Meaningful Design Through Cultural Collaboration

Sharing purpose across cultures

Working on design projects directly commissioned by NNTAC (Nguddaboolgan Native Title Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC) has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my design career. Through this work, I collaborated closely with Aboriginal communities in Australia, including projects connected to the Djungan people.

Separately, in recent years I have also been involved in multiple design projects for Indigenous owned businesses and organisations supported by Indigenous Business Australia (IBA). These projects were delivered through contracted collaboration with a local Australian design agency and further expanded my experience working alongside Aboriginal organisations across a range of sectors.

Through these engagements, I developed a strong understanding of the importance of respecting cultural identity and carefully reflecting the voices, values, and histories that communities have maintained over generations. In this context, design is not about adding meaning or interpretation, but about listening carefully and supporting what already exists.

Where Culture and History Merge, Unveiling 37,000 Years of Legacy

Ngarrabullgan

Ngarrabullgan, formerly known as Mount Mulligan, is located in Far North Queensland and is recognised as one of Australia’s oldest continuously inhabited Aboriginal sites. With more than 37,000 years of human history, this place holds deep cultural and spiritual significance for the Djungan people.

Ngarrabullgan is not preserved as a relic of the past. Its stories, knowledge, and connection to Country continue to be passed down through generations, remaining central to community identity and cultural continuity. Culture here does not exist in documents or titles, but lives through shared memory, storytelling, and enduring relationships with the land.

Design, identity, and lived experience

My involvement in the Ngarrabullgan project came at an important moment in my own life. Having lived in Australia for nearly two decades and becoming an Australian citizen, I found myself reflecting more deeply on what identity truly means.

Branding design example for the Arts and Culture sector by TMCreation

I came to realise that identity is not shaped by nationality alone, but by values, lived experience, and the things we choose to protect over time. This understanding has shaped the way I approach design, reminding me that meaningful work begins not with surface level knowledge, but with careful listening and respect for the perspectives of the people and communities involved.

Through this project, I witnessed how cultural identity can remain strong even through hardship and change. Culture is not something that can be taken away, because it lives within people, stories, and shared understanding.

This experience reinforced my belief that design should never impose meaning. Instead, it should act as a supporting element, helping existing values and narratives to be communicated clearly and respectfully.

In my daily practice, I am guided by a Buddhist teaching often described as the treasure of the heart, the idea that what is truly important cannot be taken from us. Seeing how Aboriginal communities have protected their connection to Country through memory, shared responsibility, and resilience, I felt a strong connection between this philosophy and my own approach to design.

These experiences continue to influence how I approach design today, reinforcing the importance of respect, listening, and shared purpose.

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