The Design Institute of Australia (DIA) has launched a national advocacy campaign urging designers across all disciplines – including fashion – to accurately record their profession ahead of Census Night on Tuesday, August 11, 2026.
The campaign, called ‘Write DESIGNER’, aims to build the clearest picture yet of Australia's design workforce, a sector the DIA said contributes an estimated $67.5 billion to the economy each year but remains inadequately measured.
For the first time, the 2026 Census will code responses under the Australian Bureau of Statistics' new Occupation Standard Classification (OSCA) framework, which includes a dedicated occupational group: 242 Design Professionals. That group spans a wide range of design disciplines, from graphic, industrial and interior design through to fashion design, textile design, UI/UX design, web design, animation, VFX and illustration.
DIA CEO Simone LeAmon said the campaign was about uniting the profession around a moment that only comes once every five years.
"Write DESIGNER is more than a campaign, it's a collective act of advocacy for Australia's design profession," LeAmon said. "This campaign is about uniting an entire profession around a single moment that only comes once every five years."
The campaign was developed with Clemenger BBDO, ARIA Award-winning artist N'fa Jones and composer Jonah Gabriel, drawing on contributions from designers, studios and businesses across multiple sectors.
Fashion is directly represented in the campaign through fashion house Romance Was Born, alongside work from designer Marc Newson, PACCAR Australia, Ludo Studio, RØDE Microphones, Blackmagic, Balarinji, Blanche Tilden and Carr, spanning fashion, visual communications, service design, transportation, interiors and public infrastructure.
On Census Night, the DIA is encouraging designers to identify their specific occupation when answering the Census question "What is the person's occupation?", using a recognised title from the OSCA 242 Design Professionals group — including Fashion Designer and Textile Designer — rather than a generic title.
In the accompanying tasks section, the DIA recommends designers begin their answer with "Designing…" followed by a description of their work, for example "Designing garments and textile collections," to help ensure accurate classification.
A full list of recognised design occupations and alternative titles, along with campaign guidance and a supporting film, is available on the DIA's ‘Write DESIGNER’ campaign page.