who

Hello, I'm Carol Mackay.

I'm a designer / founder of a Melbourne-based design consultancy.

I like using words and images to make order out of chaos; to make the difficult easy, the complex simple and the unpalatable easier to digest.

My skill : my special power is comprehension – the ability to listen, understand the problem and then use design as a conduit between a client and their market.

My clients : I work with organisations with complex messages to deliver to their market.

My method : Like a film crew or theatre ensemble, I maintain a network of skilled individuals that collaborate to meet specific program needs. We use research, plain english language and design tools to translate slabs of text into bite-sized chunks of information that are easier to read, remember and act on.

Outside of client-driven work :

I work pro bono

I work as an external design resource with WISHIN (a service to help vulnerable women) and SecondBite (an organisation that redistributes surplus fresh food to community food programs around Australia).

I write, as a co-author of:

• a professional development weekly newsletter for designers: designbusinesscouncil.com/dmzine/

• a book detailing the what, why and how of running an Australian design studio: The business of design designbusinesscouncil.com/business-of-design/

• two websites:

annualreportbestpractice.com.au — solutions for managing annual report production

designworkexperience.com.au — making work experience easier for all

Let's talk.

In 2004 we launched a parallel business called the Design Business council. It has a dual purpose: promote the use of design in business, and encourage better business practice by designers.

The DBc is a forum to share our business experience through publishing, formal and informal mentoring, speaking at conferences and lecturing at universities, TAFEs and private providers.

In 2009 we launched dmzine: the business of design
— an online design management newsletter for designers.

Carol and Greg share the authoring of the weekly newsletter which currently has over 2,500 subscribers spread throughout the world.

In 2010 dmzine won Best global online design resource for How Magazine, and in 2012 it won a Melbourne Design Award and the Sydney Design Award for best online publication.

Outside of commissioned work we are prolific contributors to the design community.

As well as a weekly edition of dmzine, in 2013 we published our first book.

The business of design: the business of being creative – starting, managing and developing a design studio was written by Greg, and designed/illustrated by Carol.

The book shares our experience of 30 years running an Australian design studio. It's written specifically for Australian design studio owners and design managers.

We have also self-published two websites.

annualreportbestpractice.com.au – solutions for managing annual report production, and

designworkexperience.com.au — a website aimed to make work experience easier for designers, parents and students

Design business council

dmzine: the business of design

Publishing