Gordon Andrews (10 January 1914 – 17 January 2001) was an Australian artist, graphic designer, and industrial designer. He is best known for the design of Australia's first decimal banknotes. His work also included the design of products such as cookware, jewellery, and furniture, as well as interior design, exhibition design, painting, sculpture, and photography. "He is widely acknowledged as one of Australia's most prominent mid-20th century multi-disciplinary artists."

Early life and education

Gordon Arthur Andrews was born in Ashfield, NSW. He studied engineering at

East Sydney Technical College The National Art School (NAS) is a tertiary level art school, located in , an inner-city suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The school is an independent accredited higher education provider offering specialised study in studio arts p ...

before switching to graphic design. After graduation, he worked for a Sydney advertising agency, and then moved to London, where he lived and worked prior to World War II. He returned to Australia in 1939.

Career and legacy

During the war, Andrews worked as a draftsman for

De Havilland The de Havilland Aircraft Company Limited (pronounced , ) was a British aviation manufacturer established in late 1920 by Geoffrey de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome Edgware on the outskirts of North London. Operations were later moved to ...

, and later, as a supervisor of an experimental hangar. In the 1950s he worked on commissions in the UK and Italy, and lived with his family in Turin in the mid-1950s. He declined a job at Olivetti (though he would later design furniture for Olivetti showrooms) and returned to Sydney in the early 1960s. In Sydney, he worked on a projects for the Australian Government including the Australian Pavilion of the ''Comptoire Suisse'' trade fair and the New South Wales Government Tourist Bureau. He also designed Australian exhibitions for trade fairs in Paris, Cologne, and Tokyo, as well as the New Zealand Government Tourist Bureau. Later he designed the logo for the

Reserve Bank of Australia The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is Australia's central bank and banknote issuing authority. It has had this role since 14 January 1960, when the ''Reserve Bank Act 1959'' removed the central banking functions from the Commonwealth Bank. Th ...

, and worked on projects for the National Gallery or Australia, as well as

Parliament House Parliament House may refer to: Meeting places of parliament Australia * Parliament House, Canberra, Parliament of Australia * Parliament House, Adelaide, Parliament of South Australia * Parliament House, Brisbane, Parliament of Queensland * P ...

and the National Athletics Stadium in Canberra. "At a time when Australian design was seen as parochial in outlook and execution, Andrews stood out as a designer of international style and sophistication." He was the first Australian designer to be elected a Fellow of the ''Society of Industrial Artists and Designers'' in the UK (now the

Chartered Society of Designers The Chartered Society of Designers (CSD) is a professional body for designers. It is the only Royal Chartered body of experienced designers. Its membership is multi-disciplinary – representing designers in all design, disciplines including I ...

). He was a member of the

Alliance Graphique Internationale Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI) is a club of the world's leading graphic artists and designers. There are 510 members from 46 countries. Its members have been collectively responsible for the identity design of most of the world's top cor ...

(AGI), and in 1987 was named an Honorary Royal Designer for Industry by the

Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), is a learned society that champions innovation and progress across a multitude of sectors by fostering creativity, s ...

(RSA) in London. He was also awarded the

Design Institute of Australia The Design Institute of Australia (DIA) is an Australian organisation that represents designers in Australia. The DIA acts as a professional body representing all disciplines of design, and undertakes work such as the promotion of ethical standa ...

's gold medal in 1985, and inducted into the institute's Hall of Fame in 2011. In 1993 the

Powerhouse Museum The Powerhouse Museum, formerly known as the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences (MAAS), is a collection of 4 museums in Sydney, owned by the Government of New South Wales. Powerhouse is a contemporary museum of applied arts and sciences, explori ...

staged ''Gordon Andrews: a designer's life'', a retrospective exhibition of his work. The exhibition was documented in a monograph also titled ''Gordon Andrews: a designer's life''. Both the book and exhibition relied on Andrews's extensive archives, which were fortuitously acquired by the museum before his house was destroyed by fire the following year. Gordon Andrews died in Sydney on 17 January 2001.

Publications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Andrews, Gordon 1914 births 2001 deaths Designers from Sydney National Art School alumni Royal Designers for Industry Australian designers Australian graphic designers Australian industrial designers Australian furniture designers Banknotes of Australia Product designers