Omnium Creative Network

Omnium Creative Network is currently working on a project to assist Sri Lankan artisans affected by the tsunami disaster.

The project started in 2006, when an OCN member Caroline Falconer was approached by an agency in Sri Lanka who was interested in having designers come together and develop products that would be of an economic interest to a Western market.

In order to address the potential for OCN to work with agencies and assist the local craftspeople of Sri Lanka, Caroline has been on a fact-finding mission and below are photos from her visit to the area.

Creative Waves - 2007

VIP ’07 was the first fully online international education initiative designed to link students and teachers in Pharmacy and Graphic Design departments from universities and colleges around the world.

The project challenged a diverse body of students and educators and professionals to address important global health issues by producing detailed research reports and subsequent visual communication campaigns for implementation in specific local hospitals and health centres in Kenya, Africa.

Creative Waves - 2005

The Omnium Project (Australia) recently hosted Creative Waves on behalf of the International Council of Graphic Design Associations (Icograda) and their worldwide education network (IEN). Creative Waves was the first in a series of free online projects for students located anywhere in the world, studying or interested in graphic design, photomedia and visual communication.

Over a seven-week period throughout March and April 2005, Creative Waves formed the largest multi-cultural community of student designers ever to work together in a totally online context.

Visualising the Science of Genomics (VSG) - 2003

Visualising the Science of Genomics was a collaboration between students and professors from 24 Universities in 11 Countries. VSG was the first Omnium Project to take place outside the field of design - in this case, in scientific research. Teams of 5 undergraduate students, worked on a project to visualise HIV genomic sequence information. The project was an exciting joint venture by the Faculty of Science and the College of Fine Arts, UNSW.

Graphic and Contemporary Society (GCS) - 2003

Graphics and Contemporary Society was offered for the second time as a fully online 'General Education' course by the College of Fine Arts (COFA), UNSW.

The teaching of this course took the form of four online lectures and tutorials over 4 weeks. Online activities for students involved individual as well as collaborative participation discussion forums, individual and group feedback, individual and group project. Assessment tasks included individual and team projects to encourage group dialogue and collaborative development of ideas and projects.

Graphic and Contemporary Society (GCS) - 2003

This was the first online 'General Education' course offered by the College of Fine Arts (COFA), UNSW. Led by Mr Leong K. Chan from the College of Fine Arts, students examined the role of graphic design in the production and consumption of social knowledge.

Graphic and Contemporary Society (GCS) - 2002

32 students, including undergraduates, senior designers, marketing managers and educators examined the role of graphic design in the production and consumption of social knowledge. Led by Mr Leong K. Chan from the College of Fine Arts, the project was a free design course for the public, and attracted participants from South Africa, Hong Kong, Singapore, Germany, Venezuela, Canada, Puerta Rico and Australia.

Omnium [VDS] ‘99: a Process Dialogue - 1999

Om'nium [vds]: virtual design studio '99 united fifty design students, representing eleven countries (15 universities), across five continents. Students undertook a uniquely collaborative learning process, engaging in verbal and visual dialogue for seven weeks, using the internet as their only communication medium.