Andy Schmid was born in Austria, trained as a graphic designer and worked in Vienna before arriving in Australia in the 1960s.

He is best known for his remarkable collaboration with the Australian homeware brand décor. He worked exclusively for décor from 1974, contributing significantly to the company’s outstanding reputation for design quality. Brian Davis, décor’s visionary leader, commissioned Schmid having worked initially with Frank Eidlitz. Schmid redesigned the Eidlitz’s original logo, introducing a distinctive band of coloured stripes in 1976.

Davis created a highly successful, integrated creative team including Schmid (graphics), Richard Carlson and Tony Wolfenden (product design), David Webster (copywriting), Eddie Gaber (photography) and Trevor Ling (TV commercials).

Schmid’s work was characterised by a strong modernist rigour with a meticulous eye for detail. He was recognised internationally and appeared in journals including Graphis.