Design Research & Strategic Outsourcing
v:dro is a Queensland-based versatile design research office. We solve complex, multi-disciplinary problems through applied design thinking. Engaging across automotive, urban planning, technology and smart city infrastructure at state, federal and international scale. v:dro KL above prototype Bentley showcase - Eitihad towers (Vaughn Carnaffan) fast and furious scene
v:dro Versatile Design Research Office is a Queensland-based practice providing outsourced design intelligence to organisations facing complex, multi-disciplinary challenges. We operate as a trusted strategic partner across industries and geographies, bringing considered design thinking to problems that require both technical precision and creative resolution.
We work at the intersection of design, technology and strategy, embedding with clients across government, industry and research to deliver outcomes that are commercially rigorous and enduringly well-made. Our practice is deliberately small and expert. We engage selectively, where design research can genuinely shift an outcome.
Current programmes span automotive EV platform development, smart city and infrastructure masterplanning, autonomous vehicle research partnerships and government-funded research grant co-applications.
v:dro engages with state and federal government entities, academic research institutions and international industry bodies across its portfolio.
Let’s collaborate—reach out today.
NCT smart industrial park
NCT Group is the developer of Malaysia's first certified managed industrial park — a landmark programme integrating Industry 4.0 smart infrastructure, sustainable operations and international business services. v:dro contributes masterplanning strategy, design intelligence and the integration of intelligent building systems within industrial precincts, supporting a development framework aligned with Australian and international industrial standards.
Gondwana Australia
A research and advisory organisation with deep expertise in Australian environmental, cultural and land-use contexts. Gondwana Australia brings sovereign knowledge and applied research capability to complex project environments where ecological and heritage understanding is central to design resolution. v:dro collaborates with Gondwana across precinct planning, land strategy and culturally grounded design research programmes. John Grace, v:dro Senior Design Adviser, has served as Senior Technical Adviser to Gondwana Australia for the past six years.
RHC City
RHC as a global leader in shaping future cities, places where people can live, work, and enjoy life in harmony with nature, technology, and culture. With Infinity Planet, our vision is to redefine Australia’s tourism, leisure, and lifestyle experience, making it a landmark destination recognized worldwide. v:dro contributes design research and strategic spatial thinking to RHC City's development agenda — supporting the integration of technology, liveability and sustainable design principles across master-planned communities at the intersection of lifestyle and intelligent infrastructure.
ABOUT Vaughn
Vaughn Carnaffan is the founding Design Director of v:dro Pty Ltd and a Bachelor of Design graduate of Queensland University of Technology. His career spans 38 years of complex, signature-level design projects across automotive, hospitality, aviation and urban design, with landmark programmes including Bentley and the Jumeirah Group forming part of an extensive international portfolio.
His practice is built on the belief that the most enduring design outcomes arise from disciplined reduction — clarity of form, purpose and commitment. This philosophy informs the way v:dro is structured: a lean, expert practice that engages only where design research can change the outcome.
Current programmes include Project Heritage EV — an integrated EV platform, trademark licence and autonomous vehicle development programme — alongside smart city masterplanning across Southeast Asia and Australia, and research partnership development with QUT Centre for Robotics.
