2018 SHORTLISTED
JIM HANON-TAN DESIGN
Category:
DESIGN STRATEGY
PRODUCT DESIGN SERVICES
Design:
JIM HANNON-TAN
About
A design studio with a mission is to apply design driven innovation as a strategy to develop new market opportunities.
Design Challenge
After 15 years overseas, I returned to set up my own business and found the professional landscape in Adelaide to be very different to that of Europe. Where Australian industrial design has traditionally been defined by a practical inventiveness, in Europe there is a strong cultural element which leads to a more sophisticated result. International design hubs like Milan or London provide access to a large client base, but the scope of design in Australia is limited. In order to be globally competitive, an Adelaide based design studio needs to find new ways to do business.
Design Solution
Whilst with offering consulting and engaging in brand collaborations, I soon found that the most dynamic part of the business was in design driven innovation. I would define this as applying design thinking strategically in order to realise a product vision. Tapping into the now vibrant start up environment in Adelaide enabled me to mix the skills I learnt in Europe with an entrepreneurial approach.
Design Impact
The impact of this strategy has led to the develop of new business opportunities. For example, the development of new products for the fragrance industry using microfluidics, a technology usually associated with the biotech sector. Based on an unmet niche I identified from previous experience, and driven by curiosity, I initiated an exploration into microfluidics. This led to an understanding of how to design with the technology and resulted in a provisional patent. A prototype was developed with the FII (Future Industries Institute) and ANFF-SA (South Australian node of the Australian National Fabrication Facility).Armed with knowledge, designs, prototypes and IP, I have been in licensing agreements with international clients in Japan, Europe and the United States.
Other Key Features
This design centric approach is a more empowered way to work as a designer, as it involves far more than responding to a brief, it also involves the strategic formulation of a brief on the fly. I originally began working with Monash University, but discovered that the ANFF-SA node was by far the best facility in Australia for microfluidic research and development. Licensing to Japan has been made amoother by the fact the ANFF has an agreement with Japanese company ULVAC to use their equipment.