David Caon

David Caon was born in Adelaide, Australia to a family of Italian origin.[1][2][3] He graduated from the University of South Australia with a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design and subsequently travelled to Europe to further his studies.[4] In 2000 he enrolled in the Automotive and Transport Design Master's programme at Coventry University, however, he quickly became disillusioned with the course and left after several weeks.[1][5] He moved to Milan to work as a graphic designer at Mondadori publishing group, after which he went to work for George Sowden, an English proponent of the Memphis movement.[6][7] While in Milan, he also collaborated with Jerszy Seymour, a post-punk artist and designer.[8][4][3]

Following his time in Italy, after a chance meeting with fellow Australian designer Marc Newson in 2003, Caon moved to France to join Newson's Paris studio. He worked on projects for clients such as LVMH, Nike, Samsonite, Magis, and Qantas.[9][6][4] In a Sydney Morning Herald profile, Newson recalls that Caon, who was 26 when he joined the studio, was "bright eyed, ambitious, confident and full of energy". In the same article, Caon describes how he went "from working with Jerszy and that kind of blue-sky, idealistic, exhibition-style open thinking, without restrictions, to working on serious projects for serious clients. And Marc Newson has a dream stable." The collaboration lasted over 5 years, with Caon working his way up to become a senior designer and project manager for Newson.[1][10]

Caon returned to Australia in 2009, and after briefly working with architects Woods Bagot, he established Caon Design Office, a Sydney based design practice. His first major client was Marc Newson Ltd.[11][4] He has worked in a wide range of design disciplines including industrial design, product design, furniture design, transportation and aviation design, brand identity, graphic design, packaging, interior architecture and retail design.[12][6][4][1] The studio has worked for companies such as Noritake, Recaro, Schneider Electric, Woolmark, and Qantas.[13]

Qantas weight saving crockery manufactured by Noritake

He has been a consultant responsible for the creative direction and design of the interiors of the Qantas fleet,[14] including the refurbishment of its Marc Newson designed Airbus A380s,[15] the design of new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft,[3] and ultra long-range Airbus A350s for direct Australia to New York and London routes,[16] as well as ground based interiors, bespoke furniture and fittings.[16][17][14] Caon's weight reducing designs for Qantas's in-flight crockery[18] and cutlery[19] resulted in an annual savings of over 500,000 kilograms of fuel.[20][9][21][22][1][lower-alpha 1]

In collaboration with architects Acme and Akin Atelier, he has designed retail and hospitality interiors including restaurants for Australian celebrity chef Neil Perry such as "Margaret" and "Next Door" in Sydney;[23] Qantas's first class, business class, and transit lounges in Australia and abroad;[24][25] as well as residential interiors for private clients.[26][11][10]

In 2020 Caon and business partner Henry Wilson founded Laker, an Australian manufacturer of design editions, furniture, home accessories, and architectural fittings.[27][28][29][30][5]

Caon lives and works in Sydney, Australia. He is married to Jeramie Hotz, an Australian businesswoman. They have two children.[8][1]

• Official website
• Design for the long haul (radio interview with Monocle magazine)
• Designing The QANTAS 787 Dreamliner (brief interview)
• Designing Objects for Life with Henry Wilson & David Caon, Design Your Life, Frost Collective (podcast)