Articles from the current issue
| So you studied Industrial Design |
| Issue 1 Oct 2007 - Interviews | |
| Written by Lauren Hogan | |
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  With Celina Clarke, Owner / Director, ISM Objects. One of fifteen graduates from Industrial Design RMIT class of 1988, Celina Clarke is now owner/director of the Australian lighting company ISM Objects. Along side Simon Christopher, another ID graduate, they started ISM in 1990 and now the company is a leader within the Australian and international furniture and lighting market. Celina explains upon graduation it was the beginning of a recession; she was anxious to get a design job she began work at a packaging company, AMCOR. Due to her structural and AutoCAD design skills, Celina worked as a point of sale designer making cardboard units for instore product displays. After working there for 2 years she was retrenched. Then moving into a packaging consultant position with another company, from which she was retrenched also. At this point Simon was working as shop fitting display when his department closed, after doing a 6-week business course and the two agreed it was time for their own company. So ISM objects began, their first product was an A4 cardboard file for document storage, mostly stocked by gift stores and Myer, a great client to help get a new business off the ground in the beginning stages. Celina describes just “learning as they go”. Taking a little client based work, like an oil burner for Bloom. However, mostly working and producing their own product lines. Celina’s work casually approx 4-5 hours, 3 days a week, and based around deadlines, as she has young children. ISM has 10 full time staff, within assembly and sales; and a design team of 3 (Celina, Simon, and one other), mostly use AutoCAD and outsource graphics work. Celina explains their business is diverse, working within many materials. Her advice to young people in business is some need for life experience, otherwise running a risk of burning out. ISM has found Melbourne a great hub for manufacturing, having moved from Chapel Street to South Melbourne and are now located in Mentone to be closer to suppliers. Celina and Simon’s "Madame Ruby" lighting fixture due to its recycled nature using compression-molded recycled polycarbonate-acrylic automotive taillights has been a part of many different international exhibitions. Some of these include “Mutant Materials in contemporary Design” (1994) at MOMA and “Refuse” Arango Design Foundation exhibition (1996-2000). To observe some of ISM’s work closer to home is in the many locations around our cities such as Melbourne’s crown casino, Radisson hotel, The Sussex centre - Sydney, Transport/taxi – Melbourne, the Espy Hotel, St Kilda, Chillipadi - Melbourne Central, The brasserie @ crown, Sportsgirl and Boost Juice stores nationally. For more information see: www.ismobjects.com.au/ism.html |
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Print issue, Oct '07 (A3 PDF) Download
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