The Australian Indigenous Design Charter: Communication Design (the Charter), published in 2016, offers ten step best practice protocols for use of indigenous knowledge in commercial communication design. The aim of the Charter is to improve and maintain high ethical standards of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ representation in commercial communication design and recognize and acknowledge the value of Australia’s first nations traditional knowledge. The Charter offers a system of accountability for commercial design practice beyond measures of excellence or impact. The authors of this paper, also the authors Australian Indigenous Design Charter, attest the Charter provides content that urgently needs to be addressed in tertiary design education. Incorporating this document into teaching practice will, in turn, lead to significant changes in the communication design profession as Australia’s design practitioners build best practice protocols into every day working processes.
The Australian Indigenous Design Charter: A ten-step best practice protocol document essential for design educators and practitioners
Meghan Kelly and Russell Kennedy (Deakin University)
2017 Conference