Jack Crowe is the videographer and social media manager at DKO Architecture in Melbourne. An ‘innovator of the built world’ within Australian Design Review’s 30UNDER30 cohort for 2025/2026, Crowe uses visual storytelling to bridge disciplines and communicate design.

Australian Design Review: Why did you enter the 30UNDER30 program?

Jack Crowe: I entered the 30UNDER30 program from a slightly different vantage point to many of my peers. As someone who hasn’t formally studied architecture or a related discipline, I was initially hesitant to apply. My pathway into the industry wasn’t traditional. It began in graphic design and gradually evolved into videography and social media, where I found my strength in visual storytelling.  

Although I’m not formally trained in architecture, my passion for design has always been instinctive. I grew up watching Grand Designs with my family and consuming Architectural Digest on YouTube as the ‘curious viewer’, rather than the technically informed one. I was captivated not just by the buildings themselves, but by the ambition, the risks and the people behind them. 

I entered 30UNDER30 because I want to help communicate the stories of architects and designers to audiences like the one I once belonged to. At the same time, I see the program as an opportunity to deepen my own understanding of the talent shaping our design landscape, from the underdogs to the established leaders. 

There are so many inspiring stories within this industry. I simply want to be the vessel that connects them, amplifies them and shares them with a broader audience, and I hope 30UNDER30 will help me nurture connections and stories I’ll hold onto for life.

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What do you think are the benefits of mingling with professionals from different disciplines – architects with interior designers with product designers etc?

I think that cross-disciplinary conversations break down a lot of the walls standing between us. Architects begin to consider the finer grain of materiality and furniture earlier in their thinking. Interior designers gain insight into structural intent. Product designers understand how their pieces live within a broader spatial narrative. The outcome is more cohesive, layered and considered, and usually that’s something even the ‘curious viewer’ could pick up on. 

From a storytelling perspective, these intersections are where the most compelling narratives and personalities emerge. Innovation often happens in the overlap, and generally among relationships that are infectious and inspiring… these relationships are always central to driving a hell of a good story.

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Likewise, being in these rooms means I can better understand the full ecosystem behind a project and communicate it in a way that reflects the depth of collaboration that great design truly requires.

What do you think you personally are able to bring to the program?

Many designers have extraordinary ideas, but not always the time or tools to articulate their story beyond the finished project. I want to help my peers distil their thinking into narratives which, in turn, inform a brand, a voice and a visual identity that carries their ambition forward. 

Working at DKO, I was struck with a seemingly obvious reality check. Not everyone feels comfortable in front of the camera. Such a significant portion of what I do comes down to ensuring people feel comfortable to tell a story. I want to be able to inspire and motivate people to take a leap of faith into the spotlight (or maybe I should say ringlight, in some cases), and ensure they have the reassurance they need to feel confident about their story. 

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Do you remember your first encounter with design?

All thanks to my parents. 

Throughout my 21 years living at home with them, every year, a new room saw a new renovation. Being so young during some of these, I think I encountered more of the story and less of the vision until the finished product could present itself. From countless trips to Bunnings and my grandparents (for the tools Dad didn’t have on hand), to the painting and wheeling of the wheelbarrow up our driveway. The finished product was always stunning, though, as corny as it sounds, the journey was always most sentimental to me. 

As I mentioned, I also do recall watching a lot of Grand Designs. Being my dad’s favourite episode, I couldn’t count how many times I’ve watched season one, episode one of Grand Designs Australia, seeing the Bushfire House resurrected from ashes. 

If you could work with any designer, artist or other creative – living or dead – who would it be and why? 

If I could work with any creatives, it would be Josh and Matt, and Andrew Maynard.

Both have made a significant impact online, but what draws me to them most isn’t just the quality of their work, it’s their presence and personality. They each bring a vibrancy that feels magnetic on camera. Their personalities are as memorable as their projects, which is incredibly powerful in today’s media landscape.

There are countless people I could list, including fellow creative in my cohort, Izzie White (whose content inspires me so much), though immediately, I can imagine that working with the above people would be such an amazingly fun time. 

What’s the movie that you’ve watched most often?

One of the films I have watched most, especially as a kid, is Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium. The world-building is bold and a little ridiculous, which I’ve always appreciated. What’s so special is how its magic and playfulness blankets some deeper tones of mortality and existentialism, and I appreciate how the director, Zach Helm manages to juggle these themes. 

Watching it now, I’m more aware of how story and space intertwine in this film. I think it subtly shaped my approach to storytelling, in that it reinforces the idea that physical places can be strong vessels for narrative (occasionally moreso than the protagonist itself). 

As an aspiring videographer, it’s a sweet testament to how I aim to capture wonder within the built environment and translate it into stories that feel just as imaginative, layered and alive. 

Sometimes you really do need to let the building, or Emporium, so to say, do the talking for itself. 

Headshot supplied.

Australian Design Review’s 30UNDER30 is brought to you by major sponsor Neolith, alongside partners Designer Rugs, Laufen, Krost, Miele, Signature Appliances powered by Miele and Tongue & Groove.

Australian Design Review is also grateful to our 30UNDER30 practice partners AJC Architects, BVN, Cera Stribley, COX Architecture, Genton, GroupGSA, HDR, Richards Stanisich, RIZEN Atelier, Rob Mills Architects, Rothelowman, SJBand Design by WBLfor helping us foster the future of Australian design.

Learn more about ADR’s 30UNDER30 here.