Otago Polytechnic Lecturer finalist for Best Design Awards 2020

Matthew Galloway, an Otago Polytechnic Lecturer in Design (Communication), is a contender for two prizes at next month’s prestigious Designers Institute of New Zealand Best Design Awards 2020.

Matthew’s collaboration with award-winning musician Dudley Benson on the design and visual language for the album Zealandia earned him a place as a finalist in the Design Communication category.

And his work with Louise Menzies for 2019, part of a Francis Hodgkins Fellowship exhibition at the Hocken, gained Matthew a place as a finalist in the Editorial and Books category.

The Best Design Awards, to be held in Auckland on 13 November, are an annual showcase of excellence in graphic, spatial, product, interactive and motion design.

Previous Best Awards finalists and winners have built on their success to launch high-profile design careers in New Zealand and overseas.

However, Matthew already has a highly stimulating and rewarding career.

As a Lecturer at Otago Polytechnic (since 2016), he teaches Communication Design, specialising in Graphic Design.

But, like many Lecturers working in Design disciplines within Otago Polytechnic’s Te Maru Pumanawa: College of Creative Practice and Enterprise, Matthew also does design.

As a practising designer, he collaborates with a broad range of clients, be they artists or commercial industry types.

“I like sharing ideas and collaborating with others. I really like how Otago Polytechnic supports me to invest in my own practice and research.

“It’s a feedback loop.

“I do design – and that informs my teaching. The experiences I gain from projects flows into my teaching.

“And I teach design – and that informs my design practice.

“In a symbiotic way, working with students, talking to them about design and trying to distil complex ideas helps me solidify certain ideas.”

Having previously won Bronze and Silver awards at the Best Design Awards, Matthew says he is proud to be recognised as a finalist.

“But both these projects were the result of strong collaborations. Nether would exist if they were based on more traditional client-designer briefs.”

STUDENT AND GRADUATE FINALISTS

In addition, an Otago Polytechnic student and a graduate have been named finalists in the Best Design Awards.

Third-year Bachelor of Design (Product) student Zoe Morehu is a finalist in the Student Toitanga category.

Bachelor of Architectural Studies 2019 graduate Rata Scott van Tippelskirch is a finalist in the Student Spatial category.

“We are very excited to have these projects selected as finalists in two categories,” says Caroline Terpstra, Head of School of Design, Otago Polytechnic.

“Rata is amongst the first graduates from the Bachelor of Architectural Studies at Otago Polytechnic, having previously completed a Bachelor of Visual Arts here.

“Zoe is in the final year of a Bachelor of Design (Product), in what has been an extraordinary and hugely disrupted year,” Caroline says.

“We are thrilled to see the work of both these talented designers acknowledged by the judges.”

Read more about these Best Design Awards 2020 finalist entries:

https://bestawards.co.nz/graphic/design-communication/matthew-galloway-1/dudley-benson-zealandia/

https://bestawards.co.nz/graphic/editorial-and-books/matthew-galloway-1/2019-by-louise-menzies/

https://bestawards.co.nz/toitanga/student-toitanga/zoe-hikairo-morehu/pare/

https://bestawards.co.nz/spatial/student-spatial/rata-scott-von-tippelskirch-1/off-the-beaten-track/

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