Benjamin Altieri.

Benjamin Altieri recently accomplished a Master of Design (Communication Design) specialising in design management. With a passion for participatory and human-centred design, his work spans a variety of demographics, mediums, and platforms, having worked with various units, teaching academics and researchers at UniSA, as well as with the Maggie Beer foundation, Accenture Australia, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Government of South Australia.

Known by many as the tall guy with a folder full of ideas, Benjamin loves to work in collaboration with other design practitioners, clients, and stakeholders, to co-create ideas and experiences that improve the impact and success of a design intervention, a knowledge base developed through his research into participatory design methodologies and practices.

Benjamin has also completed a two-year internship with Match Studio, an innovative teaching and learning space which offers students the opportunity to participate in a variety of interdisciplinary, problem-based client focussed projects. During this time, he has participated in a variety of industry projects and professional development experiences, conducted several workshops in collaboration with teaching staff and even had the opportunity to manage several collaborative design projects himself.

In 2020, he was honoured with the opportunity to represent UniSA and Australia at the Second Inaugural Peace Summit of Emerging Leaders in Bangkok, Thailand; an international forum for young leaders to foster global relationships and discuss issues that impact our time, hosted by Humanitarian Affairs Asia in partnership with the United Nations. His work continues to draw upon the stories and experiences of the people he has met, designing withpeople to address the wicked problems we face, to champion a world this is more sustainable, ethical, and inclusive.

Phone: 0478 052 503
Email: benaltieridesigns@gmail.com
Social: @ben_altieri

Interview.

Describe yourself in three words.
Tall. Dependable. Leader.

Hobby outside of design?
I wouldn’t quite call myself a cinephile, but I love film, television, and games. There is nothing better than switching off at the end of a hard week and enjoying an engaging or interactive narrative on Netflix or Crunchyroll, or from my collection of Blu-rays I’ve accumulated over the years.

What type of design do you enjoy the most?
I love working on anything that is user-centred. Working with people is very important to my practice of design and any project that can involve people, particularly those who will engage with and benefit from my design

Who is your design inspiration and why?
I’ve always been careful with who I follow, just to make sure I don’t become too inspired. I’ve looked up to Paula Scher for a long time, not just because of who she is now, but how she came to be a graphic designer. I also admire Tim Brown, and IDEO, for their values and approach to human-centred design.

Who is your design inspiration and why?
I’ve always been careful with who I follow, just to make sure I don’t become too inspired. I’ve looked up to Paula Scher for a long time, not just because of who she is now, but how she came to be a graphic designer. I also admire Tim Brown, and IDEO, for their values and approach to human-centred design.
 
Looking through your portfolio, what is one piece of work that you are really proud of and why?
That’s a tough question. I am always proud of what I achieve at the time, but I, like many designers, also regularly see opportunity to improve an idea or how it was executed. If I had to choose it would be the exhibition I curated and designed. Synthesis was an exhibition that showcased the Design Thinking process and is inspired by the principles and Methodologies of Match Studio; a fantastic research, teaching and learning space at UniSA. Working with academics, the studio, and a multidisciplinary team of students, it took nine months for us to develop the concept and identity for the exhibition and of course the exhibits themselves. It was both an incredibly joyful and stressful experience, made ever more interesting by the changing COVID conditions – though luckily we were able to open our physical exhibition to the public.

YourTime
A novel app informed by the research of Associate Professor Lois McKellar, that helps mothers, during pregnancy and into early mothering, monitor and support their mood over time, decreasing the likelihood of developing perinatal or postnatal depression. Designed in collaboration with Master of Design students Suada Shahini & Francisco Labra.

WINNER of the UniSA Ventures Slingshot Funding ‘Software Innovation & Commercialisation Challenge

SA Insights Dashboard
A state-wide dashboard tool that corroborates human mobility and behaviour data to accurately inform urban investment and economic growth. Designed by a multidisciplinary team of UniSA students in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for the Government of South Australia.

Voice Your Opinion
An investigation into how UniSA Career Services could improve the effectiveness of their communication and engagement of students. Outcomes included a University wide survey, student focus groups, and findings report. Designed in collaboration with Ethan Haylock & Huong (Sally) Tra Hoang.

‘Synthesis’
A showcase of the philosophy and methodologies of Match Studio, visualising our interpretation of the design thinking process, methods, and tools.
See more here @synthesis_exhibition