery‘s and Mr Henderson‘s.

The profitability and incomes made by many studio‘s is a pinch on incomes from professions like law and accounting — just compare Australia‘s biggest graphic design studio‘s premises and employee numbers with Australia‘s biggest law and accountancy firms. If Mr Emery and Mr Henderson have succeeded in the Australian market place they without doubt would have put in long hours and a great effort to earn it.

There is a lot more say about graphic communication than questioning the point of it and its cost. Graphic communication is product that everyone interacts with countless times a day — it is time that the general public gets a sense of this concept and contribute to making the process more effective and enriching.

Read The AGE article here, read Branding shot by the messenger, again… here

Visit Emery Studio, R-Co, and Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre here