Frost*bite

7 January – 12 March 2006

Object Gallery and Sydney Opera House present Frost*bite: Graphic Ideas by Vince Frost

Frost*bite is an unprecedented exhibition highlighting the outstanding work of internationally acclaimed designer Vince Frost. Object Gallery’s first major graphic design exhibition surveys the last decade of Frost’s dynamic practice and unique creative output. Attracted to his bold approach and distinctive use of typography, Object Gallery aims to reveal the personality and progressive nature of the works on display in Frost*bite. 

With a recent surge of interest in graphic design and an increasing number of prominent designers now working in Australia, Frost*bite is a timely exhibition presented at one of Sydney’s most recognisable design icons, the Sydney Opera House. Object Gallery in Surry Hills also presents exhibitions of new design, from fashion and furniture to lighting, textiles and ceramics. From the most celebrated designers to the newly discovered, Object Gallery offers new ways to experience design. 

From billboards to bus tickets, newspapers to magazines, graphic design surrounds us in our everyday experience. Timetables, stamps and road signs all blend seamlessly into the fabric of daily life but where would we be without them? This is where the real power of graphic design lies – in making people’s lives better. We all buy, wear, read and see graphic design daily. We take it for granted that the packaging of our breakfast cereal looks a certain way or that a newspaper is a specific shape and size but none of this is accidental. Why? Because behind every design is a designer. Graphic design is all about ideas.

Within Frost*bite you will find a number of ‘case studies’, providing a snapshot into the world of graphic design; an opportunity to see the design process from start to finish, the method and the madness! This exhibition invites you to interact with design – and understand the graphic world that we live in.

'I once showed my mum a new magazine I had designed. ‘Did you take the pictures,’ she asked. No. ‘Did you do the illustrations?’ No. ‘Well, what did you do then?’ Having spent the best part of a month working 24/7 on this project, not to mention almost ten years working as a designer, to discover that my own mother didn’t even know what I did for a living was disappointing, to say the least. I work with type on a daily basis but I am not a typographer. I work with photography but I am not a photographer. I work with print but I am not a printer. I wouldn’t even call myself a graphic designer per se; I find the term too limiting for the diversity of what I do. 'I created the look of the magazine, the glue that holds it all together,' I told her. 'Oh' she replied, sounding equally disappointed. ‘You really should draw more. You were always really good at drawing.’ It struck me then that if my own mother didn’t understand what I do, a lot of other people might not understand either. Hopefully this exhibition goes some way to rectifying that.' Vince Frost

Vince Frost is an Australian Design Honouree. Explore Australian Design Honours here

Image (above): Frost*bite. Vince Frost. Image courtesy of the artist.

Image (below): Frost*bite: Graphic Ideas by Vince Frost. Sydney Opera House Exhibition Hall. Photo by Andy Stevens.